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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Jeju City
제주시
Use Jeju City as the arrival point for Jeju Island and rent a car there; plan three nights, since Hallasan, the lava tubes and the coastal sights are all outside the city and buses run infrequently.
Jeju City is the main city and airport gateway of Jeju Island, a volcanic island off Korea's south coast built around Hallasan, the country's highest peak. The island's UNESCO-listed sights — Hallasan National Park, Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone and Manjanggul lava tube — sit far apart, so most visitors base themselves loosely around the city or the southern coast at Seogwipo and drive between them.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 제주시
- Best months
- Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct (mild, before summer humidity and after typhoon season)
- Avoid
- Jul (rainy season) and Aug–Sep (peak typhoon risk)
- Stay
- 3 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.
- 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 · Korea Travel Helpline 1330 · Immigration contact centre 1345
- 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.
Get in
By air
- CJU · Jeju International
- About 3 km from the city centre; one of Korea's busiest domestic airports, also served by ferries from Mokpo, Wando and Busan
Get around
Public buses cover the ring road but run slowly and infrequently to trailheads and coves, so most visitors rent a car (an International Driving Permit is required for foreign licences). Taxis and ride apps work well within Jeju City itself.
See and do
Known for
- Hallasan National Park
- Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone (UNESCO)
- Manjanggul lava tube
- Jeju black pork barbecue
- Haenyeo women free-divers (UNESCO intangible heritage)
- Jeju Olle coastal walking trails
Sleep
- Jeju City centre (Yeon-dong/Nohyeong)
- Close to the airport, restaurants and the main bus terminal.
- Seogwipo
- Southern coast near Cheonjiyeon Falls; quieter, about an hour's drive from the city.
Language
Korean everywhere; English on subway signs, station announcements and in larger hotels, thin in speech outside Seoul's centre. Hangul can be learned in an afternoon and turns every sign into readable sounds; Papago handles the rest.
- Show addresses in Korean to taxi drivers; copy them from Naver Map or Kakao Map.
- KakaoTalk is the messaging app of guesthouses, guides and friends.
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
- Flights and ferries are cancelled in typhoons and heavy fog with little warning: keep a buffer day.
- Hallasan's summit trails require a timed entry permit booked in advance through the national park site.
- Sun and UV are strong even in cooler months on the coast and crater rims: bring sun protection.
- Rental car insurance and one-way drop fees add up: compare total cost, not just the daily rate.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Jeju City yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hallasan National Park
- Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone (UNESCO)
- Manjanggul lava tube
- Jeju black pork barbecue
- Haenyeo women free-divers (UNESCO intangible heritage)
- Jeju Olle coastal walking trails
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Jeju: www.visitjeju.net/en
- Wikivoyage — Jeju City: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Jeju_City
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/jeju-city). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.