Jeju Island

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Off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island is South Korea’s largest island and the country’s favourite holiday destination. Shaped by the eruptions of Hallasan, Korea’s highest peak, it unfolds lava fields, hundreds of small volcanic cones called oreum, waterfalls tumbling into the sea and beaches of white or black sand. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it also has a culture all its own: haenyeo women divers, dol hareubang stone statues, black pork and tangerines. The Jeju Olle trails let you walk all the way around it.

Where is Jeju Island?

Jeju lies in the Korea Strait, less than 100 kilometres south of the coast of South Jeolla Province, between the Korean Peninsula, China and Japan. Covering about 1,850 km², it is the country’s largest island: an oval roughly 73 kilometres from east to west and 31 kilometres from north to south. Together with a few inhabited islets, including Udo, Gapado and Marado, it forms Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, which has enjoyed wider autonomy since 2006.

The island is split between two cities: Jeju City in the north, where planes and ferries arrive, and Seogwipo in the south, milder and known for its waterfalls and the Jungmun resort area. In the centre, Hallasan volcano rises to 1,947 metres, its forested and grassy slopes descending gently to the sea. The landscape is dotted with some 360 oreum, small parasitic volcanic cones, and the coast alternates between basalt cliffs, rocky coves and beaches. Jeju has Korea’s mildest climate, but it is often windy.

History and culture of Jeju

For centuries Jeju was the kingdom of Tamna, before being absorbed into Korea under the Goryeo dynasty. In the 13th century the Mongols set up horse ranches here, ancestors of today’s small Jeju horses. Under the Joseon dynasty the island was a place of exile, and in 1653 the Dutchman Hendrick Hamel was shipwrecked here, leaving one of the first European accounts of Korea. The 20th century was scarred by the uprising of 3 April 1948 and its brutal suppression, which killed between 14,000 and 30,000 people according to estimates.

Jeju is nicknamed the island of three abundances: wind, stones and women. The haenyeo, free divers who harvest abalone, sea urchins and octopus, embody a society where women long supported their families; their culture has been on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2016. Everywhere you look stand dol hareubang, basalt statues with placid smiles, and dry-stone walls that shield the fields from the wind. The island also has countless shamanic shrines and its own language, Jejueo, which is now endangered.

What to see on Jeju

The highlights are the three sites listed by UNESCO in 2007: Hallasan; the crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong, a tuff cone rising from the sea on the east coast, whose rim you reach in about twenty minutes to watch the sunrise; and the Geomunoreum lava tube system, which includes Manjanggul Cave. In the west, don’t miss Sanbangsan mountain, the Yongmeori coast and the Spirited Garden bonsai park; in the south, the Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang waterfalls and the basalt columns of Jusangjeolli.

To understand the island, visit the Haenyeo Museum in Gujwa, the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park and the O’sulloc Tea Museum, set among green tea plantations. Architecture lovers can seek out works by Tadao Ando and Itami Jun, such as the Bonte Museum and the Podo Hotel. Take the ferry to Udo, fifteen minutes from Seongsan port, or to Gapado and Marado in the south-west. Dongmun traditional market in Jeju City comes alive in the evening with its street food stalls and fresh seafood.

Beaches, sea and nature

The finest beaches are on the north coast: Hyeopjae and Geumneung in the west, with white sand and turquoise water facing Biyangdo islet, then Hamdeok and Woljeongri in the east, famous for their seaside cafés. In the south, Jungmun Saekdal beach draws surfers and families. On Udo, Seobin Baeksa beach is made of fragments of coralline algae. The water stays cool for much of the year, so swimming is mostly a July and August affair, during the official beach season.

Jeju’s nature is best explored on foot. The 27 Jeju Olle routes, 437 kilometres in total, circle the island along the coast and through villages, while oreum such as Darangshi or Saebyeol offer short climbs and superb views. Bijarim forest, the Saryeoni trail and the gotjawal, forests growing on lava, are perfect on hot days. Underwater, divers find colourful soft corals around the islets off Seogwipo, and dolphins live off the south-west coast, where boat trips go to watch them.

Getting to Jeju and getting around

There are no direct flights from Europe to Jeju: you first fly to Seoul, for example with Air France or Korean Air in about 13 hours from Paris, then take a domestic flight. Jeju International Airport (CJU) is linked to Seoul Gimpo by the world’s busiest air route in 2025, about an hour’s flight, and to many Korean and Asian cities. From Incheon, the AREX train runs to Gimpo. You can also arrive by ferry from Mokpo in about 4 hours 30 minutes, from Wando in 2 hours 40 minutes or overnight from Busan.

On the island, a rental car is the most convenient option: you need an international driving permit, your national licence and your passport, and must be at least 21. Rental agencies are clustered near the airport and reached by free shuttles. The bus network is dense and cheap, with express buses to Seogwipo and Jungmun, but journeys are long. Taxis and ride-hailing apps fill the gaps. Timetables, fares and rules change, so always check with operators and the authorities before you travel.

Best time to go, budget and entry requirements

Spring, from April to May, and autumn, from September to November, are the best seasons: cherry blossom and yellow canola fields in late March and April, silver grass and clear skies in autumn. Summer is hot and humid, with a rainy season from mid-June to late July and a risk of typhoons, mainly in August and September. Winter is mild on the coast but windy, and Hallasan turns white with snow; it is also tangerine harvest season, when the orchards glow orange.

The currency is the South Korean won (KRW), and cards are accepted almost everywhere. As a rough guide, a bus ride costs about 1,200 won, and climbing Hallasan is free but requires a booking on two trails. French and most EU citizens can visit visa-free for up to 90 days; check the rules for your nationality. The K-ETA travel authorisation is suspended for them until 31 December 2026, but everyone must fill in the free online e-Arrival Card within three days before arrival.

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Nearby islands: Okinawa, Ishigaki, Tokyo and Kyoto.

Photo : Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons