The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
We spent a whole week in Seoul, and that meant lots of time to try out different restaurants! Click and jump to your preferred restaurant: MiGaBon 味加本 (Porridge) Bon-Juk (Porridge) Myeongdong Kyoja (Noodles and Dumplings) Tosokchon Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) Jinwonjo Dak Hanmari (Chicken Soup) …
Out of the ample choices of palaces, hanbok villages, and traditional markets in Seoul, we shortlisted one of each “type” to visit. We covered them all in one day. Jump to your preferred attractions: Of Palaces in Seoul Gyeongbokgung Palace (Other attractions in and around …
Ten years later, I was back at the beautiful island of Jeju. Yet, travelling with a girlfriend is vastly different from travelling with a husband and a 16-month-old toddler. I breath in the crisp air. It was turning autumn this time too.
The autumn weather in October was supposedly good for trekking. Perfect for all the hiking trails in Jeju. Not too hot, not too cold, at least in theory. In reality, the sun was blazing upon us as we climbed steep stairs with a 10-kg toddler strapped around us. On most trails, I became super breathless after a while. Hence I would recommend going to Jeju first before relaxing in Seoul, that is if you are going to Seoul.
After a red eye flight from Singapore to Seoul, we took a connecting flight to Jeju. We booked a multi-city trip with Korean Air. The price works out to be about the same if not slightly more than if we separately booked budget airline from Seoul to Jeju.
From Jeju Airport, we could either take Jeju Airport Limousine 600 (“#600”) to Seogwipo, where our Airbnb was, or rent a car near Jeju airport.
Jeju’s intercity bus system has improved since ten years ago. Bus frequency has increased, and routes and fee structure are simplified. Refer to Jeju’s intercity bus information and route maps in English (of VisitJeju.net). Otherwise, here’s Jeju’s official bus system website in Korean. Bus is a viable option for solo or couple travellers.
With a toddler in the tow, it’s much more convenient for us to rent a car to explore Jeju. It’s easy to rent and drive a car around Jeju. We rented from Lotte Rent-A-Car and it was all good. Remember to use GPS phone numbers for a more accurate pin drop!
Although Jeju is small, your decision on where to stay will save you a few hours of commuting time. Most people stay around Jeju City, Seogwipo City (“Seogwipo”) or Jungmun Tourist Complex (“Jungmun”) (Jungmun, Daepo and Saekdal). Later as we drove along Aewol Coastal Road, I imagined that it would be nice and relaxing to stay along here. There are many accommodations available here as well.
Jeju City is near to the airport and on the north of Jeju Island, while the Seogwipo and Junmun are on the other end, at the South. It takes more than an hour to drive from one end to the other end. Aewol Coastal Road is on the north west of the island.
If you have 2 nights, staying at Jeju City might be a safer bet to catch your flight. An hour drive from the south is not long, but you never know if there will be any unforeseen traffic conditions, like road closure.
If you have 4 or more nights, you can choose to split 2 nights in Seogwipo City and 2 nights in Jeju City. That’s what we did. Stayed in a spacious airbnb in Seogwipo City and Best Western Jeju Hotel in Jeju City. Both are not bad, but I think the former is overpriced, while the latter is on average. Best Western is located in downtown and hence you might have some traffic woes during peak hour.
p.s Get S$45 off your Airbnb booking when you sign up with my referral link. ;)
You will have no lack of food options in Jeju. In any case, there’s McDonald’s to fall back on. I have done up a list of those food that we have tried, plus others that were on our list but our stomachs have no more space for them. You can go through them at:
These are the major sections that break up the list of the 21 food choices.
In beautiful Jeju, there are many trails to hike and climb. Sea breeze to feel against your face, mountain top experience to revel in. The focus of our trip was nature and the pace is to go slow.
Day 1 (19 October) – Seogwipo
Day 2 (20 October) – Seogwipo to Jeju City (Southwest route)
Day 3 (21 October) – Jeju City (Northeast route)
Attractions we skipped
Our experience at these attractions are chronicled in:
That’s all folks! Let me know if you have other good food and fun places in Jeju to recommend. :) For more Korea travel tips, refer to our itinerary of our South Korea trip (Jeju and Seoul).
In beautiful Jeju, there are many trails to hike and climb, sea breeze to feel against your face, and mountain top experience to revel in. The focus of our trip was nature and the pace was to go slow. Turns out, my itinerary was still …
You will have no lack of food options in Jeju. In any case, there’s McDonald’s to fall back on. Here’s a list of those food that we have tried, plus others that were on our list but our stomachs have no more space for them. …
Update: 22 Dec 22
Jeju’s intercity bus system has improved since I was there ten years ago. Still, taking a bus is inconvenient — waiting time is long and bus stops are sparsely located around the island. Hence, driving in Jeju is a popular option for tourists to the island, especially those with children like us, or those in a big travel party. It’s easy to rent and drive around Jeju anyway. You’ll see, most cars will be relatively slow because the drivers are foreigners as well. Hopefully, this guide to driving in Jeju will be useful for you!
Before you decide to rent a car in Jeju, it’s important you have certain documents and requirements. They are generally required by car rental companies for foreigners, and the following is explicitly stated in Lotte’s email to us.
Requirements for car rental in Jeju:
You are required to present International Driving Permit (“IDP”) when you pick up your car. For holders from the United States of America, only a permit issued by The American Automobile Association (“AAA”) is accepted.
In Singapore, you can only apply for IDP through the Automobile Association of Singapore (“AAS”).
Based on online reviews, our choices came down to Lotte Rent-a-car and AJ Rent-a-car. We went with Lotte in the end. Although Lotte is more expensive, it seems more established and has more positive reviews than AJ.
Tip #1: For most car rental companies in Korea, like Lotte and AJ, signed up for their free membership online to enjoy discounted rates. To get Lotte’s member discount, you can register for free on their website. Or if you have a Krisflyer membership, you might want to consider Hertz.
Tip #2: Book online to reserve a car and get better rates. This is especially true during peak periods when you might not even get a car over the counter.
We reckoned we would be deadbeat after a red-eye flight from Singapore to Seoul, followed by a connecting flight to Jeju. Hence, we thought it was best to take Jeju Airport Limousine 600 (“#600”) from Jeju airport to Seogwipo, where our Airbnb was, and then rent a car the next day.
#600 bus is at Gate 5, you can pay by cash or T-Money Card. The bus fare ranges from ₩1,300 to ₩5,500, depending on your alighting stop. The bus comes every 18-20 minutes, with the first bus leaving the airport at 6:20 am and the last bus at 10:00 pm. For more information on Jeju Airport Limousine 600, you can refer to Jeju Weekly, ISFNT, and Jeju Tourism.
However, Lotte’s branch at Seogwipo is not near our Airbnb. So, we aborted the plan and hubby had to fight his tiredness to drive us from one end of the island to the other, Seogwipo.
After we touched down at Jeju island, we took Lotte’s complimentary bus from Jeju airport to Jeju Auto House (the branch near the airport). It’s a two-way bus, and the ride was about 10 minutes. If you’re not sure where to hop on this bus, head to Lotte’s rental counter next to Gate 2 and 3 and ask.
Choose either branch to pick up your car during opening hours. There is no car delivery service.
Tip: A reader highlighted to me that payment doesn’t go through on mobile phones but only on desktops.
The pickup was fuss-free. I guess, since it is common to rent a car to explore the island, the car rental staff are experienced in dealing with non-locals. Anyway, we got a queue number, settled the admin stuff at the counter, and followed the staff to the car. He showed us how to use the car seat and pointed out some important car mechanisms. The car and car seats were in good condition and felt new. There’s even a sunshade provided for the baby (photo above).
The car didn’t give us problems throughout the ride and it was easy to drive. There was a mini accident that left some minor scratches, however, it was covered by the insurance. The car insurance was so comprehensive that there were no checks performed before and after we rented the car. The car insurance was included in the rental fee of KRW274,400 (online quotation) and did not pay additional charges when we were in Korea.
For left-hand drive folks, there might be a tendency to drive too far left, so be careful! Nevertheless, driving was a breeze in Jeju. Many drivers were foreigners unfamiliar with the roads, so they were also driving slowly to find their way. But don’t worry about losing your way too much, all rental cars are equipped with GPS devices.
It’s important to note that in Korea, the GPS device uses telephone numbers of the destination instead of the address. Sure you can input the attraction name, but it might not bring you to the specific entrance or worse, to some other similar name location. Phone numbers are like coordinates or postal codes to pinpoint your destination more accurately than addresses.
Hence, to save time on the road, planning in advance helps! Because who would easily know the phone number of a waterfall?
To save you even more time, refer to my list of GPS phone numbers of Jeju attractions. Please let me know if there is any error or new update so I can keep the list updated. You can leave a comment below. It will definitely help other travellers!
To test out the GPS phone numbers and see if they’re really bringing you where you want to go, you can download “KakaoMap” APP to try them out and plan your route. If you are taking public transportation in Seoul, this and “KakaoMetro” APP can help you to navigate as well. Or you can use the desktop version: map.kakao.com
You’ll realise that Google maps or Apple maps don’t help much if you are driving around Jeju. Yes, you can see where all the landmarks, but you wouldn’t find the driving route.
In my list, I will omit the first four digits of the phone numbers, +82-64-xxx-xxxx, because you just need to key in the last 7 digits into your GPS.
In alphabetical order,
In my list, I will omit the first four digits of the phone numbers, +82-64-xxx-xxxx, because you just need to key in the last 7 digits into your GPS.
If you want to know what I think of the food, refer to “What to Eat in Jeju | 21 Food Choices“.
Coffee and Bread
Traditional Markets
Black Pork BBQ
Restaurants/Eateries
For more Korea travel tips, refer to our itinerary for our South Korea trip (Jeju and Seoul).
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