Jeju is the largest island in the beautiful country of South Korea.
Some call it the Hawaii of South Korea with its centerpiece Hallasan Volcano, black sand beaches. clear waters and waterfalls.
It’s mainly frequented by Korean and Chinese tourists, so don’t expect to run into too many English speakers; you’re mostly on your own. I learnt that the hard way after forgetting my wallet on a bus.
Don’t do that.
3 days on Jeju is the perfect amount of time, especially if you don’t have too much travel time and have some other places to get to.
If you can afford to take your time and want an extra day (or are forced to prolong your stay to retrieve a lost wallet, alla me), I’ll throw in a suggestion at the end.
Day 1- Check out Jeju Town and head south to Seogwipo
Jeju Town
The first day of your visit will begin in Jeju Town.
I’d recommend only staying briefly, as you’ll be coming back later on before leaving.
Check out Dongmun Market, which is the largest market on the island. It’s cooler to visit at night, but don’t worry- you’ll be back. You’ll be hearing more about it later on in the post.
You can also check out the famous Dragon Rock on the coastline as well as Samseonghyeol, an ancient site on the island going back thousands of years.
But most of this day will be dedicated to exploring Seogwipo.
Seogwipo
You should leave Jeju Town by noon to allow you enough time to explore Seogwipo. Take the 181, 281 or 282 bus. There are probably more options too (definitely download Naver Map if you haven’t already). The bus should go dead south, curving around the massive Hallasan Volcano.
The town in Seogwipo is not as lively or interesting as in Jeju- however, the natural beauty makes it more attractive to me.
Seogwipo is home to two waterfalls and an island off the coast that makes for the perfect sunset spot. All of these can be visited in a couple of hours and are within walking distance from one another.
First, head to the Jeongbang Waterfall– the only waterfall in the country that falls directly into the sea. It’s located slightly east of town and admission costs 2,000 won ($1.40 USD), or 1,000 won ($0.70 USD) if you’re under 25. Score.
From there, walk around 30 minutes to the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, which is actually a set of three different waterfalls cascading through the forest. A different vibe from Jeongbang, and gorgeous in its own way. Admission is 2,500 won ($1.75 USD) or 1,350 ($1 USD) for youth.
Finally, head over the Saeyeongyo Bridge to Saeseom Island, a perfect sunset spot. It’s also just a pleasant place to walk, with a 1.2 kilometer path around the perimeter of the island. Be sure to check out the bridge as it illuminates at nightfall.
You can also visit the Maeil Olle Market at some point for some local street food. It generally stays open late at night.
Day 2- Hike up Halassan and head east
Hike up Halassan
This is the highlight of any trip to Jeju.
Hallasan is a volcano smack in the middle of the island. It’s nearly 2,000 meters high, making it the tallest mountain in South Korea.
And you’re gonna hike to the top.
I’m not going to delve into details here, as I’ve written a whole guide to the volcano that you can check out here.
You want to take the bus from Seogwipo as early as possible (around 6:30 AM), and if you hike at a decent pace you should be back in town by 5:00 PM. A little later is fine.
Head to Seongsan Ilchulbong
Once you’re back in Seogwipo, it’s time to grab your bags and head back on the bus, this time to Seongsan Ilchulbong.
It’s on the eastern tip of the island and the bus should take around 1-1.5 hours. Take the 201.
Seongsan Ilchulbong is an incredibly unique geographical feature that was formed by an underwater volcanic eruption. It’s a little hard to explain so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
You’ll be staying by the volcano overnight so you can get up bright and early to hike it for sunrise.
The town is located on a narrow strip of land between the mainland and Seongsan Ilchulbong. If you make it in time for sunset, make sure to go for a stroll on the black sand beach overlooking the volcano. You can also shoot across to the beach on the other side.
Day 3- Sunrise on Seongsan Ilchulbong and back to Jeju Town
Sunrise on Seongsan Ilchulbong
Time for another early wakeup.
I’ve said that hiking Hallasan is the highlight of a trip to Jeju. Climbing Seongsan Ilchulbong at sunrise definitely claims second place.
The walkway to the top opens at 5:00 AM. The earlier you can make it, the better. Admission at the gate is 5,000 won (possibly 2,500 for youth).
The way up takes around 30 minutes. If you go quickly, you can do it in under 20. Get that morning workout in.
At the top you’ll find a wooden deck with staged benches overlooking the crater. With the sun rising over the sea behind it, it’s pretty awesome.
The only thing I wish is that they’d have some pathways in the crater itself. It’s the same issue I had with Hallasan: the pathways are well-maintained, but I wish there were some off-the-beaten-path options.
That’s the problem with all these developed countries. How inconsiderate of them.
Take a seat, take your time, and enjoy the show.
Head to the beach
I can’t say I did so much beach exploration in Jeju, having been there in the early spring.
That being said, I certainly saw a fair share of beautiful spots. The water at a lot of these beaches was a bright electric blue of a kind that I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else.
You’re going to take the 101 bus along the coast in the direction of Jeju Town and stop at Gimnyeon station.
Then walk to Gimnyeon beach, which was the most beautiful one that I saw during my time in Jeju.
Stay for a couple hours and soak up some sea and sun, then head to Jeju Town.
If it’s not beach weather, go hike Hallasan again instead.
Kidding.
If the weather isn’t cooperating, head straight to Jeju Town from Seongsan Ilchulbong. This article should help keep you occupied there. There are a number of other bus lines you can take, including the 101, 111, 201, 211, and 212.
Double check the route of the buses on Naver Map before boarding.
Check out Dongmun Market
Regardless of whether or not you head to the beach, you’ll all be in Jeju Town by night.
The singular best thing to do in Jeju Town at night is to visit the Dongmun Night Market.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s is the largest market in Jeju and is fun during the day, but really takes it up a notch at night.
If you enter from the southern end of the market, you’ll be immediately greeted by a lot of sights, smells, and sounds.
Specifically, the sight of a lot of food on fire with the smell of meat and blazing of K-Pop. There’s one specific stand where the chefs are dripping sweat and dancing like madmen while they simultaneously torch the crap out of large slabs of meat.
Go ahead and grab your BBQ. For those of you who don’t eat meat and are struggling to survive in Korea like me, grab some fish cakes. And for those of you that don’t eat fish either, maybe you should’ve just stayed home.
Kidding, of course. There’s plenty of tangerines for you. A Jeju speciality.
An extra option for a longer stay
If you have more than three days in Jeju, fear not.
There’s a pretty great way to spend an extra day. That being said, I really would recommend keeping your time in Jeju to four days maximum. Unless you want some time to just chill and do nothing, it’s time to move on.
Udo Island
This is the obvious choice.
Udo Island is located off the coast right by Seongsan Ilchulbong.
It therefore fits into our itinerary seamlessly- just hop on a boat in the morning after doing the sunrise hike on Day 3.
I’ll give a fair warning and admit that I didn’t personally go to the island. The recommendation was given to me. However, I will say that the people in question were numerous and seemed reputable.
A roundtrip ferry ticket to the island is under 10,000 won ($7 USD).
When you get to the island, just explore. It’s not so big and can be done in a day. I would rent a bike, which should cost between $10-15 USD depending on if you want an E-bike or not.
I would recommend heading back to mainland at night- from what I’ve seen, accommodation on Udo can be quite expensive.
