Jeju travel info

Just before landing, look out of the window: the whole island is cut into a chequerboard by black stone walls, rows of tangerine trees inside them, and Hallasan sitting in the middle wearing a cap of cloud. Jeju is a volcanic island, so even the beach rocks are black, and more than 360 small crater hills, called oreum, poke up from the fields. In the morning the haenyeo divers float their buoys and head out; at lunch it's a bowl of pork noodle soup; at dinner, thick-cut black pork dipped in anchovy sauce.

The coast road around the island runs roughly 200 km. Crossing Hallasan from Jeju City in the north, where the airport is, to Seogwipo in the south takes about an hour by car. The western beaches at Aewol and Hyeopjae glow jade green and the sunsets last forever. Head east and Seongsan Ilchulbong rises straight out of the sea, with Udo island fifteen minutes away by boat. Jungmun, on the south coast, gathers the big resort hotels and the basalt column cliffs.

It's just over an hour from Gimpo and about an hour from Gimhae, and international flights land from Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and more. Many foreign nationalities can stay 30 days without a visa if they fly in directly. Most people rent a car, but airport limousine and express buses reach the main towns without one. Navigate with Naver Map or KakaoMap.

Jeju International Airport (CJU)

• Airport Limousine 600 (Jungmun / Seogwipo): Departures from about 6am to 10pm, roughly every 20 minutes. About an hour to Jungmun (ICC Jeju), longer to the Seogwipo KAL Hotel at the end of the line · ₩4,500–5,500 by distance (Yeomiji ₩4,500, Gangjeong/World Cup Stadium ₩5,000, Seogwipo KAL Hotel ₩5,500)
• Express and trunk buses (city, east, west): 15–30 minutes to Yeon-dong or the old town; 40 minutes to about 1.5 hours by express to Hamdeok and Seongsan in the east or Aewol and Hyeopjae in the west · Regular buses ₩1,150 by card (₩1,200 cash). Express buses start at ₩2,000 and rise with distance to a ₩3,000 maximum
• Taxi: About 15 minutes to Jeju City Hall, 30 to Aewol, 50–60 to Jungmun, about an hour to Seongsan · Mid-size taxis from ₩4,300 for 2 km. Roughly ₩9,000 to Jeju City Hall, ₩25,000 to Aewol, ₩35,000 to Jungmun, ₩45,000 to Seongsan

• Visa & entry: Direct flight: 30 days visa-free
• Getting here: ~1h from Gimpo or Gimhae
• Time zone: UTC+9, same as Japan
• Currency: Won (₩); cash for market stalls
• Paying: Bring a physical credit card
• Power: 220V, Type C/F round pins
• Language: Korean; signs in English too
• Internet: No blocks; good signal island-wide
• Emergencies: Police 112 · Ambulance 119 · Help 1330
• Best time: April blooms, Oct–Nov silver grass