Jeju Island is a small volcanic island south of the Korean peninsula. Due to its fertile soil, it is a very green island with white sand beaches—a popular weekend getaway among South Koreans.
You’ll quickly notice the peculiar little statues scattered around the island, the so-called “Dol hareubang,” which literally means “little grandfather.” Carved from lava stones and about 500 years old, their true origin is not entirely solved.
Jeju is also popular for its black pork meat, which is prepared in various traditional Korean dishes across the island. Jeju City even features a “black pork street” with nothing but restaurants focused on this particular type of food.
How to get to Jeju Island from Seoul
There are several daily flights connecting the capital to the popular island. You can easily find a flight for under €50.
Traveling around Jeju Island
Although Jeju is only about 1,850 km² in size, it is not that easy to move around the island efficiently. The best way to do it would be to rent a car. There is not much traffic on the island, and Koreans drive carefully, so this is a safe and good option to move between the different points of interest. It does, however, require that you come prepared by bringing an international driver’s license with you.
If you are not that prepared—like me—you’ll have to resort to buses and perhaps taxis. You will probably make Jeju City your base as it is close to the airport and situated in the northern middle of the island, so both west and east can be reasonably explored from it. There are many buses connecting Jeju City to every corner of the island. Unfortunately, the Naver app is less reliable here than in Seoul—while it does tell you about all the possible lines, it does not provide reliable schedules. So once you figure out where to take a bus, simply head to that bus stop and then see on the digital board what buses are coming next and if one of them goes your way. Be aware that, despite the small size of the island, a bus from Jeju City to the east coast, for example, can easily take one and a half hours. That would be okay in itself, but once you start wanting to move between different points of interest—even if they are just a handful of kilometers apart—the whole waiting for a bus and then the time spent inside your bus can consume a good chunk of your daytime.
Things to do on Jeju Island
Here are a few highlights of Jeju Island:
- Seongsan Ilchulbong on the east coast is a volcanic caldera that can be easily climbed in about 15 minutes and offers an unusual view over a crater overgrown with grass.
- Visit Jeju Stone Park, southeast of the city. It is a very mystical place with various stone formations, statues, and an old village.
- Hike Mount Hallasan, the volcano in the middle of the island. This is supposedly a whole-day activity, and there are several available routes.
- Explore one of the lava tube caves on the island. Several of these caves were formed by lava flows long ago.
- Relax at one of the white sand beaches along the northern shore. While the south and east sides are more defined by lava rock formations, the north features several beautiful sandy beaches.
Jeju City
