Sunny's Jeju Travel Guide

Jeju black pork on the grill · Photo © sunny There's one question I get asked more than any other, living here. "What should I eat in Jeju?" Some Jeju foods are famous across the whole country — black pork, for one. But there's a whole layer of local dishes that most visitors never hear about, and after years of living here, I've noticed I end up recommending the same handful of things to almost every visitor. So here they are: 10 dishes I think every first-time visitor should try , plus 4 local favorites for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into how Jeju actually eats. 📖 Table of Contents 1. Jeju's 10 Must-Try Foods 2. 4 Traditional Local Dishes 3. Final Thoughts Jeju's food tends to fall into a few natural groups — black pork, fresh seafood, local noodle dishes, and traditional soups. Most people start with the first two, so that's roughly the order I've laid these out in. 1. Heuk...

The stone gate marking the start of Jangsaeng-gil Forest Trail · Photo © sunny Jeolmul Natural Recreation Forest is one of those places I come back to over and over, mostly for the cedar trees — there's something about how tall and quiet they are that resets my whole week. I'd always stuck to the shorter Neonadri-gil loop or hiked up Jeolmul Oreum, but I'd never actually walked the full 11.1km of Course A from start to finish. So this time I committed to walking the entire course , and it took me almost exactly three hours. The path is so well maintained that even in summer heat, it never felt like too much. ☀️ Sunny's Tip It was 32–34°C outside that day, but inside the forest it stayed around 27–28°C. Not cold by any means, but every gust of wind through the trees cooled things down fast. If you're short on time, the 7.2km Course B still gives you plenty of the forest's best moments. Through the Cedars to the Trailhead The parki...

Cruising along Jeju's coastal road · Photo © sunny How you get around Jeju will shape your entire trip. Unlike Seoul, public transportation here is more limited, so it's worth deciding early whether you'll rent a car or rely on buses and taxis . I've written a lot of separate guides on this over time — car rental steps, road rules, EV charging headaches, bus routes — so I built this page to pull them all into one place. Find your situation below and jump straight to the guide you need. ☀️ Sunny's Tip I keep updating the individual guides linked below as rental rules and EV charging setups change, so this hub always points to the latest version — bookmark this page instead of a single sub-guide. 📖 Table of Contents 1. 🚌 Getting Around Without a Car 2. 🚗 Renting a Car: The Basics 3. 🔌 EVs & Rental Platforms 1. 🚌 Getting Around Without a Car Many travelers explore Jeju using a combination of buses ...

A natural spring pool above Jeongbang Falls · Photo © sunny Every summer, there's one place that comes up again and again when Jeju locals talk about where to cool off. It's called Jeongmosi Rest Area . I live in Jeju City, but I make the hour-long drive down to Seogwipo for this spot often enough that it should tell you something. Jeongmosi sits just two or three minutes from Jeongbang Falls, one of Jeju's well-known coastal waterfalls, right at its upper stream. If you're looking for a freshwater swimming spot in Jeju, this is the first place that comes to mind for me. Want to take a look with me? Where the name "Jeongmosi" comes from I was curious about the name myself. It turns out "Jeongmo (Jeongbang)" comes from Jeongbang Falls (正房瀑布), or from older terms found in historical records — Jeongbang-yeon (正方淵) or Jeongmo-yeon (正毛淵). And "si" is a shortened form, shaped by Jeju dialect and Chinese-character in...