Jeju City

Jeju City (제주시), also known as Jeju-Si, is the largest and capital city of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea, taking up the northern district of the island.

Understand


Predominantly the administrative and population capital of Jeju Island, Jeju City is also likely the first and final stop for tourists, playing host to Jeju International Airport as well as the major domestic ferry terminal.

The city is fairly large yet compact, located on the north side of the island and sandwiched between Mt Halla and the coast.

Orientation


The city consists of the old downtown (Jungangno 중앙로) to the east and the surrounding areas of Tapdong (답동, a port district north of Jungangno, also romanised as Topdong) and Yongdam (romanised differently on almost every sign: if it helps, there's nowhere else on Jeju with a similar name, the rock seems to be spelled Yongduam—영두암—and the surrounding suburb Yongdam—용담 -- on Naver). The inter city bus terminal lies just south of Jungangno.

Tucked slightly inland to the southwest lies Shin-Jeju: Jeju's new high rise commercial quarter and where the modern Korean highrise apartments reside. A humongous traffic intersection in Shin-Jeju acts as a western hub, feeding cars and buses across the entire west side of the island across one of three major highways: one coastal, one interior and the alpine 1100 metre road.

Finally, on the coast both north of Shin-Jeju and west of Jungangno lies Jeju International Airport.

By bus
Inter-city buses and the Airport Limousine (inter-city bus #600) travel frequently between Seogwipo on the south side of Jeju for ₩3000 or as low as ₩1000 from nearby rural townships. Intercity buses will terminate at the Bus Terminal, but all arriving via the west side of the island will pass by the stop outside Halla Medical Center.

By boat
Daily ferries go between Jeju and the mainland. See the main Jeju page.

By bus
Jeju City has an inner-city (shin-nae) bus system that is equally as efficient as it is poorly marked for tourists. Bus shelters have lists of stops in Korean only, but the stop names are mostly fairly non-descript and require you to have local knowledge or a map to make any sense out of them. Bus maps are not available from tourism centers, but English station lists can be obtained, the relevant information from which is reproduced below:


 * Jeju International Airport - 36, 37, 100, 200, 300, 500
 * Jeju Ferry Terminal - 92
 * Inter-city Bus Terminal - 26, 31, 63, 100, 200, 300, 502
 * Halla Arboretum - 63, 300
 * National Jeju Museum - 100
 * Culture and Art Center - 300
 * Tapdong - 92
 * Yongdam Junction - 36, 37, 63, 300, 500
 * Fifth-day Folk Market - 36, 37, 63
 * Jungangno - 36, 37, 92, 100, 500
 * Dongmun Market - 100, 300
 * Shin-jeju Junction - 26, 31, 36, 37, 92, 100, 200, 300, 500, 502
 * Halla Hospital (Medical Center) - 26, 31, 37, 92, 200, 300, 500, 502

If this system was not frustrating enough as it is, you may have to transfer to go most places and the announcements tend to be quieter than on the mainland. Listen out for this when having to transfer between buses. Buses cost around ₩1,000.

On foot
Nothing in downtown Jeju is more than approximately 2 km from anywhere else so whilst not convenient, walking is quite feasible, and sometimes even faster. This includes the areas of Yongdam, Tapdong, Jungangno and the inter-city bus terminal.

See




Natural landscapes

 * 제주_해안_Yongduam_Rock_-_panoramio.jpg

Do




Buy


Previously, cash was mainly used, and card use is now useful. However, there may still be many places that use cash, so it's good to take it.

Dongmun Traditional Market, some utterly humongous traditional markets exist in Jungangno. As expected, they sell a lot of fish. Furthermore, modern, Western-style shopping can be found in the underground mall out on the main road.

Department stores such as Lotte and E-Mart exist in Shin-Jeju.
 * One Jeju specialty is brown colored clothing. These have been dyed via juice from the persimmon fruit, which is the traditional way of dying clothing.
 * The iconic stone statues, usually in pairs, are called grandfather statues and are for protection. Many places sell small stone replicas of them made of Jeju basalt (volcanic stone). If aircraft weight restrictions are a concern, check the back of the statue for vugs (cavities) as it's entirely possible to find the odd one as light as a feather.
 * Citrus fruit (hallabong and mandarines). The specialty citrus of Jeju is the hallabong (dekopon in Japanese) something akin to an over sized tangerine which has a very distinctive plump bulge on its top. Its fame comes from its sweet taste and peelability. Do not be at all surprised if, when arriving back on the mainland, your bag pops into the baggage claim tucked between many crates of hallabong. Mandarin oranges are also a major Jeju product.
 * Jeju hallabong chocolate. These come in varieties. The first is a plain flat chocolate with a layer of hallabong flavor sandwiched in the middle. The second however is shaped like a little grandfather statue and is primarily the "flavor" component of the first with a tiny slither of chocolate on the back. The latter tend to be a little less flavorsome (ironically) but are cute enough to make nice gifts. If hallabongs aren't your thing, fear not, for they also come in orange, kiwi, green tea and purple cactus fruit (somewhat a mixed berry flavor) varieties. There are crunch chocolates too, less unique but very tasty.
 * Jeju kamgyul (citrus) wine. Similar to Japanese sake but with a fresh citrus finish. At only ₩5,000 for an entire 750-mL bottle though, honestly, you can't complain even if it isn't quite your thing.
 * Green tea. Although perhaps not as famed as Boseong, the entire Western end tip of the island is littered with tea plantations.
 * Ganse dolls. A souvenir of the Olle hiking coastal trails, they are cute little (15 cm) plush ponies on mobile phone straps handmade out of used clothing (and thus individually unique) by the women of Jeju. Profits go to developing and maintaining the island's hiking trails and they're available from tourist information centers and many budget accommodation. ₩15,000.
 * Shop at Jeju Folk Arts Complex. This place is practically a big gift shop of beautiful traditional art. Prices of items at the Jeju Folk Arts Complex are cheaper than those you find elsewhere.

Souvenir shops, craft stores and fruit stands exist almost everywhere on the island, but if you are looking for more mundane daily goods, your best bet is to head into Jeju City or Seogwipoi which have the usual array of Korean conveniences including some Lottes and an unusually high proportion of E-marts (both of which also contain large souvenir shops).

Eat
Being a seaside town, there are many great seafood restaurants available, so just take your pick.

The people of Jeju have evolved various lifestyles, depending on whether they live in fishing villages, farm villages, or mountain villages so specialties vary within the region. Life in the farm villages was centered on farming, as it did around fishing or diving fishery in fishing villages, and did around dry-field farming or mushroom/mountain-green gathering in the mountain areas. As for agriculture, the production of rice is little. Instead, beans, barley, millets, buckwheat, and dry-field (upland) rice are the major items.

The most well known fruit is the hallabong. It has been grown here as early as the era of the Three Kingdoms, and were offered as presents to kings along with abalone as special products of Jeju. Grilled pork from black-haired pigs is also a local specialty.

Foods from Jeju mainly made with saltwater fish, vegetables, and seaweed, and are usually seasoned with soybean paste. Salt water fish is used to make soups and gruels, and pork and chicken are used to make pyeonyuk (sliced boiled meat). The number of dishes set on a table is small and few seasonings are used. And usually, small numbers of ingredients are required to make dishes native to Jeju. The key to making Jeju-style foods is to keep the ingredient's natural flavor. The taste of the food is generally a bit salty, probably because foods are easily spoiled due to the warm temperature. In Jeju, there is no need to prepare Kimchi for the winter as in mainland Korea. It is quite warm during the winter and Chinese cabbages are left in the field. When they do prepare Kimchi for the winter, they tend to make few kinds and small amounts.

Restaurants are scattered across the entire island, usually near highway intersections, but the majority naturally lie around the coast and particularly in the urban centers of Jeju City and Jungmun/Seogwipo.

For non-Korean dining, the best option is Gecko's near Seogwipo (see details in the drinking section). In Jeju city there are some options. There is a Mexican restaurant near City Hall/Sinsan Park named El Paso that apparently serves up mediocre but passable Mexican fare. In Shin-jeju there is also an Indian restaurant named Rajmahal that serves up quality spicy Indian dishes. There is also another place with Pakistani/Indian cuisine called Baghdad Cafe around the City Hall/Sinsan Park area.

The representative food you have to eat in Jeju-Si:


 * Dekopon.jpgJeju citrus (제주 감귤) refers to all citrus fruits, a specialty of Jeju Island. It can be largely divided into Jeju Island traditional citrus fruits and Jeju Island cultivated citrus fruits. Jeju Island has held the "Jeju Tangerine Festival" since 1981 to promote the excellence of Jeju tangerines to create demand, inspire farmers' motivation to produce, and provide a venue for harmony among residents.
 * Silver hairtail (은갈치) is very famous in Jeju Island. Jeju silver hairtail is caught by fishing, so the silver color of hairtail is not damaged. The freshness is very good and the price is on the high side.
 * Umu pudding (우무 푸딩) is a pudding made by boiling agar for a long time, not gelatin. Agar, which is used as a raw material for agar, is rich in dietary fiber and low in calories, so it is also good as a well-being health food. The texture is somewhat watery, and it is not as dense as regular pudding, so you can drink it.
 * Jeju Hallabong (한라봉) has been cultivated in Jeju Island in earnest since the 1990s, and it has established itself as a representative specialty of Jeju Island, and in 2015, "Jeju Hallabong" was registered in the geographical labeling system. It is so sweet and refreshing that it is called a honeyed orange. The texture of the pulp is a little hard like an orange, but it is more watery than a tangerine, so it is very cool if you eat it cold.
 * Jeju black pork (흑돼지) is as a result of a survey of Jeju tourists' preference for traditional Jeju food, the food culture using black pork is representative of Jeju.

Some other dishes worth trying:


 * Bangeo Hoe (방어회) is a raw fish dish of yellowtail fish. Every November, the Bangeo Festival is held.
 * Seongge guk (성게국) is mustard soup which is served in the ancestral ceremony or to welcome guests.
 * Jaradom Mulhoe (자라돔 물회) is Jeju-style cold fish soup. Traditionally, it has been a summer specialty in Jeju.



Mid-range
Opposite Hotel Impress there is a row of seafood restaurants. The one closest to the sea has very friendly staff and serves a great meal.



Drink
Try Hallasan Soju the local brand of Korean rice wine, soju. Expect to pay ₩3,000 a bottle in a restaurant or ₩1,000 in a shop. Very strong.

Except for Gecko's in the South, there aren't any other genuine Western pubs on the island, but there are some good options. In Jeju City, all the real partying establishments are in Shin-Jeju, about a ₩5,000 taxi ride from Jeju city proper. Some of the establishments in this area rumored to be worthwhile are La Vie, Boris Brewery, Modern Time, Blue Agave, and GP.

There is also Led Zeppelin, a vinyl bar which as the name suggests is focused on album-oriented rock, and has a massive selection of records, CDs, tapes, and DVDs. Song requests are the main pastime and the sound-system rules. Off the main drag in Shin-jeju next to the Indian restaurant.

Budget
Jjimjilbangs are fairly common across Jeju city. With all of them, expect to pay under ₩10,000 for sauna access, a locker in which to put your stuff, cotton pyjamas or a robe and a patch of heated floor to pass out on. Most are listed below:





Mid-range
If you are not looking for luxury, minbak (guesthouses) abound on Jeju, and due to its reputation as a honeymoon getaway, there is a wide variety of other accommodation. Outside of the peak tourist seasons (such as Korean national holidays and July–August summer holiday season), and as long as all you're looking for is a clean affordable room, don't be afraid to come to Jeju and find accommodation as you travel. In Jeju City, Seogwipo and the smaller towns there is an abundance of rooms in small guesthouses with character.

There are several motels next to the bus terminal in Jeju City at around ₩30,000 a night. They are fairly obvious to find as all three are in a row with lit signs and the ubiquitous motel logo of South Korea and are called You-cheong, Oh-cheon, and Nam-san.

For larger hotels, the majority are in the urban centers of Jeju City and Seogwipo with the most luxurious 5-star options on the entire island within Seogwipo's Jungmun Tourist Resort Complex. Refer to the individual city pages for listings.

For budget travellers, jjimjillbangs are pretty ubiquitous in Jeju City but outside of the capital city's limits, the only other jjimjillbang options exist under the World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo.



Hotel
There are a total of 13 five-star hotels in Jeju-Si.

Examples include Grand Hyatt Jeju, Maison Glad Jeju, Ramada Plaza Jeju, Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju, Marriott Hall Jeju Shinhwa World Hotel & Resort, Howard Johnson Jeju Hotel, Sweet Hotel Jeju, Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino(postponement of reopening), Lotte Hotel Jeju, Jeju Shilla Hotel, Grand Chosun Jeju, CS Hotel & Resort, and Lotte Jeju Resort Art Villas.



Camping
You can enjoy camping and glamping in Jeju-Si.



Cope

 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇯🇵 Japan

Go next
Seogwipo, a more upmarket and tourist oriented city on the south side of the island and home to the Jungmun Tourist Complex.

Alternately, use Jeju City as a base to explore the island's interior and attractions:


 * Hallasan Mountain, Seongsan Ilchulbong and Manjanggul Lava Tube, the three UNESCO rated natural sights of Jeju.
 * Loveland, the infamous theme park in central Jeju.

The nearest city on the mainland is Mokpo, a serene medium-size port city.


 * Japan – flights to Fukuoka (the nearest), Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagoya.
 * China – flights to Shanghai (the nearest), Beijing, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Dalian, Yangzhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Harbin, Ningbo, Xi'an, Changsha, and Changchun.

There are also flights to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Hanoi.