The Perfect 3 Days on Jeju Island

Jeju Island is an island off the coast of Korea, and it's known as the Hawaii of Korea for many reasons. It's full of beautiful beaches, waterfalls, mountains, dolhareubang (large stone statues), and the native Jeju dialect. There is so much to do and explore on this island. Here is an itinerary for a 2-day trip to Jeju Island!

Where to Stay:

I would recommend staying in Seowipo. It's a great location and central to all the places listed in this itinerary. We stayed at the Sun and Moon Hotel, and it was great because you can walk straight to the beach from there.

How to get around:

For transportation, I would recommend renting a car from Lotte. Lotte is the main rental car agency in Korea. You can find various Lotte branches throughout Korea. They typically give you a gift for choosing them, too!

Day 1: Settling In & Checking out the Jeju Stone Park

On our first day in Jeju, we rented a car and took the shuttle to the rental car area right outside the airport. After we got our car, we drove it off the lot and headed off to see Iho Taewoo Beach. This cute little beach is made famous for its iconic horse lighthouses. You can choose to cruise by the beach or take a quick look at the lighthouses. If you are looking for a snack, you can also find pastries and coffee over at Eggultart.

After getting a snack, you can head over to the Jeju Stone Park. It is open every day except on Mondays. This park is massive and can take several hours to explore the entire thing. One of my favorite places within the park is the traditional villages where they filmed the Netflix Korean drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines. You can explore the inside of these villages and imagine yourself in those time periods. You can learn more about the stone statues (Dolmen). One of the most interesting things is learning that most of the dolmens are protecting those who are in higher ranks, as most poor people could not afford to have one at their grave.

After the Jeju Stone Park, we headed to our hotel, grabbed a quick dinner, and headed off to bed for another day of exploring!

Day 2: Exploring Jeju through Art, Culture, and Tea

On our second day, we went on a excursion with Jenna. We started by going up to the Songaksan Mountain for a short hike. We took the Ollie trail, where you can walk along the ocean for as far as you desire! We saw lots of flowers and herds of dragonflies! On our way out, we stopped by some souvenir shops to get some gifts for our friends and family.

After hiking, we headed over to Sanbangsan Grotto (Buddhist Temple in Mt. Sanbang), where we went to see one of the biggest statues of Buddha I have ever seen. It is here where you can see monks and Buddhists praying, as well as go up to the grotto to make a wish. The only caveat is that you cannot tell anyone what you wish for.

We headed over to get lunch at a buffet place called Yeondallae Restaurant. Make sure to arrive before 2 PM! We tried some tangerine Makgeolli for the first time, and it was delicious!

Afterwards, we headed over to Mongsengee, where we got to meet one of Jenna's friends, Soonja, who is a Jeju fashion designer who makes traditional clothes from persimmon juice. It was neat to witness her working on a fashion show and to see how passionate she is about her work.

Next, we headed over to the Kim Tschang Yeul Art Museum Jeju (or called Jejudorip Kim Tchang-yeol), where we got to see the works of Kim Tschang-yeul. Kim was a modern artist who became most famous for his waterdrop paintings. It was really cool to see the effects that he can make using light and water to create illusions that trick your blind eye.

After the art museum, we headed over to the infamous Osulloc Tea Museum. This place is not quite a museum. It has a small portion dedicated to talking about tea, and then the rest is just different shops. The shops are tea, face products, and a marketplace for consumables. There is also a restaurant where you can eat. This place is extremely crowded, but their tea is something quite special! I really loved their loose-leaf tea, and some flavors can only be purchased on the island.

After dinner, we headed over to get some Korean pork bbq. I would recommend trying the black pork as it tasted different than other types of meat. If you are a vegetarian, you can always find other foods such as bibimbap, japchae, or gimbap for some friendly vegetarian items.

For our last excursion, we decided to try Jeju Sanbangsan Carbonate Hot Springs (Sanbangsan Tansanhot). For those who are unfamiliar, Korean spas are where you go in naked into different hot springs. There are different temperatures, and also a cold plunge as well. You can choose to purchase a scrub down, which will cost a little more but is worth it. After you are done soaking, you can head over to the sauna area to relax before heading over to your hotel.

Day 3: Chasing Waterfalls and an Enchanted Garden

On our last day in Jeju, we woke up and drove to Seogwipo Provincial Marine Park. We had to walk across the bridge to see Saesom Island, where there were wonderful views of the ocean and the natural rock formations. After that, we headed over to see our first waterfall, called Jeonbangpokpo Falls. Jeonbangpokpo is special as it's the only waterfall that falls directly into the sea. You can also buy fresh tangerines from the vendors outside.

Next, we headed over to Cheonjeyeon Falls. Cheonjeyeon Falls is amazing, as you can see 3 waterfalls in one spot. It will take you a little over an hour to see all of the waterfalls. You can also see an iconic red bridge that is decorated with different artworks of men and women. In addition, there is a sign acknowledging the conflict in Jeju, where 30,000 people (about a tenth of the population) lost their lives in protesting the government in the 1940s. Since then, the president has apologized.

Our last excursion of the day was my favorite, which was to see the Secret Garden. The Spirited Garden is a special garden where you can feel the peace and the tranquility of the Korean ppl. You can see bonsai trees, an original dolharebangs, ponds full of koi, stone bridges, and waterfalls. The owner of the Sprited Garden has quoted from former Chinese officials claiming that the garden has inspired them to become more peaceful towards the world.

Spirited Garden