The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
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).
Jeongbang Falls, Cheonjeyeon Falls, and Cheonjiyeon Falls are 3 famous waterfalls of Jeju island. They are located in Seogwipo, the southern part of the island. To find the exact locations, key in the following GPS phone numbers* into the GPS of your rented car or …
This is my fourth and final post about Nami Island! Can’t believe I wrote so much about a tiny island. I wanted to specifically dedicate one post for children, because of how child friendly Nami Island is. It was designated the 14th UNICEF Child-Friendly Park …
The rain poured the moment we stepped foot on Nami Island. Light drizzle was still fine for us, but the sky had other plans. We needed a shelter soon. We were hungry too – didn’t have breakfast. Without any research, we didn’t know what to eat at Nami Island, nor where to find them.
The rain was getting heavier by the minute. There was no time to explore all the dining options on Nami Island. Moreover, I was carrying a sleeping baby on the front, with a mere nursing cover to shield her from the rain. So we checked out the three menus nearest to us – Seomhyanggi, Nammoon and May Cafe. The wet and cold weather made me craved for some barbecue meat and so Seomhyanggi it was.
This hasty decision to go for Seomhyanggi Restaurant proved to be a good one. Torrential rain came upon Nami Island as we ordered our food. If you read my previous post, you would know how eventful it was before this.
Had we not made the decision to brave the manageable rain earlier on, we wouldn’t have made it to the dining cluster. We might have to then spend the whole hour or two doing nothing in a provision shop. And that’s an hour lost on top of the hours gone from the ‘missing husband’ incident.
Anyway, back to the restaurant. It got filled up pretty fast after we have settled in, there was even a queue. Must be the rain driving people indoors. Thankfully, once we finished our meal, the rain stopped for us to explore!
The side dishes spread was awesome. The meat was juicy and tender. The add-on kimchi stew was the best ever tasted. Even though Seomhyanggi’s Menu is not the cheapest around, I highly recommend this restaurant for its barbecue meat and stew! For two pax, we spent about S$30 on Pork Belly Barbecue set (₩13,000, S$15.90), rice and stew.
After eating, we took a walk around the pond that’s beside Seomhyanggi restaurant. Golden leaves gently floated in the still waters and fallen leaves gloriously peppered the wooden floor.
Here’s a list of what food is available on Nami Island. Locate these dining places on Nami Island Brochure: (Chinese Version) (English Version)
You can look up the menus and telephone numbers of respective restaurants at namisum.com/en/dish/restaurant.
Behind the scene: Spot the fussy crying baby
For coffee and desserts after your meal or during tea break, there is no lack of options too. Six cafes are available on this small island:
Have a sumptuous meal as you explore the beautiful Nami Island!
“You must go to Nami Island! It’s beautiful in Autumn,” my sister-in-law recommended. Snippets of memory came to mind. A pair of lovers walked down a frosty white lane, and slow music played in the background. It must be magical walking down the wintry lane …
Read my post “About Gangchon Rail Park” for information on how to get there and how to get the tickets. “Should we try out the rail bike?” I asked my husband, “It’s quite near Nami Island.” “Yes, it looks like an interesting and unique experience. …