Guide to Driving in Jeju: Lotte Rent-A-Car and GPS phone numbers

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!

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Renting a Car in Jeju


Requirements for Car Rental in Jeju

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:

  1. Driver must be at least 21 years old
  2. International Driving Permit
  3. Driver’s Passport
  4. Credit Card under driver/renter’s name
    • If you paid online, remember to bring along the credit card used for payment.
    • Debit cards and cash are not accepted.
  5. Address (temporary place of residence) and contact number when signing the rental lease agreement at the pick-up branch.

International Driving Permit

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”).

  • Apply online on AAS website.
  • If urgent, head down to AAS branches (Kallang Bahru and Ang Mo Kio) for walk-in applications and collect IDP on the spot within 1 hour.

Car Rental Companies in Jeju

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.


Lotte Rent-A-Car


Renting from Lotte Rent-A-Car

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.

Lotte’s Branches in Jeju:

  1. Jeju Auto House; Mon – Sun / 08:00AM – 10:00PM
  2. Jeju Lotte Hotel: Mon – Sun / 09:00AM – 6:00PM

Choose either branch to pick up your car during opening hours. There is no car delivery service.

Our Car Rental Reservation:

  • Car Type: Hyundai LF SONATA (G)
  • Pickup and Return Location: Jeju branch
  • Rental Period: ~3 Days
  • Pickup and Return Timing: 18 October 2018 (14:30); 22 October 2018 (10:00)
  • Fare Information (car rental including car seat):
    • Approx Total (during reservation): ₩274,400 (S$335)
    • Actual Total: ₩269,400 (S$329)

Tip: A reader highlighted to me that payment doesn’t go through on mobile phones but only on desktops.

Review of Lotte Rent-A-Car

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.


Our Experience Driving in Jeju


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?

Driving in Jeju
Driving in Jeju

Jeju’s List of GPS Phone Numbers


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!

Useful Navigation APPs

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.

Inside the car while driving in Jeju

Places of Attraction in Jeju

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,

  • Airport (Jeju International Airport): 797-2525
  • AJ Rent A Car: 726-3322
  • Best Western Jeju Hotel: 797-6000
  • Cheonjeyeon Falls (천제연 폭포): 760-6331 / 738-1529
  • Cheonjiyeon Falls (정방폭포): 733-1528 (ticketing office); 760-6331 (actual location)
  • Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff (주상절리대(대포동지삿개)): 738-1521
  • Gwandeokjeong Pavilion (관덕정(제주)): 710-6717
  • Hallasan National Park (Eorimok Trail): 713-9950
  • Innisfree Jeju House: 794-5351
  • Jeongbang Falls (정방폭포): 733-1530
  • Lotte Rent-a-car: 751-8000
  • Love Land: 712-6988
  • National Museum of Jeju: 720-8000
  • Ocean Palace Hotel: 730-5800
  • O’Sulloc Tea Museum: 794-5312
  • Oedolgae Rock (외돌개(제주)): 732-8027
  • Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉): 710-7923
  • Seopjikoji (섭지코지): 784-2810
  • Songaksan Mountain (송악산): 794-7711 (starting point); 760-2655 (actual mountain)
  • Stone Culture Park: 710-7731
  • Udo Island (Ferry from Seongsan Port): 782-5671

Eating Places of Jeju

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

  • 소보리당로 222 (Cafe/Coffee): 010-3832-7896 (last 8 digits)
  • A Factory Bakery (Bread): 720-8223
  • Sister Field (시스터필드) (Bread/Organic): 739-2225

Traditional Markets

  • Dongmun Traditional Market: 752-3001
  • Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market (서귀포매일 올레시장): 762-1949
  • (Modern) Lotte Mart Jeju: 798-2500

Black Pork BBQ

  • Black Pork Street: 753-0008
  • Donsadon (돈사돈) (Very nice!): 747-7876
  • Neulbom Heukdwaeji: 744-9001
  • Ppolsal House (뽈살집): 763-6860

Restaurants/Eateries

  • Guksu Bada, Jungmun (국수바다)) (面的海洋) : 739-9255
  • Myeong Jin Jeon Bok 명진전복 (Abalone Porridge): 782-9944
  • Negeori Restaurant, Seogwipo Jeju (네거리식당): 762-5513
  • Seabong Kitchen: 763-8460
  • UDO: Pungwon (풍원) (Famous Hallasan Fried Rice): 784-1894

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For more Korea travel tips, refer to our itinerary for our South Korea trip (Jeju and Seoul).



17 thoughts on “Guide to Driving in Jeju: Lotte Rent-A-Car and GPS phone numbers”

  • Hi, thank you for your detailed blog on car rental in Jeju, can i check when you made the reservations with Lotte car rental, was there any additional charge for full insurance coverage or the amount on their platform when you are selecting the car is the full amount for the car rental + insurance coverage?

  • hi i booked lotte rent a car after signing up as member. the booking was made without credit card and i received email confirmation. Is this normal booking process for this car rental company? some others i booked required credit card.

    • I think we did book with a credit card. Best you reach out to them to confirm the booking. :)

  • Hi there, can I confirm that a partner’s credit card is able to be used for the booking? I’m the one driving but doesn’t have one so I’m kinda afraid if there’s any rejection once I’m there.

  • Hi, may i know, whether you make the payment there at the rental office or thru online prior to pick up? Cause ive tried to make a payment but only korean bank or credit card are allowed. Ive yet to receive any reply from their customer service

    • From what I can recall, it’s paid via cc before arriving. But I can’t be very sure cos it’s been long. And they also might have change payment terms. I think it’s best to hear from them. All the best!

  • Is the waiting time for car return long? Because we have tight schedule to catch the flight and we waited for 1+ hrs when getting the car !

    • Sorry I can’t remember! Perhaps you can call to check with them. Hope you all manage to have a smooth return!

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