Jeju: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Jeju is a volcanic island off the south of the Korean peninsula, for a thousand years the independent kingdom of Tamna before it was absorbed into Korea. Its island, lava tubes and crater were made a world natural heritage site in 2007, and it is Korea’s favourite holiday island. Half a day in the city; the last stop is a car ride inland.

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A short history of Jeju

For centuries the island was ruled by the kingdom of Tamna, until it was annexed to Korea. In 1273 the Mongols conquered it, and they brought horse breeding to the island, which continues there today. In 1653 a Dutch ship was wrecked off the coast of Jeju, and one of the survivors, Hendrick Hamel, wrote the first European account of Korea. On 3 April 1948 an uprising broke out on the island, and tens of thousands of inhabitants were killed in its suppression. In the centre of the island stands the Hallasan volcano, 1,950 metres high, the highest mountain in South Korea. In 2016 UNESCO recognised the tradition of the haenyeo, women who dive without oxygen tanks.

The ten best sights in Jeju

1
Yongduam
The dragon-head rock on the shore
2
Jeju Mokgwana
The old governor’s offices
3
Samseonghyeol
The three holes of the founding myth
4
Jeju National Museum
The island’s history from the Tamna kingdom
5
Jeju 4.3 Peace Park
The memorial of the 1948 massacres
6
Hallasan
The highest mountain in South Korea
7
Seongpanak trailhead
The long trail to the summit; book ahead
8
Eorimok trailhead
A shorter trail to the upper slopes
9
Hamdeok Beach
Turquoise shallows near the city
10
Manjanggul
A lava tube under the fields

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Tours in Jeju →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Jeju:

Free walking tours in Jeju

Jeju City

Yongduam · A black lava rock on the shore shaped like a dragon’s head rising from the waves. Legend says it is a dragon that stole a jewel from Hallasan and was turned to stone by the mountain god as it tried to escape to the sky.
Jeju Mokgwana · The restored offices of the Joseon governors who ruled the island. In front stands Gwandeokjeong, a pavilion built in 1448 for archery training and one of the oldest buildings on Jeju.
Samseonghyeol · Three small holes in the ground in a grove of old trees, from which, according to the founding myth of Tamna, three demigods — Go, Yang and Bu — emerged from the earth. Their descendants’ clans still hold ceremonies here every year.
Dongmun Market · The oldest permanent market of the city, piled with hallabong — the knobbly tangerine of the island — dried fish and hairtail, with a night market of street food in the evening.
Jeju National Museum · The museum of the island’s history, from prehistoric footprints in the volcanic ash to the kingdom of Tamna and the centuries when Jeju was a place of exile for disgraced officials of the Korean court.
Jeju 4.3 Peace Park · A memorial to the uprising of 3 April 1948 and its suppression by the government and right-wing groups, in which an estimated fourteen to thirty thousand islanders were killed, about one in ten of the population. It was a forbidden subject for decades; the state apologised only in 2003.

The east: lava and divers

The east of the island is a landscape of lava fields, stone walls and fishing villages, ending at the crater of Sunrise Peak. A full day by car; start before dawn for the sunrise.

Seongsan Ilchulbong · A crater about a hundred and eighty metres high formed some five thousand years ago by an eruption under the sea, its rim like a crown of rock. The climb takes about twenty-five minutes, and the sunrise from the top is the most famous on the island.
Udo · Cow Island, named for its shape as seen from the sea, a short ferry ride away, with beaches of white coral sand and fields of peanuts — which end up in the island’s famous peanut ice cream.
Haenyeo Museum · The museum of the haenyeo, the women of Jeju who dive without oxygen for abalone, sea urchins and seaweed, holding their breath for a minute or two at a time. Their tradition was recognised by UNESCO in 2016; most divers today are over sixty.
Bijarim · A forest of some two thousand eight hundred nutmeg yews, many of them five hundred to eight hundred years old, the largest forest of a single tree species in Korea, walked on paths of red volcanic scoria.
Manjanggul · A tunnel left by a river of lava that cooled on the outside and drained from within, one of the longest lava tubes in the world. The open section ends at a lava column about seven metres high, formed where lava dripped from the ceiling.
Seongeup Folk Village · A lived-in village of the Joseon era with thatched houses behind black stone walls, guarded by dol hareubang, the stone grandfathers of Jeju. Its old houses still show the pig toilets of the island, where the family’s black pigs lived beneath the privy.

The south and west coast

The warm south coast around Seogwipo is a coast of waterfalls, sea stacks and basalt cliffs, and the south-west keeps the scars of the Japanese occupation. A full day by car.

Lee Jung-seob Museum · In 1951, fleeing the Korean War, the painter Lee Jung-seob lived here with his wife and two sons in a room of a few square metres. His paintings of children, fish and crabs on the shore, some drawn on cigarette foil, became among the most loved in Korea.
Jeongbang Falls · A waterfall that drops straight onto the rocky shore and into the sea, one of very few in Asia to do so. On the cliff beside it, legend says, an envoy of the Chinese emperor carved a message while searching for the herb of immortality.
Oedolgae · A pillar of rock about twenty metres high standing alone in the sea, the lonely rock. A legend tells of an old woman who waited here for her fisherman husband until she turned to stone.
Jusangjeolli · A coast of hexagonal basalt columns, formed when lava from Hallasan cooled and cracked as it met the sea; at high tide the waves explode between them.
Sanbangsan · A bell-shaped dome of lava rising alone near the coast, with a Buddhist shrine in a cave high on its face, where water drips from the ceiling into a spring said to be the tears of a goddess.
Alddreu Airfield · A Japanese military airfield whose concrete hangars still stand among the fields. From here, from 1937, Japanese navy bombers flew raids on Chinese cities across the sea; the island was later fortified against an American landing that never came.

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Getting to Jeju and getting around

Jeju Airport · An hour from Seoul; one of the busiest air routes in the world

Cheap eats in Jeju

Jeju eats black pork, grilled thick at the table and dipped in salted anchovy sauce; gogi-guksu, noodles in a cloudy pork broth; jeonbok-juk, porridge of abalone brought up by the divers; and hallabong tangerines in juice, chocolate and ice cream. A bowl of pork noodles costs about seven or eight dollars.

Dongmun Market · The night market and black-pork street
Seogwipo Olle Market · Hairtail and tangerine sweets
Udo · Peanut ice cream

Museums in Jeju

Jeju’s museums tell of the island’s kingdom, its divers, its painter and its massacre.

Haenyeo Museum · The women divers
Jeju 4.3 Peace Park · The memorial
Lee Jung-seob Museum · The painter’s room
Jeju National Museum · The kingdom of Tamna

Nature and day trips near Jeju

A volcano in the middle of the sea: a summit of nearly two thousand metres, some three hundred and sixty small cones called oreum, lava tubes and basalt coasts.

Hallasan · The summit crater lake
Saebyeol Oreum · The fire festival cone
Bijarim · The ancient yews

Things to do in Jeju with kids

With children: a cave of lava, a ferry to Cow Island, shallow turquoise beaches and a waterfall into the sea.

Manjanggul · The lava cave
Hyeopjae Beach · Shallow emerald water
Hamdeok Beach · Calm shallows

Holy places in Jeju

An island said to have eighteen thousand gods, with shamans’ shrines, Buddhist temples and the grove of its founding myth.

Samseonghyeol · The three holes
Sanbangsan · The cave temple

Nightlife in Jeju

Jeju’s nights are quiet: the night market, beach cafés, and makgeolli rice wine with grilled pork.

Dongmun Market · The night market
Woljeongri Beach · Beach cafés at dusk
Cheonjiyeon Falls · The lit waterfall

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Frequently asked questions about Jeju

What is there to see in Jeju?

The top sights in Jeju are Yongduam, Jeju Mokgwana and Samseonghyeol. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Jeju?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Jeju without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Jeju?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Jeju, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Jeju City.

How do you get to Jeju and get around?

The main ways are Jeju Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Jeju, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Jeju that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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