Jeju is called the Hawaii of Korea for good reason – it’s an island with beautiful nature, clear water beaches and unique culture. All of this combined with the 1st world comfort of its modern cities and infrastructure.

It’s not the place for wild wandering in the middle of the jungle or immersing yourself in off-the-beaten-track rural communities. Instead, expect super well-maintained treks along beautifully crafted landscapes and a public transport system that takes you anywhere with reliable Korean efficiency.

How to move around in Jeju

Having a rental car in Jeju should be a great way to get around and that was our first thought when we were planning our trip to the island. Unfortunately, you need to have a international driving license to be able to rent a car in Korea and we learnt this the hard way when we got there.

But if you don’t have an international driving license, don’t panic! Jeju Island is super well connected and there are buses taking you everywhere around the island with high frequency and reliability. To be able to plan your bus journeys, use Kakao Maps (way better than Google Maps in Korea).

What to do in 3 days in Jeju

We visited Jeju in April and the weather was still too cold to go to the beach. Our time in Jeju focused mostly on trekking (Korea’s National Sport).

We set up base in Seogwipo, the largest town in the south of the island. It’s close to most of the main attractions you would want to visit on a short trip to Jeju:

• Olle Trails: Jeju has a great well-marked trail system that goes all around the island. It has 27 trails and you can choose 1 or 2 on its website (https://www.jejuolle.org/trail). We did trail #6 which takes you to Seogwipo through a nice coastal mostly urbanised trail. Use public buses to get to the beginning of the trail and/or to head back to your hotel.
• Mount Hallasan: Korea’s highest mountain. It can be hiked from multiple well-maintained treks as a full-day activity. You can hike up one trail and come down through a different one. Check what trails are open on their website. There are only 2 trails that go to the top to take a glimpse of the volcanic cone and those need reservation. You can check out the trail status and make reservations on this website: https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/main/main.do
• Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls: At walking distance from Seogwipo you will find this beautiful park with the most famous waterfall in Jeju.
• Sanbanggulsa Temple: also known as “Buddha in the Mountain”
• Seongsan Ilchulbong: a volcanic formation on the east side of the island. Most people visit it for sunrise and if you want to do that you will need to sleep in the Seongsan Village (which has a lot of accommodation and restaurant options). It’s a 30-minute hike up to get to the sunrise spot. Make sure to check the weather forecast because it might be too cloudy to see the sun actually coming up (it happened to us, but it was still great to take the hike early in the morning).