Things to do in Jejudo
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Samseonghyeol Shrine
The main feature of this very unusual shrine is a hole in the ground, or rather three holes in the ground. Legends say that three brothers, Go, Bu and Yang, came out of the three holes and founded the Tamna kingdom, with help from three princesses who arrived by boat together with cattle and horses. The brothers divided the island kingdom into three sections by each shooting an arrow and taking the third where his arrow landed.
The shrine was originally built in 1526 and the spirit tablets of the island's first ancestors are honoured with food and music in a ceremony held three times a year - on 10 April, October and December. At the entrance are two of the 45 remaining o…
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Mokseogwon
About 6km south of Jeju-si, Mokseogwon is both a garden and art park with oddly shaped rocks and gnarled roots. It's a labour of love, put together over many years by a local resident, and if your switch is flipped 'on', you could find it a wondrous place.
Installations are creations of wood and stone (Mokseogwon translates as 'Wood-stone garden'). Some are fanciful, some meaningful, some beautiful, some weird, and all comprise objects found around the island. Look for the apocryphal story of a couple and their life together told via trees and rocks. Many of the works are made from the roots of the jorok (yew) tree, which symbolises longevity and is found only on Jejudo.
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Scuba Diving
Diving off Seogwipo is surprisingly good with walls of very colourful soft coral, 18m-high kelp forests (March to May), schools of fish and the occasional inquisitive dolphin. Diving here always surprises first-timers because it's a mixture of the tropical and temperate - rather like diving in Norway and the Red Sea at the same time! Visibility is best from September to November but is around 10m at other times, and water temperature varies from 15°C to 27°C.
A recommended dive operator is Big Blue, which is run by English-speaking Ralph Deutsch, a genuine diving enthusiast. A day's diving includes two dives, all equipment and a guide. Diving is from a boat and the maxi…
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Jeongbang Pokpo
Jeongbang Pokpo is said to be the only waterfall in Asia that falls directly into the sea. 23m high and up to 8m wide depending on the recent rainfall, it's a 15-minute walk east of the town centre.
Despite the heavy rainfall, surface water of any kind is a rarity on Jejudo due to the island's porous volcanic rock. Ground water, by contrast, is abundant - Jejudo is basically one big sponge. The Seogwipo area is one of the few places on the island where the water table makes it to the surface. Jeongbangpokpo (Jeongbang Falls) is 23m (75ft) high and plunges directly into the sea. This fall is an impressive sight if it's been raining recently. Jeongbangpokpo is a 10 to 15-mi…
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Cheonjiyeon Pokpo
The 22m-high Cheonjiyeon Pokpo, west of Seogwipo, is a 15-minute walk via a path through a beautifully forested, steep gorge. After heavy rain the waterfall can be impressive, but at other times it's more noisy than wide.
This waterfall is to the west of the old town, at the end of a beautifully forested and steep gorge through which a path and bridge have been constructed. After a heavy rain, the waterfall can be impressive, but at other times it's only a trickle. Cheonjiyeonpokpo (Cheonjiyeon Falls) is especially pretty at night, when its unusual subtropical foliage is lit up. Cheonjiyeonpokpo is a 10 to 15-minute walk west of the centre of the old town, near the fishin…
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Iho Beach
The nearest beach to Jeju-si along the west coast is blessed with an unusual mixture of yellow and grey sand, which means that you can build two-tone sandcastles. The beach is a decent size with shallow water that makes for safe swimming, and changing-room facilities are open in July and August. Further out to sea you can pit your free-diving skills against haenyeo divers searching around the rocks for seafood and edible seaweed. A small fishing port is on one side, and terns dive for fish too.
Buses (around ₩850, 20 minutes, every 20 minutes) leave Jeju-si bus terminal for Iho Beach - get off at Heonsa Village stop and it's a 150m walk to the beach.
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Oedolgae
About 2km west of Seogwipo, the 20m-tall volcanic basalt pillar called Oedolgae juts out of the ocean. Like other unusual-shaped rocks there's a legend associated with it - a Korean general is said to have scared away Mongolian invaders by dressing the rock up to look like a giant soldier. Oedolgae is a pleasant walk through pine forests to a beautiful cliffside lookout.
Bus 200 or 300 (both around ₩850, five minutes, eight daily) run to Oedolgae or else it's an easy and pleasant 30-minute walk from town.
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Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall
This small private museum has lots of English descriptions and is dedicated to South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee (1875-1965). Jailed by King Gojong for his political activities, later he became an independence leader and the Japanese colonial government put a price of around ₩300,000 on his head. He was South Korea's president during the Korean War and up to 1960 when he fled with his Austrian wife to Hawaii after widespread public demonstrations against his rule.
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Kkwong Memil Guksu
A tiny five-table eatery near the bus terminal, it has one staff member and two items on the menu: the kkwong-gui (꿩구이) is simple and highly recommended - half a pheasant is grilled at your table. Order rice to go with it as the side dishes are nothing to write home about. The other option is kkwong memil guksu (꿩메밀국수) - pheasant pieces share a soup with homemade noodles wide enough to drive along.
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Folklore & Natural History Museum
This wide-ranging ecomuseum in Sinsan Park has well-labelled exhibits on Jejudo's varied volcanic features including volcanic bombs, lava tubes and trace fossils. Fortunately the volcanoes have all been dormant for the last 1000 years, although earthquakes were felt in the 16th century. Other highlights to look out for are excellent wildlife films, the bizarre oar fish and panoramas of the island's six ecological zones.
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Travel Story
Tom and Suji at Travel Story speak English and hire out bicycles (per day around ₩5000) and cute Taiwanese scooters (per day around ₩250 to around ₩300) which can take two people. The scooters range from 50cc to 125cc and insurance is another around ₩5000. A scooter is a cool and convenient way to tour Jejudo. Telephone and they will pick you up from the airport or ferry port.
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Bagdad Café
With a Nepalese chef, this new Indian restaurant-café-bar, named after the film not the city, has music, stylish English-speaking staff and an outside terrace. It has more character and atmosphere than all the city's other restaurants put together. The curries, naan bread and mango lassi taste authentic, and weekends can be busy with a mixed crowd of Koreans and homesick Brits.
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Daekuk Subsea Company
Daekuk Subsea Company operates well-established and popular 30-minute submarine tours down to a depth of 30m around Munseom island, which has coral and fish dressed up in carnival colours. Tours run at least hourly and reservations are advised.
The same company also runs sightseeing boat tours around the port and nearby islands, which last an hour.
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E-Mart
Has a souvenir section near the lift exit on the 4th floor which stocks gift boxes of oranges and harubang-shaped jars of omija and cactus honey tea. Soaps are another option, but sample the chocolate before you buy. Another souvenir is dojang, Korean name seals, which take 10 minutes to make and cost around ₩6000.
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Cheongsong Eoreum Makgeolli
Don't leave without popping into this traditional 'makgeolli and mackerel' pub restaurant near the seafront that offers a wide choice of wholesome grub plus beers and kettles of makgeolli. Join the locals (children welcome) for traditional food and good cheer in a friendly atmosphere. Ask for the English menu.
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Kkwong Yori Jeonmun
A modest eight-table Chinese restaurant with an English menu and four styles of 'gourmet' jajangmyeon (자장면) noodles including minced pork and seafood versions. The only pheasant dish (꿩; kkwong) is a pile of battered pheasant, bones and all, meant for sharing.
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E-Mart Food Court
The food court on the 5th floor has sea views and a smorgasbord of cheap eats but is on the tatty side. Hidden away at the far end of the basement supermarket is a great takeaway section - sushi, kebabs, spare ribs, chicken and raw-fish platters (hungeo, raw ray) are around ₩120.
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Jeju-Si Seafront
Hotels, motels, restaurants and fast-food outlets are strung along the seafront, but there is no beach. It can be lively in the evenings at the eastern end where you can hire skates and Rollerblade along the promenade or shoot some hoops on the outdoor basketball courts.
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National Jeju Museum
This museum is housed in a large, inconveniently located building. It's a clone of the many other local museums dotted around the country but antiques addicts can get their fix here. Many city buses stop outside, including bus 26 (around ₩850, every 15 minutes).
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Yongduam Rock
On the seashore to the west of city, Yongduam Rock attracts coach loads of Korean tourists, but foreign visitors usually wonder why these oddly-shaped black basalt lava rocks attract such large crowds. Still, looking at people looking at rocks appeals to some…
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Juliana
This nightspot in the student entertainment zone opposite City Hall operates on the Korean system and the high admission price buys three beers and anju (snacks). The music is mixed but mainly hip-hop. Extra beers are around ₩4000.
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Yeolgigutema Park Ballooning
Rise gently into the air with Yeolgigutema Park Ballooning. Although the balloon stays tethered to the ground, it doesn't operate when Jejudo's notorious wind is blowing.
The balloon site is not on a bus route, so take a taxi or walk .
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El Paso
This new (you guessed it) Mexican restaurant, decorated with quality Mexican artworks, has a chef who learnt his trade in Mexico City. All your faves are here along with soft music, Mexican beers and of course tequila.
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soccer stadium
The graceful soccer stadium, 6km west of Seogwipo, is the centrepiece of a cluster of buildings that includes a cinema multiplex, an E-Mart discount store, a water park, an Eros museum and Seogwipo's new bus terminal.
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Jeil Hyangto Eumsik
Opposite E-Mart on the seafront are fish and seafood restaurants with prices and replicas of the food on show outside. Jeil Hyangto Eumsik even has an English menu, which includes raw-fish platters and abalone dishes.
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