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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Jindo
진도
Give Jindo 1–2 nights with a car: the sea road parts only a few days a year, and buses to the coast run about 10 times a day.
Jindo is South Korea's third-largest island, joined to the mainland by a bridge at the Myeongnyang Strait, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin won in 1597. Koreans know it for the Jindo dog, the tidal sea road that appears a few days a year, and the Sewol ferry disaster. Sights are spread across the island and buses are thin, so most travellers do it as one or two nights with a car, or as a long day trip from Mokpo.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 진도
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (monsoon rain and humidity), Jan–Feb (cold coastal wind)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 ₩90,000–150,000 excl. bed · High ₩150,000+ 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 | ₩3,000–5,000 |
| Noodle or rice soup | ₩8,000–12,000 |
| Seafood dinner with side dishes | ₩15,000–30,000 |
| Local bus ride | ₩1,000 |
| Taxi across Jindo-eup | ₩5,000–10,000 |
| Jindo Tower entry | ₩1,000 |
| Unlim Sanbang entry | ₩2,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MWX · Muan International
- Nearest airport; bus or car to Jindo, check current connections
- KWJ · Gwangju
- More flights; bus from Gwangju to Jindo about 2–2.5 h
Typical fares
- Mokpo → Jindo, intercity bus
- about ₩7,000–9,000, 1.5–2 h (check)
- Gwangju → Jindo, intercity bus
- about ₩10,000–13,000, 2–2.5 h (check)
- Local bus on the island
- ₩1,000, cash only
Get around
Local buses are cash-only at ₩1,000 a ride, unnumbered and run about 10 times a day on the busiest routes; timetables are posted at Jindo Bus Terminal. Taxis are few, so swap numbers with a driver for return trips. A rental car is the practical way to reach the coast, mountains and ferry piers. Ferries serve the larger inhabited islands; check schedules at the terminal or the county site.
See and do
Known for
- Myeongnyang Strait and Jindo Bridge
- The Korean Jindo dog
- Mysterious Sea Road tidal crossing
- Sewol ferry memorial at Jindo Port
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mokpo | Intercity bus from Jindo Bus Terminal, about hourly | 1.5–2 h |
| Haenam | Bus via the bridge, then local connection | About 1.5–2 h |
| Jangheung | Bus via the mainland, often via a change | 2 h+ |
| Damyang | Bus via Gwangju | 3 h+ |
Sleep
- Jindo-eup
- Main town and bus terminal; walkable for food and shops, best base without a car.
- Gogun-myeon (Gagye Beach area)
- Closest beds to the Mysterious Sea Road and Gagye Beach; thin choice, book ahead.
- Imhoe-myeon
- Southwest coast near the national recreation forest and Jinseong Fortress; needs a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다gamsahamnida |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요?eolmayeyo |
| Where is the bus terminal? | 버스터미널이 어디예요?beoseu teomineori eodiyeyo |
| Please take me to this address | 이 주소로 가 주세요i jusoro ga juseyo |
| Can I pay by card? | 카드로 될까요?kadeuro doelkkayo |
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
- The Mysterious Sea Road appears only on a few days a year at the lowest tides: check the county festival dates before booking.
- Local buses are cash-only and sparse; do not plan a coastal sunset without your own transport or a booked taxi.
- Express buses from Seoul do not stop at the Nokjin flag stop after the bridge; only Mokpo and Gwangju intercity routes do.
- Jindo Port is a memorial site for the 2014 Sewol disaster: behave quietly around tributes.
Jindo is a quiet, low-crime rural county; the real risks are sparse buses, unlit coastal roads at night and fast tidal currents. Do not walk the sea road outside the official festival window.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Jindo yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Myeongnyang Strait and Jindo Bridge
- The Korean Jindo dog
- Mysterious Sea Road tidal crossing
- Sewol ferry memorial at Jindo Port
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: Jindo, revision 5278631 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5278631
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Jindo진도
이 주소로 가 주세요
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Jindo; most are in Seoul, with consulates in Gwangju and Busan (check).
Cash for local buses and small coastal shops.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/jindo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.