Day Trips › Jeju Island
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Jeju Island

Hallasan · Seongsan Ilchulbong · Manjanggul Cave · Heukdwaeji BBQ

🕐 Last verified: October 2026
TL;DR — 3 things to know

Getting There: Flights from Seoul

Jeju Island sits off the southwest tip of the Korean Peninsula. The fastest way there from Seoul is a domestic flight from Gimpo Airport, timetabled at about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Flights depart from Gimpo Airport (GMP), which is on Seoul Subway Lines 5 and 9 and the AREX airport railway. If you land at Incheon (ICN), the AREX all-stop train from Terminal 1 to Gimpo takes about 40 minutes (a few minutes more from Terminal 2). A small number of domestic flights to Jeju also leave from Incheon, so check before transferring.

On the schedule we checked for 24 to 26 October 2026, the Gimpo–Jeju route was flown by Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, Korean Air, Asiana, Trinity Airways, Jin Air, Air Seoul, Air Busan and Parata Air, with the first departure at 06:00 and the last at 21:00. Two name changes are under way: T’way Air has flown as Trinity Airways since 10 September 2026, and Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul plan to merge into one Jin Air on 17 March 2027. Fares change with the date and how early you book, so compare on the airline sites or a fare search.

OAG ranked Jeju–Gimpo the world’s busiest airline route in October 2026 with 1,144,285 scheduled seats, 14% fewer than a year earlier. Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons and public holidays such as Chuseok and Lunar New Year fill first, so book as early as you can for those dates.

From Busan (Gimhae, PUS) there were about 40 flights a day on the same schedule, timetabled at 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

By sea, ferries run from Mokpo (about 4 hours 15 to 30 minutes) and Wando (about 2 hours 30 to 40 minutes), and there are Nokdong and Jindo routes. Busan–Jeju ended in December 2022 and Incheon–Jeju has been suspended since November 2023. For booking and ID rules, see Booking Island Ferries in Korea.

Jeju International Airport is compact. Most rental companies do not hand over cars at the terminal: you walk out of Gate 5 on the first floor to the shuttle stops and ride your company’s free shuttle to its lot.

Getting Around Jeju

Jeju’s sights are spread around a large island. A rental car makes multi-stop days much easier, but the bus network is cheap and reaches the main sights.

Rental cars. Book online before you arrive, then take your company’s shuttle from outside Gate 5. Large companies such as Lotte Rent-a-Car have English booking pages.

Under Article 96 of Korea’s Road Traffic Act, a foreign visitor can drive for one year from entry with an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna convention, or with a licence Korea recognises under a bilateral agreement. Get the IDP in your home country before you travel. Rental companies typically ask for the IDP, your home licence and your passport. Chinese licences are not accepted; Jeju discussed allowing Chinese visitors to rent cars again in July 2026, but no change has been made.

The coastal ring road (Route 1132) links most of the coast. Naver Map and Kakao Map both work for navigation in Jeju.

Buses. Trunk and branch buses, including the tourist circular buses, charge a flat ₩1,150 by transit card or ₩1,200 in cash for adults. Express buses charge ₩2,000 by card on boarding plus a distance charge when you get off, up to ₩3,000 (₩3,000 in cash). For Hallasan, bus 181 from Jeju Airport reaches Seongpanak in about 35 minutes, and bus 281 from Jeju Bus Terminal in about 45 minutes. Buses work well for one-sight days; multi-stop days take longer.

Taxis. Kakao T works in Jeju. Seongsan Ilchulbong is about 49 km from the airport, roughly an hour by road, so check the fare estimate in the app before you ride. Taxis can be scarce at the airport late at night; in October 2026 Jeju added three late express bus routes leaving at 22:40 and raised payments to night taxi drivers to ease the queue.

Jeju’s Natural Wonders

Jeju’s landscape was shaped by volcanic activity. Three areas are listed together as the UNESCO World Heritage site “Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes” (2007): Hallasan, the Geomunoreum lava tube system (which includes Manjanggul) and Seongsan Ilchulbong.

Hallasan (한라산) is the highest mountain in South Korea at 1,947 m. Only two trails reach the summit crater, Baengnokdam: Seongpanak (9.6 km, about 4 hours 30 minutes one way, about 9 hours return) and Gwaneumsa (8.7 km, about 5 hours one way). Both summit sections need a free reservation on visithalla.jeju.go.kr: since 3 May 2025 it covers only the stretch above Jindallaebat shelter (Seongpanak) and Samgakbong shelter (Gwaneumsa). Daily quotas are 1,000 for Seongpanak and 500 for Gwaneumsa. Bookings for a month open at 09:00 on the first working day of the month before, and a no-show without cancelling blocks you from booking for 3 months (1 year for a second time). A guide for foreign hikers reports that the site accepts email verification instead of a Korean phone.

From 1 October to 31 March, entry to the Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa trailheads closes at 11:30, and Eorimok and Yeongsil close at 12:00 (Hallasan National Park Office, reported 28 September 2026); summer cutoffs are 1–3 hours later. The reservation site also lists separate checkpoint times on the way up, so check it for your date. The Gwaneumsa summit section was closed for repairs for part of 2026 and reopened on 24 September. There is no trail fee, but parking at the trailheads became time-based in January 2026. Without a booking, the Yeongsil (about 1 hour 30 minutes to Witse-oreum) and Eorimok (about 2 hours to Witse-oreum) trails reach about 1,700 m. Bring warm layers even in summer.

Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉) is a tuff cone about 180 m high, formed by an eruption in shallow sea about 5,000 years ago. The climb to the crater rim takes about 25 minutes on stairs. Adults pay ₩5,000. It is closed on the first Monday of each month, and opening hours change with the season (from 04:30 in May to August, from 06:00 in November to February), so sunrise visits are possible. The name means ‘sunrise peak’.

Manjanggul Cave (만장굴) is a 7.4 km lava tube, of which about 1 km is open to visitors. It closed after a rockfall at the entrance on 29 December 2023 and reopened on 30 May 2026 with new walkways. Adults pay ₩4,000, hours are 09:00 to 18:00 with ticket sales ending around 17:00, and it is closed on the first Wednesday of each month. No advance booking is needed. The walk ends at a 7.6-metre lava column. Bring a light jacket; it is cool inside all year.

Daepo Jusangjeolli (주상절리) are hexagonal basalt columns formed as lava cooled at the sea, on the coast at Jungmun. A short walkway leads to viewing decks. Adults pay ₩2,000. The Jungmun area is about 38 km from the airport, roughly 40 to 50 minutes by car.

Jeongbang Waterfall (정방폭포) drops 23 metres from a basalt cliff straight into the sea at Seogwipo on the south coast. Stone steps lead down to the rocks at the base. Adults pay ₩2,000.

What to Eat in Jeju

Jeju has its own culinary identity, distinct from mainland Korean food. Several dishes are specific to the island and worth planning a meal around.

Heukdwaeji BBQ (흑돼지구이) is the must-eat experience in Jeju. Heukdwaeji means black pig, and Jeju black pork is grilled at the table and eaten with dipping sauces, garlic and leaves. The purebred Jeju black pig is a Natural Monument (No. 550, designated in 2015) kept separately for conservation; restaurant pork comes from farmed black pigs. Many restaurants line Heukdwaeji Street in old Jeju City near Dongmun Market. Prices vary by restaurant and cut, so check the menu board.

Okdom (옥돔) is red tilefish, a Jeju specialty usually salted, dried and grilled (okdom gui), or cooked in seaweed soup. It has a delicate, slightly sweet flavour and appears on restaurant menus and in gift shops across the island.

Galchi Jorim (갈치조림) is hairtail fish braised in a spicy gochugaru sauce. Many restaurants in Seogwipo and Jeju City serve it as a set meal with rice and side dishes.

Omegi Tteok (오메기떡) is a traditional Jeju rice cake made with glutinous millet and red bean paste. You will find it fresh at Dongmun Market in Jeju City and packaged as a gift throughout the island.

Jeju Hallabong and Citrus — Jeju is Korea’s main citrus-growing region. Hallabong (한라봉) is a large, sweet mandarin with a distinctive knobbed top, named after Hallasan. Its season runs roughly December to March, but citrus products such as juices, chocolates and teas are sold year-round. Dongmun Traditional Market in Jeju City is a good place to buy fresh fruit in season.

Sample Itinerary

Jeju rewards slower travel. Two to three days covers the highlights without feeling rushed. These plans assume a rental car; check the closing days (Seongsan: first Monday, Manjanggul: first Wednesday) before you go.

Plan A — Nature Focus (2 Days)

Day 1 (East Jeju): Land at Jeju Airport and pick up your rental car. Drive east to Seongsan Ilchulbong (about an hour) and climb to the crater rim; allow about 1.5 hours there. Continue to Manjanggul Cave and spend about 45 minutes inside. Afternoon: drive south to Seogwipo for galchi jorim dinner. Overnight in Seogwipo.

Day 2 (Hallasan and the west): Morning hike on the Yeongsil or Eorimok trail to Witse-oreum, which needs no reservation. If you booked the summit, start at Seongpanak instead and plan the whole day around it. Afternoon: drive to Hyeopjae Beach for shallow turquoise water and white sand. Evening: heukdwaeji BBQ back in Jeju City before your flight home.

Plan B — Relaxed Pace (2 Days)

Day 1: Seongsan Ilchulbong at sunrise (best light, fewer crowds). Late morning drive to Manjanggul Cave. Lunch in the nearby Gujwa area. Afternoon: slow drive along the east coast, with a stop at Seopjikoji, a coastal headland known as a filming location for the drama All In. Dinner in Jeju City, with omegi tteok from Dongmun Market for dessert.

Day 2: Morning at Daepo Jusangjeolli (Jungmun). Lunch of okdom gui in Seogwipo. Afternoon: Jeongbang Waterfall. Leave plenty of time to drive back to the airport for your flight.

For either plan, book accommodation early for summer (July–August), autumn and major Korean public holidays, when rooms in popular areas fill quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions
Fly from Gimpo Airport (GMP). On the schedule we checked for 24 to 26 October 2026 there were about 110 Gimpo to Jeju departures a day between 06:00 and 21:00, most timetabled at 1 hour 15 minutes. Ferries still run from Mokpo (about 4 hours 15 to 30 minutes) and Wando (about 2 hours 30 to 40 minutes), but not from Busan or Incheon.
Not for one or two sights a day, but a car makes multi-stop days much easier. To rent one you need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna convention (or a licence Korea recognises by agreement), your home licence and your passport. Without a car, trunk and branch buses cost ₩1,150 by transit card or ₩1,200 in cash.
Only for the summit. Since 3 May 2025 the free reservation on visithalla.jeju.go.kr covers just the sections above Jindallaebat (Seongpanak trail) and Samgakbong (Gwaneumsa trail), with daily quotas of 1,000 and 500. Yeongsil and Eorimok, which stop at Witse-oreum, need no booking.
Yes. It closed after a rockfall on 29 December 2023 and reopened on 30 May 2026. About 1 km of the 7.4 km lava tube is open. Adults pay ₩4,000, it opens 09:00 to 18:00 and it is closed on the first Wednesday of each month. No advance booking is needed.
Heukdwaeji (흑돼지) means black pig. Jeju is known for black pork grilled at the table, and restaurants cluster on Heukdwaeji Street in old Jeju City near Dongmun Market. The purebred Jeju black pig is a protected Natural Monument (No. 550, 2015), kept separately from the pigs raised for restaurants.
Two to three days covers the highlights without rushing: one day for the east (Seongsan Ilchulbong, Manjanggul), one for Hallasan or the west coast, and one for Seogwipo and food. A single day works only if you fly in early and stay in one area.

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