Getting Around Geoje: A Practical Guide
Geoje is an island city in South Gyeongsang Province, made up of a number of islands of which Geoje Island is by far the largest. Its main urban centres — Gohyeon, Okpo and Jangpyeong — sit on that main island, while many of the top attractions (Oedo, Haegeumgang, Camellia Island) lie on smaller islets offshore. That geography shapes everything about how you move around: you'll rely on buses, taxis, ferries and, ideally, a car.
Is There a Train, Metro or Tram?
No. Geoje has no rail, metro or tram network of its own, and no airport. The nearest rail hub is Busan, where KTX services connect to Seoul and onward to Incheon Airport. If you're arriving by train, you'll finish your journey into Geoje by bus, taxi or car. Busan's subway is useful only as a connection point: several Geoje buses run to Busan subway stations, and there are park-and-ride facilities near most stations.
Buses: The Backbone of Local Transport
Geoje has an extensive local bus network aimed mainly at residents. For visitors it can be genuinely difficult to use: there is no single route that circles the whole island along the coastal Daegeoje-ro highway. Instead, the island is divided into colour-coded service regions matched to number-coded buses — for example, yellow buses in the 10–19 range serve greater Okpo, Jangseungpo and parts of Gohyeon. The catch is that adjacent service regions meet at only one stop, which isn't announced or clearly signposted, and it's usually on a small unmarked detour rather than on the main road. Outside the main towns, services are infrequent and stop at sundown, which can leave you stranded.
Practical points for using the local buses:
- Board at the front; the fare is a flat rate for any destination on the island.
- Cash payment is being phased out — use a T-money transport card (available at convenience stores) or a phone app linked to a bank account. The Seoul T-money card works here.
- Tap your card when exiting to earn a transfer discount on your next bus within a short window.
- The number 11 is the most important route: a frequent service (roughly every 15 minutes) linking the major towns and Jangseungpo Port. In theory you can loop much of the island by taking the 11 between the two main cities and transferring to a blue 50-series bus for the rest.
- Other useful routes include the 10/11 (Gohyeon Terminal to Jangseungpo via Okpo), the 16 (Gohyeon to Aju-dong via Okpo), the 22/23 (Gohyeon to Gujora via Okpo, Jangseungpo, Jisepo and Wahyeon) and the 55 (Gohyeon to Hakdong and Haegeumgang). A "-1" suffix means the bus runs through Okpo town centre.
- The 3000 and 4000 "Fast Bus" services (red, run by a different operator) run hourly from Gohyeon Terminal to Neungpo and Gujora via the Aju tunnels, stopping in Jangseungpo — faster than regular city buses.
- Full bus maps in Korean appear on roughly every second bus stop and online. Timetables and routes are on the Geoje local government website (Korean only), and Naver Map provides real-time bus information.
Tour Buses
If you'd rather not wrestle with the local network, a private company (Geojerotour) runs a tour bus following the Daegeoje-ro coastal highway. There's also a Blue City Tour covering the main attractions, with four routes combining sights such as the Geoje Shipbuilding Marine Cultural Center, Oedo and Haegeumgang, Hakdong Mongdol Beach, the Hill of Wind, Sinseondae Cliff, the Historic Park of Geoje POW Camp and the Geojedo Sea Spa. Advance bookings are recommended.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are a practical fallback. Taxi stands are limited, but you can flag a taxi from anywhere using the call-taxi function, and several local taxi numbers are available. Phone orders typically generate a Korean-language SMS with the car's registration number and its distance from your pickup point. For app-based hailing, Kakao Taxi (Kakao T), operated by Kakao Mobility, supports Korean, English and Chinese and also offers driver booking, parking-space sharing and real-time traffic information. There's also a "Dari Unjeon" driving service, where restaurant staff can call a driver to drive you home in your own car.
Getting Around on Foot
Walking between attractions is generally impractical — settlements are spaced well apart. Two exceptions are worth knowing: Okpo and the nearby Great Victory Park are easily traversed on foot (often faster than waiting for a bus), and the area around Windy Hill on the peninsula leading up to Haegeumgang can comfortably be covered on foot.
Ferries to the Islands
Many of Geoje's best-known attractions sit on smaller islands and islets, so ferries are essential. Close views of Haegeumgang and access to Oedo and Camellia Island all require one. Each port along the south coast hosts a different ferry company serving Haegeumgang and Oedo, and even if you only want Haegeumgang you'll likely be routed into a stopover at Oedo. You can't use the ferry to travel between coastal ports, and you must leave Oedo with the same company you arrived with — you're assigned a badge on boarding that identifies your ferry.
In practice, ferries from Jangseungpo Port are the most useful, since it's just one bus away from Okpo (take the #11 to the Art Centre), and you can also reach Jangseungpo town directly from Busan Seobu. Access to Camellia Island appears to be limited to Jangseungpo port. Journeys to Haegeumgang and Oedo from Jangseungpo start from 08:30 in the morning. Ferry journeys depend on the weather, and portions — or the whole trip — may be cancelled in bad conditions.
Driving
Driving is the transport of choice for Korean visitors and the most practical way to get around. The Daegeoje-ro highway loops the island closely following the cliffs, offering near-continual ocean views and passing practically every attraction. Private cars can use the toll expressway from Busan to Geoje; one advantage is a rest stop built on a man-made peninsula beside the undersea tunnel, with a stunning view.
Getting There: Airports, Buses and Ferries
Geoje has no airport. Gimhae International Airport (PUS), serving Busan, is the closest option, and flying in from the south (for example Hong Kong or Shanghai) gives great aerial views of Geoje. Incheon Airport is also served by direct intercity buses from Geoje.
Since the Busan–Geoje direct expressway link (dual bridges and a tunnel) opened, access by express bus and car has become significantly faster and easier. Key options:
- From Busan Seobu bus terminal: buses leave roughly half-hourly and take about 1 hour 20 minutes to reach Okpo via the new bridge. Note that where the bus drops you off is often not where you can pick it up again — services to Okpo may simply drop you at a local bus shelter outside the Geoje Museum, from which you can't return. To leave the island you generally need to make your way to the Gohyeon Intercity Bus Terminal.
- Express bus from Busan Seobu to Jangseungpo: takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. The bus terminal is a little far from the ferry piers with no clear directions, so take a taxi (a short, inexpensive ride).
- Intercity buses from Masan via Tongyeong also serve Geoje (roughly two hours and one hour respectively), and a Busan route still runs though it's likely to be phased out. There's also an obscure intercity link to Masan near Windy Hill running every two hours until 20:00.
- Gimhae International Airport buses depart from Jangseungpo/Okpo and Gohyeon.
- Incheon Airport buses run from Gohyeon, stopping at Tongyeong, Jinju and Incheon Terminals 1 and 2. One-way fares are in the tens of thousands of won depending on age category.
- Seoul (Nambu Bus Terminal): buses run from Gohyeon throughout the day, taking around four hours with a midway stop. Nambu Bus Terminal is the only Seoul express terminal with return service to Geoje, and it has subway line 3 and a taxi rank outside.
- Bus 2000 runs from Gohyeon, Yeoncho, Okpo and Deokpo to Hadan Subway Station in Busan every 30–40 minutes, with tickets available on the bus or via T-money.
For intercity travel, there's no single English booking site — terminals use different systems. TxBus offers English schedules and reservations from Gohyeon and Seoul Nambu to Geoje (Korean cards only for payment; print your ticket or show a QR code at the terminal). BusTago handles reservations for Busan Sasang and Gimhae Airport to Geoje, and Incheon Airport to Geoje. Tickets can also be bought at the Gohyeon and Jangseungpo offices, or in Okpo at a store behind the bus stop across from Lotte Mart.
By ferry, note that all services to and from Busan have been discontinued because the expressway is now more convenient — most people drive or take a bus instead.