Beachgoingis not just for the summer. Nothing is romantic than walking on the beach witha loved one. What about the beach in the autumn? Walking on the beach on a coolbreeze and sitting in a café with an ocean view may be something you don't wantto miss.

Ifyou long for a place where you can see the autumn sea and uninhabited islands,all you need to do is take the Airport Train from Seoul station or GimpoAirport station. Within one hour, it will take you to Yeongjong Island. If youstart early in the morning, it is more than enough for a day trip.

InYeongjong Island in which Incheon International Airport is located, you canvisit beaches and small islands such as the Ulwang, Wangsan beach, Mui Island,Silmi Island, and the like. The magnetic levitation train service, which wasopen last year, now extended to Yongyu station from the airport. Even though itis a short 12-minute ride, it's by itself something enjoyable.

Ulwang and Wangsan

Locatedon the west coast of the island, the Ulwang and Wangsan beach are famous forcamping sites for college students due to its proximity to Seoul and Incheon.With 1.5 kilometers of seashore, the Ulwang beach is well equipped withrestaurants, cafés, and hotels. The Wangsan beach, just a hill across theUlwang beach, is a bit smaller but boasts a cleaner white sand beach. Thanks tothe dense pine tree forest nearby, this is considered by some a hidden gem.

Mui, Small Mui, Silmi Islands

MuiIsland, as well as Small Mui surrounded by the bigger brethren, can satisfyeveryone's appetite, including mountain hikers, women visitors who want to takea light walk, and family travelers. Passengers can take the ferry at theJamjin-do wharf to Mui in just 5 minutes. Once arrived, you can take themicrobus to any place you want within the island.

TheHanagae beach, meaning the only one mud flat, offers the best view of theYellow Sea in the island. The more adventurous person can try the 1-kilometerzip-wire installed along the coast line. Young people can also ride theall-terrain vehicle on the sand beach. On one side of the beach, there is alocation where popular TV series "Stairway to Heaven" was filmed.

SmallMui Island is a small islet with an area of only 1.22 square kilometers on thesoutheastern end of the main island. It is connected with the mother islandwith a 414-meter bridge, as well as a 2.5-kilometer walkway around theshoreline. The walkway is divided into eight intervals with different themes,including the Buddhist shrine, the pebble beach, the Myeongsa beach famous forthe site of former President Park Chung-Hee's family retreat, Mt. Dang and Mt.Ahn, and Janggun Rock. The whole trip takes about an hour even at a leisurelypace.

Masiran, Seonyeo Rock Beach

TheMasiran beach is popular for family visitors as it offers a vast mud flat whereyoung ones can gather a variety of shellfish. In addition to collectingmollusks, they can also enjoy the spectacular sunset that turns the 3-kilometerbeach into a reddish picturesque scene. If you want to take a walk on a lonelypath, you can do so by walking as far as to the uninhabited Jorum Island at theend of the beach.

jeffkang@hankyung.com