Jeju City

Introduction

Jeju City is the capital of Jeju Province and the largest city on Jeju Island in South Korea. It is the island's main point of arrival, served by Jeju International Airport.

Before you go

Jeju City is the administrative and population capital of Jeju Island, and for most visitors it will be both the first and last stop: it hosts Jeju International Airport and the island's major domestic ferry terminal. The city sits on the north side of the island, between Mt Halla and the coast.

Get your bearings before you arrive. The old downtown, Jungangno (중앙로), lies to the east, with the port district of Tapdong (also romanized Topdong) to its north and Yongdam to the coast; the intercity bus terminal sits just south of Jungangno. Southwest of the centre is Shin-Jeju, the new high-rise commercial quarter, where a large traffic intersection acts as a western hub feeding buses and cars across the west of the island via three major highways — one coastal, one interior, one alpine. The airport occupies the coast north of Shin-Jeju and west of Jungangno. Note that Yongdam and its rock appear under several romanizations on local signs.

Getting there

Jeju International Airport is the main gateway to the island, and the vast majority of flights arrive from Gimpo, Seoul's domestic airport, and Busan's Gimhae International Airport. Most Korean domestic airports have scheduled flights to Jeju, and the Jeju–Seoul route is the busiest air route in the world by passenger numbers. Major airlines Korean Air and Asiana serve the island, alongside budget carriers such as Eastar Jet, Air Busan and Jeju Air. International flights connect Jeju with Japan, including Tokyo Narita and Osaka Kansai, and with China from Beijing, Shanghai Pudong, Hong Kong, Shenyang and Dalian. On leaving the terminal you will find taxis and two bus stands: one for inner-city Jeju City services and one for the Airport Limousine to Seogwipo. The airport also has an observation deck on the fourth floor.

By bus, inter-city services and the Airport Limousine (inter-city bus #600) run frequently between Jeju and Seogwipo on the south side of the island, and intercity buses terminate at the Bus Terminal, though those arriving via the west side of the island pass the stop outside Halla Medical Center. Daily ferries also connect Jeju with the mainland.

Getting around

Jeju City has no subway and no train system, so getting around means buses, taxis, walking, or your own set of wheels. The inner-city bus network covers the city efficiently but is poorly marked for visitors: shelters list stops in Korean only, the stop names are often non-descript, and bus maps are not available from tourism centres, though English station lists can be obtained. You will often need to transfer to reach your destination, and announcements tend to be quieter than on the mainland, so listen carefully when changing buses. A fare card is effectively required for smooth travel — the nationwide T-money card is accepted on all buses, and cards issued elsewhere in South Korea work; the Jeju Smart City Card is available at the airport arrivals hall and at convenience stores. Free transfers are available up to twice within a set time window, so keep your card handy. Buses generally run from early morning until late evening, though the last bus to some villages departs well before the end of the evening. Real-time information is available through the Jeju Bus app or Kakao Maps.

Downtown Jeju is compact and quite walkable: nothing in the downtown area is more than roughly a couple of kilometres from anything else, which applies to Yongdam, Tapdong, Jungangno, and the inter-city bus terminal, so walking is sometimes faster than waiting for transport. Taxis are metered and regulated and are a cost-effective choice for short hops within the city, though they become expensive for island-wide travel; Kakao T works well in Jeju City and Seogwipo, but availability drops sharply outside these hubs, and Uber does not operate in South Korea. You can also hire a taxi with a driver for a set number of hours with a personalised itinerary. Car rental counters are in the airport arrivals hall, with cheaper off-airport lots served by shuttle; you will need your home driver's licence plus a valid International Driving Permit obtained before departure. Rental GPS units are in Korean, so Kakao Maps or Naver Maps are more practical. Bicycles and e-bikes are another option, with rental stations near Dongmun Market, and electric scooters can be delivered to your accommodation. For low-effort orientation, the Jeju City Tour Bus is a hop-on hop-off service sold as a one-day pass, running a Downtown Course and a Coastal Course, though it does not operate on the first and third Monday of each month.

Where to stay

Jeju City has no shortage of places to sleep, and the range runs from heated floors to five-star towers. For the cheapest night, look to the jjimjilbangs scattered across the city: you get sauna access, a locker, cotton pyjamas or a robe, and a patch of heated floor to sleep on. You'll find them downtown near Jungangno, in Tapdong behind the E-Mart, in Gu-jeju opposite the Culture and Arts Center, in Sin-jeju between Jeju Grand Hotel and Marchen House Apartments, and in Yongdam on the coast road near the Leisure and Sports Park. Tap Changito in Tapdong is the more open-plan of the bunch, with ocean views outside but no windows inside, three main spas, a cinema and a comic book library; it can get noisy, and headrest cubes are in short supply, so bundle up a towel. Outside the capital's limits, the only other jjimjilbang option is under the World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo.

Guesthouses and hostels suit travellers who want a bed and a kitchen rather than a spa. Yeha Guesthouse sits near the Jeju Bus Terminal and offers dormitory, double and larger rooms, with English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean spoken. 1 Hani Guesthouse in Hallim-eup, near Geumneung-ri, has a hotel-like feel aimed at younger travellers, with a communal kitchen and lounge, washing facilities, PCs and WiFi. Minbak guesthouses abound across the island, and outside peak seasons — Korean national holidays and the July–August summer rush — you can generally arrive and find a clean, affordable room as you go; small guesthouses with character are plentiful in Jeju City, Seogwipo and the smaller towns. Near the bus terminal in Jeju City, three motels sit in a row with lit signs — You-cheong, Oh-cheon and Nam-san. CF's Motel near the seafront is slightly tacky but pleasant, with some rooms featuring round or heart-shaped beds and small baths. Hotel Impress offers sea views, large comfy beds, a PC, TV and couch, plus a bar upstairs. For larger hotels, most are in the urban centres of Jeju City and Seogwipo, with the island's most luxurious five-star options in Seogwipo's Jungmun Tourist Resort Complex; examples in Jeju City include Grand Hyatt Jeju, Maison Glad Jeju, Ramada Plaza Jeju, Lotte Hotel Jeju and Jeju Shilla Hotel. If you'd rather camp, glamping and pension sites include Eco Hill Jeju in Aewol-eup, Jeju Jayeonin Glamping, and Jeju Best Hill Glamping & Pension in Jocheon-eup.

Food & drink

Because Jeju City sits on the coast, seafood is everywhere and you can simply take your pick. The island's food grew out of three ways of life — fishing and diving villages, farm villages, and mountain villages — so what you eat varies by where you are. Rice is scarce; instead you'll find beans, barley, millet, buckwheat, and dry-field rice. Jeju cooking relies on saltwater fish, vegetables, and seaweed, usually seasoned with soybean paste. Fish goes into soups and gruels, while pork and chicken become pyeonyuk (sliced boiled meat). Tables are set with fewer dishes and fewer seasonings than on the mainland, and the aim is to keep each ingredient's natural flavour. Expect the taste to run a bit salty, a consequence of food spoiling quickly in the warm weather. Winter kimchi is not the production it is elsewhere in Korea — it stays warm enough that cabbages are left out in the fields, and any winter kimchi tends to be few kinds in small amounts.

Two local specialities stand out. The hallabong, grown here since the era of the Three Kingdoms and once presented to kings alongside abalone, is sweet and refreshing, with pulp a little firm like an orange but juicier than a tangerine — best eaten cold. Grilled pork from black-haired pigs is the other signature, and it is the dish most associated with Jeju's traditional food culture. Also worth trying: jeju citrus, silver hairtail caught by fishing so its silver colour stays intact, umu pudding made by boiling agar rather than gelatin, bangeo hoe (raw yellowtail), seongge guk (mustard soup served at ancestral ceremonies or to welcome guests), and jaradom mulhoe, a Jeju-style cold fish soup traditionally eaten in summer. For black pork, charcoal-grilled specialists cluster around the Black Pork Street area downtown and in Yeondong, with well-known houses including Donsadon, Neulbom Heukdwaeji, Dombaedon, and Doldam Black Pork. Abalone is the draw at Myeongjin Jeonbok on the northern coast, where you'll find grilled abalone, abalone porridge, and abalone stone pot rice. Near Hamdeok, Baekgane Jeju Korean Food serves Jeju-style full-course meals, and Yesodam in Jocheon is known for meat noodles with a strong soup. On the Aewol coast, Crab Jack pairs crab and Western-style seafood platters with ocean views. Gozipdol Ureok near the airport specialises in rockfish and stone pot dishes. If you want something other than Korean food, El Paso near City Hall/Sinsan Park does passable Mexican, Rajmahal in Shin-jeju serves spicy Indian dishes, and Baghdad Cafe around City Hall/Sinsan Park offers Pakistani and Indian cuisine.

What to see and do

When to go

Festivals & events

Jeju City's festival calendar is anchored by the Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival, held in February. The event marks Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, and centres on fire as its defining element.

Three days in Jeju City

Day one: Arrive at Jeju International Airport, the main gateway to Jeju Province and Jeju Island. From the airport, make your way into Jeju City and settle into the Jungangno area, the city's central district, where you can spend your first afternoon getting oriented. In the evening, walk to Tapdong or Topdong along the waterfront, and if you have energy left, continue to Yongdam for a look at the coastal side of the city.

Day two: Use Jeju City as your base for a day trip toward Mt Halla, the island's defining landmark. Return to the city in the afternoon and explore more of Jungangno, the main commercial and shopping district, before heading back to Tapdong or Topdong for the evening.

Day three: If you are flying out, note that most Korean carriers serve Jeju, including Korean Air, Asiana, Eastar Jet, Air Busan and Jeju Air. International flights connect Jeju with Japan (Tokyo Narita and Osaka Kansai), China (Beijing, Shanghai Pudong, Shenyang and Dalian) and Hong Kong. Domestic routes link Jeju with Gimpo, Seoul and Busan (Gimhae International Airport). An Airport Limousine connects the airport with the city, so allow time to get back before your departure.