Home to dramatic volcanic peaks, black sand beaches, and spectacular waterfalls, Jeju Island is a top travel destination. It's highly accessible, with airlines like Scoot and Singapore Airlines offering regular direct flights from international hubs like Singapore.

If you're visiting the vibrant metropolis of Seoul before heading to Jeju, this guide will show you the way. We'll break down your flight, ferry, and train options. We'll also introduce the Wise card, a handy travel companion to make seamless card payments when you're overseas.

How to Get From Seoul to Jeju Island: Overview

For a quick glance, here are the four ways to get to Jeju Island.

What to look out for when travelling

Choosing your route from Seoul to Jeju involves balancing cost, time, and convenience. The train and ferry is the most budget-friendly option but also the slowest. For maximum flexibility, taking a car on the ferry is best, though it's the most expensive. If travelling with heavy luggage, consider a direct flight to minimise transfers.

Flying From Seoul To Jeju

Flying is by far the most popular way of getting from Seoul to Jeju. Quick, relatively inexpensive, and fuss-free, many choose to fly, especially if they are tight on time. The Seoul-Jeju flight route is the busiest domestic route in the world¹, and you’ll have plenty of flight options with airlines like Jeju Air, Asiana, Korean Air, and Air Seoul flying several times daily.

Flying from Incheon International Airport (ICN)

If you are flying from an international destination like Singapore and not intending to spend time in Seoul, it might seem easier to fly to Jeju from Incheon.

However, direct domestic flights from Incheon to Jeju are extremely limited. The more common way is to transfer from Incheon to Gimpo International Airport and fly to Jeju from there.

How to Transfer from Incheon to Gimpo:

The transfer is easy, and there are several options:

• By AREX All-Stop Train (Most Popular): It costs about 3 to 4 SGD, takes 40 minutes, and leaves every 15 minutes.
• By Taxi: The easiest but most expensive option. A taxi will cost about 50 to 65 SGD and takes approximately 30 minutes.
• By Airport Limousine Bus: The bus leaves hourly, costs 75 to 115 SGD, and takes 35 minutes⁴

Flying from Gimpo International Airport (GMP)

This is where all the direct flights from Seoul to Jeju depart. The flight time is just one hour and 15 minutes, and multiple airlines like Jeju Air, Jin Air, T’way Air, and Korean Air fly multiple times a day. Prices are extremely affordable, starting from 50 SGD.³

Ferries from Seoul to Jeju

Since there are no direct ferries from Seoul, you’ll have to take a bus or train to a southern port city. The two most popular routes are via Mokpo and Wando.

Mokpo to Jeju

There are two main ways to get to Mokpo from Seoul: the KTX High-Speed Train or an intercity bus. The KTX will take approximately two and a half hours and cost around 80 SGD. It departs eight times daily from Yongsan Station and is a comfortable, quick ride.⁵

The intercity bus costs about 28 to 48 SGD and departs from the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. It is a more affordable option, but the trip duration is approximately 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Once you’re in Mokpo, take the ferry to Jeju. Note that ferries run only once daily. For the first and third Mondays, it leaves Mokpo at 8.30 am, and Tuesdays to Saturdays, it leaves at 1 pm.⁶ The travel time is approximately 4.5 hours, the prices start from 60 SGD.

Wando to Jeju

The KTX doesn’t go directly to Wando, so you’ll have to stop in Mokpo or Gwangju and take a bus. The approximate travel time is 5.5 hours, and the total cost is about 54 to 99 SGD.

You can also take a bus from Seoul’s Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Gwangju Bus Terminal, after which you’ll need to change to a bus that goes to Wando. The approximate travel time is about 6.5 hours, and it’ll cost 34 to 66 SGD. This is the more economical option, but it’ll be slower.

After you get to Wando Bus Terminal, take a 5-minute taxi ride to the Wando Yeonan Ferry Terminal. There are two departures a day that leave at 09:20, and 15:00 hrs.⁶ Prices start from 30 SGD, and the trip takes about 2 hr 40 mins.⁷

Driving from Seoul to Jeju

A more adventurous way of getting to Jeju would be to drive to one of the port cities, then take a ferry across with your car. That way, you can enjoy a scenic coastal drive and stop along the way. In addition, you’ll also have a car in Jeju, so you can fully enjoy exploring the island and all its nooks and crannies that you never would have reached using public transport.

The approximately 410 km drive to Wando will take about 5 hours, while the 349 km drive to Mokpo will take about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Note that taking the car onto the ferry can significantly add to the ticket price, which varies greatly depending on the season.

Pay for transport, food, and shopping with the Wise card to maximise your SGD to KRW conversions

The Wise card lets you spend in 40+ currencies at the mid-market rate including MYR, JPY, CNY, and USD so you know you'll be getting a great deal in over 150+ countries. Simply create a free Wise account, order a card and top-up SGD to get started.

Virtual cards are free and can be added to your Google or Apple Pay wallet, while a physical Wise card can be ordered for a low fee of 8.50 SGD. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as 2 free ATM withdrawals to the value of 350 SGD each month, before low fees start.

While abroad, you can choose to spend with directly in SGD and let auto-conversion do the trick, or convert to your desired currency with your Wise account. Either way, you’ll get the exchange rate you see on Google, with low, transparent fees from 0.26%.

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