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A stone-walled path through golden barley fields leads toward a volcanic tuff-cone mountain by the sea.
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Jeju IslandTravel Guide

South Korea5 stories

Korea's volcanic holiday island — a UNESCO-listed landscape of craters, lava tubes and waterfalls ringed by beaches and resort enclaves.

Is Jeju Island right for you?

When to come

Late spring and autumn

Around 30°C by day in August, 9°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

It depends where you stand. There is a cheap version and an expensive one — the guides below say which is which.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

When to go
January: around 9 degrees by day, 4 at night, 68 millimetres of rain, some rain.
February: around 10 degrees by day, 4 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 13 degrees by day, 7 at night, 91 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 18 degrees by day, 11 at night, 90 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
May: around 22 degrees by day, 15 at night, 96 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
June: around 25 degrees by day, 19 at night, 171 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 29 degrees by day, 24 at night, 210 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 30 degrees by day, 25 at night, 272 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 26 degrees by day, 21 at night, 228 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 22 degrees by day, 16 at night, 95 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 16 degrees by day, 10 at night, 70 millimetres of rain, some rain.
December: around 11 degrees by day, 6 at night, 56 millimetres of rain, some rain.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Late spring and autumn

Average daily highs, recorded at Ildo 1-dong, Jeju City (1991-2020 normals).

Where this comes from

Korea Meteorological Administration — The Jeju Island / Jeju Province articles carry no weather box; used the main Jeju City synoptic station via {{Jeju City weatherbox}}. Note the south coast (Seogwipo) is milder and wetter.

Budget level

Mixed

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Busan300 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, September · a different price level (mid)

  • Fukuoka, Japan360 km

    half a day's travel · both good in April, May, October · a different price level (mid)

  • Seoul450 km

    half a day's travel · both good in April, May, September · a different price level (mid)

  • Shanghai, China540 km

    half a day's travel · both good in April, May, September

Plan itWhere to stay in Jeju Islandad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Jeju Island

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Jeju Island

The green volcanic cliffs of Seongsan Ilchulbong on Jeju Island curving around a black-pebble cove and clear turquoise water
01
Destinations

Jeju Island for less: a smart budget playbook

Strip away the resorts and Jeju's volcanic coast, free trails and market kitchens cost almost nothing: which bus, which neighbourhood, what to skip, and roughly what it all comes to.

South Korea · 12 min
Chopsticks lifting a slice of sizzling pork belly from a dark Korean barbecue grill covered in charred cuts of meat
02
Food

Breakfast to midnight on Jeju Island: an eater’s field guide

Jeju's food is its geology and its sea, plated — here is how to eat the island from dawn porridge to midnight soju, in the right order and on the right coast.

South Korea · 10 min
A woman in a wide sun hat sorting the morning's catch into coloured basins and buckets on the volcanic rock shelf of Jeju's Yongmeori Coast, a wooded headland rising behind her above the blue sea.
03
Hidden Gems

The backstreets and harbor markets of Jeju Island

Jeju's everyday self — haenyeo villages, five-day markets and old-town lanes — takes four days, a bus fare and a market calendar to find.

South Korea · 11 min
The snow-covered summit ridge and crater of Hallasan catching low golden light above the dark volcanic hills and farmland of southern Jeju Island, under a deep teal sky.
04
Itineraries

Jeju Asks for Five Days and Two Different Beds

The coastal road runs some 200 kilometres around a volcano that blocks the middle, so the route that works goes one way round and sleeps in two places: the east coast first, the south coast second.

South Korea · 10 min
Coastal view over Seongsan town and the sea from Seongsan Ilchulbong, Jeju Island
05
Stays

Where to Stay on Jeju Island: Neighborhoods and the Classic Hotels

From the clifftop resorts of Jungmun to the sunrise side at Seongsan — how Jeju's regions differ, and the famous hotels that define each one.

South Korea · 2 min
In pictures

Jeju Island, framed

A waterfall in Seogwipo on Jeju Island falling in two white ribbons over a mossy basalt cliff into a deep green pool ringed by subtropical forest.
Photo: Kaylyn Mok / Unsplash
The Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone at sunrise, Jeju
Photo: Sung Shin / Unsplash
Jagged black lava rocks jut into a turquoise sea beside a pine-covered headland under a blue sky.
Photo: Hoseung Han / Unsplash
A woman in a flowing hanbok-style dress walks through a green tea field with wind turbines behind her.
Photo: Yeonghun Song / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Jeju Island

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for South Korea

Money

South Korean won (KRW)

Language

Korean; English signage is good on transport but spoken English is patchy outside central Seoul.

Power

Type C/F, 220V 60Hz

Getting around

A T-money card, sold at any convenience store, works on subways and buses nationwide including Seoul, Busan and Jeju; since March 2026 iPhone users can load one into Apple Wallet with a foreign card.

Tipping

Tipping is not customary and can embarrass staff; upmarket hotels and restaurants add a 10-15% service charge instead.

Tap water

Tap water is treated to drinking standard and safe to drink.

Driving

Right-hand side; visitors need an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions, carried with their home licence.

Emergency

112 police, 119 fire and ambulance

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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