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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Seogwipo
서귀포
Give Seogwipo 2 nights as a Jeju base only if you have a car or accept 40-min bus hops; without wheels, sleep in Jungmun or downtown and pick one coast.
Seogwipo is Jeju's southern half: a port town, the Jungmun resort strip 25 km west, and waterfalls, cliffs and crater cones strung along the coast between them. Sights are spread over 25–30 km of the Ilju-ro highway, so a car or the bus network decides your day. Two nights covers the waterfalls, one cliff and one hike; three lets you add the east coast.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 서귀포
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (rain and crowds), Jan–Feb (wind and closures)
- 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 ₩60,000–100,000 excl. bed · Mid ₩100,000–180,000 excl. bed · High ₩180,000+ 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 · Korea Travel Hotline (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 | ₩4,000–6,500 |
| Bowl of noodles or a set lunch | ₩8,000–13,000 |
| Grilled black pork or seafood dinner, per person | ₩18,000–35,000 |
| Inner-city bus ride | ₩1,000 |
| Waterfall or cliff entry | ₩2,000–2,500 |
| Submarine tour, adult | ₩45,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CJU · Jeju International Airport
- Airport limousine route 600 to Seogwipo, about 1 h 20 min, ₩6,000
Typical fares
- Airport limousine 600, CJU → Seogwipo
- about ₩6,000, about 1 h 20 min
- Inner-city bus
- about ₩1,000
- Taxi, downtown → Jungmun
- expensive; 25 km, ask the driver firstexpensive; 16 mi, ask the driver first
Get around
Inner-city buses cost about ₩1,000 and inter-city buses a little more; both run the Ilju-ro highway between downtown and Jungmun and branch at each end. Taxis work but a full Jungmun-to-downtown run is expensive. Scooter rental exists in town. Walking works inside each of the three areas, not between them.
See and do
Known for
- Jeongbang and Cheonjiyeon waterfalls
- Jusangjeolli columnar-joint cliffs
- Jungmun resort strip and beaches
- Hallasan south-side trailheads
- Olle coastal walking trails
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jeju City | Inter-city bus along the highway, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Udo Island | Bus to Seongsan, then the ferry from Seongsan port | 2–2.5 h |
| Gapado | Bus to Moseulpo, then the ferry | 1.5–2 h |
| Chujado | Bus to Jeju City or Moseulpo, then the ferry | 3 h+ |
Sleep
- Seogwipo downtown and harbour
- Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang waterfalls walkable, bus hub, cheapest beds and everyday restaurants.
- Jungmun resort strip
- Beach, Jusangjeolli cliff and resort hotels; 25 km west of downtown, so you need the bus or a car for everything else.Beach, Jusangjeolli cliff and resort hotels; 16 mi west of downtown, so you need the bus or a car for everything else.
- Seongsan and the east coast
- Near Seongsan Ilchulbong and the Udo ferry; quiet at night, seafood restaurants, no nightlife.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다gamsahamnida |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요?eolmayeyo |
| To this address, please | 이 주소로 가주세요i jusoro gajuseyo |
| Where is the bus stop? | 버스 정류장이 어디예요?beoseu jeongnyujangi eodiyeyo |
| Card, please | 카드로 할게요kadeuro halgeyo |
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
- Distances are real: downtown to Jungmun is about 25 km, 40–60 min by bus.
- Many museums and attractions are commercial and thin on English signage; check before paying.
- Summer typhoon and heavy-rain days close coastal paths and waterfalls; check the official Jeju site.
- Rental cars need an International Driving Permit plus your home licence.
Seogwipo is a low-crime, safe base. The real risks are coastal rocks and wet basalt paths, rip currents at unpatrolled beaches, and long unlit stretches between the three areas at night: carry a light and don't walk the highway after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Seogwipo yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Jeongbang and Cheonjiyeon waterfalls
- Jusangjeolli columnar-joint cliffs
- Jungmun resort strip and beaches
- Hallasan south-side trailheads
- 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 — official Jeju tourism: www.visitjeju.net/en
- Jeju International Airport: www.airport.co.kr/jejueng/cms/frCon/index.do?MENU_ID=90
- Wikivoyage: Seogwipo, revision 5310161 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5310161
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Seogwipo서귀포
이 주소로 가주세요
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Seogwipo; most are in Seoul, with consulates in Busan. US citizens: US Embassy Seoul.
Tipping is not expected anywhere in Korea.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/seogwipo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.