---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Jeju, South Korea | Wimup"
description: "The ten best things to do in Jeju: Hallasan, Seongsan Ilchulbong at sunrise, Udo by ferry, the Olle Trail, Dongmun night market and the Jusangjeolli cliffs, ranked and mapped."
url: https://wimup.com/city/jeju
type: City guide
updated: 2026-10-10
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Jeju

Jeju, South Korea · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read

Jeju is a volcano with a city on its north shore. Hallasan fills the middle of the island, about 360 smaller cones scatter its flanks, and the coast runs from black basalt to white sand within an hour of the airport. Jeju City is where you land; the island is why you came.

## Quick answer

Three or four days, with a car. Give one day to Hallasan, booked ahead if you want the summit. Spend another in the east: Seongsan Ilchulbong at sunrise, the ferry to Udo, Bijarim in the afternoon. Take the south for the Jusangjeolli cliffs, the Seogwipo waterfalls and a stretch of Olle Route 7. Eat black pork in Jeju City and end one night at the Dongmun night market.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** Apr · May · Sep · Oct
- **Ideal length:** 3 to 4 days
- **Budget per day:** $70–150
- **Language:** Korean
- **Getting around:** Rental car, island buses, taxis
- **Tourism board:** [↗ Website](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Jeju

### 1. Hallasan National Park

Mountain · Seongpanak trailhead, 5.16-ro, Jocheon-eup

South Korea’s highest peak at 1,947 metres, with the Baengnokdam crater lake at the top. Seongpanak is the long, gentle way up and Gwaneumsa the steep, finer one, and both need a free online reservation to reach the summit.

- **Time:** 8 to 10 hours for the summit
- **Cost:** Free, reservation required
- **Best at:** Start at first light
- **Tip:** Yeongsil and Eorimok need no booking and reach Witse-oreum in a morning

Links: [Trail reservations](https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. Seongsan Ilchulbong

Volcanic crater · Seongsan-eup, on the island’s eastern tip

A tuff cone that rose from the sea about 5,000 years ago, its rim a steep 25-minute climb of stairs. The name means Sunrise Peak, and the first light over the crater is why the steps fill before dawn.

- **Time:** 1 to 2 hours
- **Cost:** 5,000 won for adults
- **Best at:** Sunrise
- **Tip:** Sleep in Seongsan village the night before if sunrise is the point

Links: [UNESCO listing](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1264/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 3. Udo

Island · Ferry from Seongsan Port, Seongsan-eup

A low island of stone walls, peanut fields and pale beaches, fifteen minutes by ferry off Seongsan. Rent an electric bike or take the island bus, and give the pale sand at Seobin Baeksa its own hour.

- **Time:** Half a day
- **Cost:** Ferry fare, paid at Seongsan Port
- **Best at:** A weekday morning
- **Tip:** Rental cars are generally not allowed across; leave yours at the port

Links: [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. Jeju Olle Trail, Route 7

Walk · Oedolgae, Seogwipo

The best-loved stage of the island-wide coastal path: 13.8 km from the Oedolgae sea stack west along the cliffs to Wolpyeong. Walk the first hour for the coast at its finest, then bail to a bus at any village.

- **Time:** 4 to 5 hours for the stage
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Morning, with the sun behind you
- **Tip:** Follow the blue and orange ribbons and the horse-shaped ganse markers

Links: [Jeju Olle](https://www.jejuolle.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 5. Dongmun Traditional Market

Market · 20 Gwandeok-ro 14-gil, Jeju City

Jeju City’s oldest market, a covered maze of tangerines, hairtail and dried seafood. Come back after dark, when the night market at the back fills with stalls grilling black pork and abalone.

- **Time:** 1 to 2 hours
- **Cost:** Free to enter
- **Best at:** Evening, for the night market
- **Tip:** Leave luggage at the hotel; the aisles are narrow and packed at night

Links: [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 6. Jusangjeolli Cliff

Coastline · Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo

Hexagonal basalt columns stacked along two kilometres of the Jungmun shore, formed as lava met the sea. You see them from boardwalk decks above, and a high swell throws spray right up the columns.

- **Time:** 45 minutes
- **Cost:** 2,000 won for adults
- **Best at:** A windy day with a swell running
- **Tip:** Pair it with Jungmun Saekdal beach, ten minutes along the coast

Links: [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 7. Jeongbang and Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls

Waterfalls · Central Seogwipo

Two waterfalls inside Seogwipo town. Jeongbang drops straight onto the shore, one of the few anywhere that fall into the sea; Cheonjiyeon sits at the end of a wooded gorge and is lit after dark.

- **Time:** 1 hour each
- **Cost:** 2,000 won each for adults
- **Best at:** Cheonjiyeon in the evening
- **Tip:** Both sit on Olle Route 6 and 7, so walk between them

Links: [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. Bijarim Forest

Forest · Bijasup-gil, Gujwa-eup

About 2,800 nutmeg yews, many of them 500 to 800 years old, in a forest designated a natural monument. The loop is flat and shaded, and on a hot afternoon it is the coolest place in the east of the island.

- **Time:** 1 to 1.5 hours
- **Cost:** 1,500 won for adults
- **Best at:** A summer afternoon
- **Tip:** Take the full loop; the oldest tree sits on the far side

Links: [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 9. Osulloc Tea Museum and Seogwang Tea Fields

Tea fields · Sinhwayeoksa-ro, Andeok-myeon

Rows of green tea on the lower slopes of Hallasan, with a free museum and tea house at the edge of the plantation. Walk the fields first, then order the green tea ice cream everyone else is queuing for.

- **Time:** 1 hour
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Early, before the tour coaches
- **Tip:** Tea tastings and field tours are booked separately on the Osulloc site

Links: [Osulloc](https://www.osulloc.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 10. Jeju 4·3 Peace Park

Memorial · Myeongnim-ro, Bonggae-dong, Jeju City

The memorial to the 1947 to 1954 killings on Jeju, when an estimated 14,000 to 30,000 islanders died. The memorial hall is the clearest account of the island’s hardest history, and the context the coast leaves out.

- **Time:** 1.5 hours
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** A grey day
- **Tip:** The national memorial ceremony is held here every 3 April

Links: [Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation](https://jeju43peace.or.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Best beaches in Jeju

White sand, black rock and the turquoise shallows that make Jeju look tropical in photographs.

1. **Hyeopjae Beach** (Swimming · Hallim-eup): White sand and shallow jade water facing Biyangdo, the island on the horizon.
2. **Hamdeok Beach** (Swimming · Jocheon-eup): The east-coast favourite, with Seoubong oreum to climb beside the sand.
3. **Gimnyeong Beach** (Windsurfing · Gujwa-eup): Wind, white sand and kitesurfers, on the quiet stretch of Olle Route 20.
4. **Woljeongri Beach** (Cafes · Gujwa-eup): Bright water and a strip of seafront cafes along the coast road.
5. **Iho Tewoo Beach** (Sunset · Jeju City): The beach nearest the airport, known for its two horse-shaped lighthouses.
6. **Jungmun Saekdal Beach** (Surfing · Jungmun, Seogwipo): Below the resort hotels on the south coast, and the island’s surf break.

## Best oreums and hikes in Jeju

Jeju’s smaller craters, most of them a short climb with the whole island in view.

1. **Saebyeol Oreum** (Free · 30 minutes · Aewol-eup): A grassy cone that turns silver with pampas grass in autumn. Fifteen steep minutes up.
2. **Darangshi Oreum** (Free · 1 hour · Gujwa-eup): The cone locals call the queen of oreums, with a deep crater to walk around at the top.
3. **Geomun Oreum** (Reservation required · Jocheon-eup): The source of the UNESCO lava tubes, walked on a guided trail. Book ahead through the heritage centre. [UNESCO listing](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1264/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Sangumburi Crater** (Paid entry · Jocheon-eup): A wide, sunken crater ringed by forest and silver grass, seen from a level path.
5. **Eoseungsaengak** (Free · 1 hour · Hallasan National Park): A 30-minute climb from the Eorimok trailhead to a view over Jeju City and the sea.
6. **Sarabong** (Free · 45 minutes · Geonip-dong, Jeju City): Jeju City’s sunset hill above the harbour, a short walk from the old town.

## Best museums in Jeju

The island’s divers, stone and history, for the days the wind wins.

1. **Jeju Haenyeo Museum** (Small fee · Hado-ri, Gujwa-eup): The women divers who gather seafood without air tanks, told in their own gear and voices.
2. **Jeju National Museum** (Free · Geonip-dong, Jeju City): The Tamna kingdom and Jeju’s past, from prehistory to the Joseon governors. Free. [Official site](https://jeju.museum.go.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
3. **Bonte Museum** (Paid entry · Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo): Tadao Ando concrete set into the hillside, with Korean crafts and a Yayoi Kusama room. [Official site](https://www.bontemuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Jeju Stone Park** (Paid entry · Jocheon-eup): A park-sized museum of basalt, from the island’s creation myth to the dol hareubang.
5. **Kim Young Gap Gallery Dumoak** (Paid entry · Seongsan-eup): A photographer’s two decades of Jeju wind and grassland, in an old schoolhouse.

## Best restaurants in Jeju

Black pork, pork-broth noodles and seafood cooked by the people who dived for it.

1. **Black Pork Street** (Black pork · Jeju City centre): A row of grill houses doing Jeju heuk dwaeji over charcoal, dipped in salted anchovy sauce.
2. **Dombedon** (Black pork · Jeju City): The black pork house locals send visitors to, with thick-cut belly grilled at the table.
3. **Jamae Guksu** (Gogi guksu · Samseong-ro, Jeju City): The best-known bowl of gogi guksu: noodles in pork broth topped with sliced pork.
4. **Myeongjin Jeonbok** (Abalone · Gujwa-eup): Abalone in a stone pot on the north-east coast road. Expect a queue.
5. **Haenyeo’s Kitchen** (Set menu · Reservation · Jongdal-ri, Gujwa-eup): A dinner theatre in a fish warehouse: real haenyeo tell their story, then serve the catch. Book ahead.
6. **Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market** (Market · Central Seogwipo): Seogwipo’s covered market, for hairtail, tangerines and a cheap street-food dinner.

## Best cafes and drinks in Jeju

Seafront cafes, and the island’s own beer and soju.

1. **Cafe Delmoondo** (Seafront cafe · Hamdeok, Jocheon-eup): Tables on the rocks at Hamdeok, facing the water, and lit up after dark.
2. **Bomnal** (Seafront cafe · Aewol-eup): The Aewol cafe behind Handam beach, famous from Korean dramas. One drink per person.
3. **Jeju Beer Company** (Brewery tour · Hallim-eup): The brewery behind Jeju Wit Ale, a citrusy wheat beer. Tours by reservation.
4. **Hallasan Soju distillery** (Distillery tour · Hallim-eup): The island’s own soju, with tours and tastings at the Hallim plant. Book ahead.

## Best neighbourhoods in Jeju

The island is the size of a county; pick a base by which coast you want.

1. **Old Jeju City** (Markets and history · Jeju City): Around Gwandeokjeong pavilion and Dongmun market, for food and the airport ten minutes away.
2. **Yeon-dong and Nohyeong** (Hotels and nightlife · Jeju City): The new Jeju City of hotels, duty-free and late restaurants, beside the airport.
3. **Seogwipo** (South coast · Seogwipo): The south-coast town, closest to the waterfalls, Olle Route 7 and Hallasan’s south side.
4. **Jungmun** (Resorts · Seogwipo): The resort zone of big hotels, the surf beach and the Jusangjeolli cliffs.
5. **Aewol** (Cafes and coast · Jeju City): The north-west coast road of cafes and sunsets, half an hour from the airport.

## Best islands in Jeju

Smaller islands off Jeju’s own coast, each a short ferry from a harbour town.

1. **Gapado** (Ferry from Moseulpo · Daejeong-eup): A flat island of barley fields, green in April and May. Ten minutes from Unjin Port.
2. **Marado** (Ferry from Moseulpo · Daejeong-eup): Korea’s southernmost point, walked in an hour, and known for its jajangmyeon.
3. **Biyangdo** (Ferry from Hallim · Hallim-eup): The small cone across from Hyeopjae, reached by ferry from Hallim Port.
4. **Chuja Islands** (Ferry from Jeju Port · Chuja-myeon): A fishing archipelago north of Jeju, with Olle Route 18-1 across its ridges.

## Festivals & annual events in Jeju (2026)

- **Jeju Fire Festival** (March): Held at Saebyeol Oreum. The hillside burn is being phased out for light shows over environmental concerns.
- **Jeju cherry blossom** (Late March to early April): Jeju’s own king cherry trees bloom along Jeonnong-ro in Jeju City, ahead of the mainland.
- **Jeju 4·3 Memorial Day** (3 April): The national memorial ceremony at the Peace Park, for the victims of 1947 to 1954.
- **Canola flower season** (April): Yellow canola fields around Gasiri and Seongsan, with a festival in the east of the island.
- **Hallasan royal azaleas** (Late May to early June): Pink azaleas cover the upper slopes around Witse-oreum. Go up from Yeongsil.
- **Jeju Haenyeo Festival** (September): Diving demonstrations and haenyeo rites at the museum. The 2026 edition ran 19 to 20 September.
- **Tamna Cultural Festival** (October): The island’s largest folk festival. The 65th edition runs 17 to 21 October 2026.
- **Tangerine harvest** (November to December): Orchards across Seogwipo turn orange, and many let you pick your own by the bag.

## Must-try dishes in Jeju, South Korea

- **Heuk dwaeji**: Jeju black pork, grilled thick and dipped in melted salted-anchovy sauce.
- **Gogi guksu**: Wheat noodles in a cloudy pork-bone broth, topped with sliced pork.
- **Jeonbok juk**: Abalone rice porridge, green from the innards. A haenyeo breakfast.
- **Galchi jorim**: Silver hairtail braised in a spicy broth with radish. Caught off Seogwipo.
- **Okdom gui**: Grilled tilefish, salted and half-dried, crisp-skinned and sweet.
- **Momguk**: Pork broth thickened with gulfweed and buckwheat, served at island feasts.
- **Bingtteok**: Thin buckwheat crepe rolled around seasoned radish. Market snack.
- **Hallabong**: The island’s knobbly sweet citrus, sold everywhere from December.

## Jeju transport & airports

- **Jeju International Airport** (Air): The main way in. Gimpo to Jeju is about an hour and one of the world’s busiest air routes; Busan and most Korean cities fly direct. [Korea Airports Corporation](https://www.airport.co.kr/jejueng/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Airport limousine buses** (Bus): Route 600 runs from the airport through Jungmun to Seogwipo; routes 800 and 800-1 run straight to Seogwipo. Pay by card or cash on board. [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Rental cars and taxis** (Car): How most visitors get around: the sights are spread across the island. Bring an International Driving Permit. Taxis are fine within the two cities.
- **Ferries from the mainland** (Sea): Wando is the shortest crossing at about 2 hours 40, Mokpo about 4 hours 30. Boats arrive at Jeju Port, ten minutes from the old town. [Visit Jeju](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Jeju at a glance

- **Country:** South Korea
- **Region:** Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, of which Jeju City is the capital
- **Population:** 491,186 in Jeju City and 669,354 across the province (2025 census)
- **Founded:** Seat of the Tamna kingdom, absorbed by Goryeo in the 12th century
- **Nickname:** Samdado, the island of wind, stones and women
- **Language:** Korean, with the endangered Jeju language among older islanders
- **Currency:** South Korean won (KRW)
- **Time zone:** KST (UTC+9)
- **Calling code:** +82 64
- **Airports:** Jeju International (CJU)
- **Power:** 220V, 60Hz, type C and F plugs
- **Emergency:** 112 police, 119 fire and ambulance

## Interesting facts

- Jeju holds three UNESCO titles: Biosphere Reserve (2002), World Natural Heritage (2007) and Global Geopark (2010).
- The Gimpo to Jeju air route regularly ranks as the busiest domestic air route in the world.
- The island is scattered with about 360 oreum, small volcanic cones left by Hallasan’s eruptions.
- Jeju haenyeo culture, women diving for seafood on a single breath, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016.
- The dol hareubang, basalt stone grandfathers, once guarded the gates of Jeju’s three old walled towns.

## Jeju travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Jeju?

Three or four. One for Hallasan, one for the east coast with Seongsan Ilchulbong and Udo, one for the south with Jusangjeolli, the Seogwipo waterfalls and Olle Route 7. A fourth day lets weather move the plan rather than cancel it.

### Do you need a car in Jeju?

It helps. The sights are spread around a coast road of about 200 km and buses between them are slow. Without a car, base yourself in Jeju City or Seogwipo and use the island buses, airport limousines and taxis. Bring an International Driving Permit to rent.

### Do you need to book Hallasan?

For the summit, yes. The Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa trails need a free online reservation through the park’s booking site, and they fill on autumn weekends. Yeongsil and Eorimok need no booking but stop short of the summit at Witse-oreum.

### When is the best time to visit Jeju?

April to May and September to October. Spring brings cherry blossom, canola and calm seas; autumn brings silver grass on the oreums, clear days for Hallasan and the Tamna festival. July and August are hot, humid and the typhoon season.

### Should you stay in Jeju City or Seogwipo?

Jeju City for the first night and the food, since the airport is ten minutes away. Seogwipo or Jungmun for the south coast, the waterfalls and Olle Route 7. With a car, split the stay between the two rather than driving across Hallasan every day.

## Nearby guides

- [Jeonju](https://wimup.com/city/jeonju.md): South Korea · 10 picks
- [Gyeongju](https://wimup.com/city/gyeongju.md): South Korea · 10 picks
- [Seoul](https://wimup.com/city/seoul.md): South Korea · 10 picks
- [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 78 cities

Part of the [South Korea guide](https://wimup.com/country/south-korea.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md)

## Sources

- [Jeju tourism board](https://www.visitjeju.net/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Hallasan National Park: Trail reservations](https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Seongsan Ilchulbong: UNESCO listing](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1264/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Jeju Olle Trail, Route 7: Jeju Olle](https://www.jejuolle.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Osulloc Tea Museum and Seogwang Tea Fields: Osulloc](https://www.osulloc.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Jeju 4·3 Peace Park: Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation](https://jeju43peace.or.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Jeju National Museum (official site)](https://jeju.museum.go.kr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Bonte Museum (official site)](https://www.bontemuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Jeju International Airport: Korea Airports Corporation](https://www.airport.co.kr/jejueng/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.