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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Geoje
거제
Go for 2 nights with a car or the Blue City Tour bus; without wheels, base in Gohyeon or Okpo and pick one ferry day.
Geoje is Korea's second-largest island: a shipbuilding coast of two towns, Gohyeon and Okpo, strung around pine coves, pebble beaches and cliff cruises to Haegeumgang and Oedo. Sights sit 5–20 km apart and local buses stop at sundown, so a car or a tour bus decides your trip. Two nights covers the south coast; one night only works if you stay in one town.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 거제
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (rain and heat), late Aug–Sep typhoon season
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- KRW
- Money
- Cards work almost everywhere, including taxis, convenience stores and many market stalls; carry ₩30,000–50,000 in cash for street food, small markets and temple donations.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₩60,000–90,000 excl. bed · Mid ₩90,000–160,000 excl. bed · High ₩160,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at airport arrivals; a passport is required, and data-only plans are cheapest.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Travel helpline (24 h, English) 1330
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 60 Hz · Round two-pin European plugs fit; US and UK plugs need an adapter, and US-only appliances need a converter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and cafés: No tip; a service charge appears only in top hotels.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Hotel porter: Not expected; ₩1,000–2,000 in luxury hotels if you want.; Private guide or driver: Not expected; ₩10,000–20,000 or a meal is a thank-you.
- Water
- Officially safe from the tap; most people drink filtered water, and restaurants serve it free. Bottles cost ₩800–1,500 at convenience stores.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in every subway station; paper goes in the toilet in new buildings, in the bin where a sign asks. Bidets are common.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ₩4,000–6,000 |
| Hoe (raw fish) meal | ₩20,000–40,000 |
| Noodle or rice bowl | ₩8,000–12,000 |
| Beer: draught in a hof / can at a convenience store | ₩4,000–6,000 / ₩2,500–4,000 |
| Taxi, base fare | ₩4,800 |
| Yuzu, 2 kg (4.4 lb)Yuzu, 4.4 lb (2 kg) | ₩12,900 |
| Busan–Geoje express bus, one way | ₩9,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PUS · Gimhae International Airport, Busan
- No airport on Geoje; Gimhae is the nearest, then bus or car over the Geoje bridge link.
Typical fares
- Busan Seobu → Okpo, express bus
- about ₩9,000, about 1 h 20 min
- Jangseungpo Port → Haegeumgang and Oedo cruise
- about ₩28,000 adult, first boats from 08:30about ₩28,000 adult, first boats from 8:30 AM
- Local bus ride
- ₩1,700 cash, ₩1,650 with a transport card
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: Daegeoje-ro loops the island past most sights. Without one, bus 11 runs roughly every 15 minutes between Gohyeon, Okpo and Jangseungpo Port, and the Blue City Tour bus covers the main coastal stops by advance booking. Ferries to Haegeumgang and Oedo leave from several south-coast ports, most usefully Jangseungpo.
See and do
Known for
- Haegeumgang sea cliffs
- Oedo Botanica island
- Windy Hill and Sinseondae
- Shipyards at Okpo
- Hoe (raw fish) and yuzu
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Busan | Express bus from Gohyeon Intercity Bus Terminal over the Geoje bridge link | About 1.5 h |
| Tongyeong | Intercity bus via the south coast | About 1 h |
| Camellia Island (Dongbaek) | Ferry from Jangseungpo Port, three sailings a day | Half day |
Sleep
- Gohyeon
- West coast; intercity bus terminal, motels and the main shopping streets. Best if you arrive by bus and leave by bus.
- Okpo
- East coast; shipyard town with jjimjilbang, bars and the walk to Great Victory Park. Best for one night with bags.
- Jangseungpo
- Ferry port for Haegeumgang, Oedo and Camellia Island; a few motels, closest to the morning boats.
- Hakdong and the south coast
- Pension and minbak country near the pebble beach and Windy Hill; only practical with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다gamsahamnida |
| This one, please | 이거 주세요igeo juseyo |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요?eolmayeyo |
| Can I pay by card? | 카드 돼요?kadeu dwaeyo |
| Where is the ferry terminal? | 여객선 터미널이 어디예요?yeogaekseon teomineori eodiyeyo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A slight bow with a 'annyeonghaseyo'; handshake with the right hand, left hand touching the right forearm; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses with people you have just met
- Age and rank: Expect to be asked your age; it sets how people speak to you. Let the eldest sit and start first; avoid: Calling older people by their given name
- Handing things: Two hands for money, cards, gifts and drinks; avoid: Passing things with one hand to older people
- Subway: Quiet voices, bags off seats, queue at the marked lines; avoid: Priority and pink pregnancy seats, even when empty
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or a boxed gift; refuse once before accepting; avoid: Writing names in red ink — it is used for the dead
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees; bow at the main hall; avoid: Stepping on thresholds; loud talk; pointing at Buddha statues
- Numbers: Know that 4 is unlucky; buildings may show F instead of a fourth floor; avoid: Giving gifts in sets of four
- Sensitive topics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Comparing Korea with Japan or China casually; jokes about the North, the Japanese colonial era, or plastic surgery
Scams and watch-outs
- Local buses outside the two towns are infrequent and stop around sundown: do not plan a late rural return by bus.
- Ferries to Haegeumgang, Oedo and Camellia Island are weather-dependent and can be cancelled; keep a land day as backup.
- You must leave Oedo with the same ferry company you arrived with, so you cannot hop between coastal ports by ferry.
- English signage is minimal outside hotels and the ferry terminals; have addresses in Korean.
- Some restaurants in the Okpo and Deokpo area do not welcome foreign guests; the ones that do often say so on the sign.
Very safe for tourists; the real risks are rural buses stopping at sundown, weather-cancelled ferries and unlit coastal paths after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Geoje yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Haegeumgang sea cliffs
- Oedo Botanica island
- Windy Hill and Sinseondae
- Shipyards at Okpo
- Hoe (raw fish) and yuzu
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Geoje, revision 5203386 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5203386
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Geoje거제
이 주소로 가 주세요
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Geoje; most are in Seoul, with consulates in Busan. US citizens can reach the US Embassy in Seoul (check the current address).
Carry your passport; ferry operators and some hotels ask for ID.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/geoje). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.