Essential Tips to Getting Around Jeju Without a Car (2024 Guide)

Getting around Jeju without a car is totally possible! I’ve gone to Jeju twice now and only traveled Jeju by bus, with the exception of one taxi ride to the airport.

Here’s essential things to know about Jeju public transport if you’re not planning to drive or hire a driver.

I knew before going to Jeju that it would be more difficult traveling in Jeju without a car or subway, since the only Jeju public transit is by bus.

But, it wasn’t that bad! I also enjoyed the bus rides by listening to podcasts, music, and audiobooks.

While it won’t be the easiest to getting around Jeju without a car, it was still a fun adventure.

Here’s my tips to help make it easier for your next trip to Jeju.

Not sure what to do in Jeju? Here’s 22 Things to Do in Jeju (+ Top 5 You MUST Visit).

🏝 Ultimate Jeju Korea Travel Guide: where to stay, things to do, attractions, hotels, bus guide 🚌

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If you’re new to South Korea, read my travel guide to South Korea.

Jeju Travel Quick Links:

🚕 Hire a private chartered car for a Jeju Island day tour

🏢 Book discounted hotels in Jeju on Agoda

🎫 Browse through dozens of available Jeju tours

🚌 Buy a Jeju Bus Hop On & Hop Off Day Pass here

🚙 Rent a car in Jeju Island for as cheap as $28 USD a day

Table of Contents

Jeju Public Transport Basics

Jeju Bus Stop Terminal Buses - Jeju City South Korea

Jeju Island has no subway system, but has airport, intercity, INTRAcity, and express buses available. You’ll have plenty of options.
All buses in Jeju have free and fast WiFi.
Bus fares are only $1 to $2 USD, except for the airport limousine bus #600.
You can pay with a T-money card, and the stops are announced in English.
To load your T-money card, you can go into any convenience store. You hand the cashier the card and cash, and they’ll load it for you.

Alternatives to Public Transport in Jeju:

Take the Jeju Island Hop On & Hop Off Day Pass
Rent a car in Jeju
Hire a private driver in Jeju or
Join a guided Jeju tour, which often provides transportation.

Jeju Airport Limousine Bus #600

From the airport, you can either:

1) Rent a car

2) Take a taxi (Jeju City is 10-minute ride away and costs around $8 USD) or

3) Take the Jeju Airport Limousine Bus #600, which is the cheapest option.

Jeju Airport Limousine Bus #600 Information:

The bus runs every 15 to 20 minutes.
It stops at popular hotels in Jeju City before cutting down south to Seogwipo City, which takes about an hour.
The driver will ask you where you’re headed so they can charge you accordingly. You can tell them your hotel name, say Jeju City or Seogwipo, or show them on the map.
The stops on this bus are announced in English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese.

Jeju Airport Limousine Bus #600 Schedule (Use Google Translate on desktop to translate it or run a screenshot on a translate app).

*If you are not heading to Jeju City, Seogwipo City, or any of the Jeju Airport Limousine Bus #600 stops, there are also other public buses running at the airport.

Bus apps to use for Jeju Public Transport

Tips for Using Naver Map in Jeju

I mostly used Naver Map over Kakao Map, which is another popular app in South Korea. I only used Kakao Map if none of the bus results on Naver Map had an ETA time.

Screenshot of Naver Maps app ETA minutes Jeju Bus

Naver Map shows all the bus options nearest you. Choose the bus that’s coming soonest and with less walking.
Naver Map shows your current location in real time, which is helpful for walking directions (similar to the blue dot in Google Maps).
If you typed in the location in Naver Map in English, and no results comes up, look up the location on Google Maps. If you scroll down in the description info, it usually includes the name in Korean/hangul. Copy and paste the name into Naver Map.

Using Google Maps in Jeju (for one main reason)

While Google Maps can sometimes work, it’s generally not set up for South Korea.
The bus results for Jeju can be incorrect. For example, the ETAs for when the bus will arrive are usually wrong.
The only bus Google Maps generally gets right is the #600 airport limousine bus.
Not all of the routes will show up on Google Maps.

The main reason I use Google Maps in Jeju is because neither Naver or Kakao Map mark the bus stops so you don’t know when to hit the red stop button to get off. Unless I’m missing something!

Screenshot of blue location dot on Google Maps in Jeju Korea

So here’s what I do:

I also look up the directions on Google Maps at the same time to follow the blue dot marking my current location.
Again, sometimes Google Maps doesn’t show all routes, so I look for any similar routes.

If you don’t want to use Google Maps for this:

Take a screenshot of the bus stops on Naver Map in Korean and run it through Papago or Google Translate, then look out for your stop on the screen board on the bus.

Worst-case scenario you miss your bus stop and have to walk a little, or hop on another bus.

Jeju Bus Schedule and ETAs

The biggest complaint you’ll hear about getting around Jeju without a car is the wait times.

The Jeju bus schedule and wait times will depend on where you’re coming from.

At most, I waited maybe 20 minutes, or just walked to another nearby bus route.

If you’re coming from or going to the west, east, or somewhere closer, you’ll have plenty of bus options that are all going in the same direction.

Look for Electronic Signs at Bus Stops

A digital bus stop schedule sign in Jeju City

For intercity buses, most bus stops will have an electronic sign board showing the upcoming buses and how many minutes until they arrive.
Once a bus is 2 minutes away, it’ll announce in Korean that it’s coming. Make sure to stand up when it does and signal to the bus driver that you want to hop on. Remember to tap on and off with your Tmoney card.

The Exception: Jeju City Main Bus Terminal

Beige, red, and white buses stationed at Jeju City Bus Terminal with passengers waiting on benches. Important terminal is traveling Jeju without a car

If you’re taking a bus from the main Jeju City Intercity Bus Terminal (These are usually buses going to Seogwipo City and main Jeju Island stops):

Some buses may only come once every 30 minutes or even once an hour, so plan ahead.
Naver Map will NOT show ETAs for the main bus terminals, just the bus number and how frequent it comes.
Buses from the terminals generally leave right on the dot, so get there on time!

The schedules for the Jeju City Main Bus Terminals are posted:

In person at the bus terminal in front of each bus and
Online BUT the Jeju bus schedule online are in Korean. So here’s what you do:

Papago translation of Jeju City Bus Terminal Schedule

Find out what bus you need to take on Naver Map
Look up that bus number + schedule online (I.e. “Jeju Bus #260 Schedule”)
Take a screenshot and translate it in Papago or Google Translate
Look for the Jeju City Main Bus Terminal stop and the times the bus arrives.

I know it’s a lot, but it’s the only way (that I know of!)

Using Naver Map for Jeju Bus Schedule

Sometimes when you look up bus directions on Naver or Kakao Map, no ETA will show up. (ETA being how many minutes until the bus arrives.)

Screenshot of Naver Maps app No ETA Jeju Bus

Here are two reasons why:

If you’re taking a bus from the Jeju City Intercity Bus Terminal, again, there will be no ETA on the apps. You’ll have to check the Jeju bus schedule online or at the terminal.
For non-terminal buses, there’s no ETA usually because the bus hasn’t left their starting point, so the ETA clock hasn’t started. Sometimes you have to keep refreshing until an ETA shows up. From my experience an ETA will pop up once they’re 15 minutes away. This is also the same for the electronic signs at the bus stop.

Additional Jeju Bus Tips and Traveling Jeju Without a Car

Bus Seats in AC bus in Jeju City South Korea

Some buses get packed around 5 to 6pm on weekdays so you might have to stand for a little bit.
Not all buses stop right in front of the sites, usually only for the most popular destinations. The most I walked from a bus stop was 15 to 20 minutes, but the views were nice.
The last bus runs around 11pm, though there’s not much of a night life in Jeju except in Jeju City, where you can easily take a taxi.
Bus drivers generally don’t wait for you to sit. They leave immediately, so hold onto something while getting to a seat.
If you’re looking out the window and see a pretty place, I recommend opening up Google Maps to see where you’re at and take a screenshot of the location to save for the future.

Jeju Hop On & Hop Off Bus

For $9 USD, you can purchase a one-day Jeju City Tour Bus pass that lets you hop on & off a dedicated bus that stops at popular tourist destinations in Jeju Island.

While the Jeju City Tour Bus is limited to specific sites in Jeju and by times, it is more tourist-friendly and an alternative to traveling in Jeju without a car.

🎫 You can buy a Jeju Bus Hop On & Hop Off Day Pass here

Hire a Private Driver or Join a Group Tour

If you read through all of this, and said nope, getting around Jeju without a car is just not for me!, you can also opt for hiring a private driver in Jeju, which will cost significantly more, but will save you time.

🚕 Check the prices for a private driver for Jeju Island

You can also choose to join a group tour in Jeju Island, which generally provides transportation.