What You'll Find in This Article
Jeju has a good bus system. You can get to most major attractions by bus, and if you are a slow traveler with time to spare, you may not need a car at all. But Jeju is also an island where some of the best places have no bus service, the roads through the countryside are genuinely pleasurable to drive, and having a car means you are not standing at a bus stop in the rain waiting for a 7:30 AM departure.
This post covers the full picture: who should rent, who should not, how to pick up and set up your car, parking, gas, speed cameras, and the one mistake you do not want to make on the road.
Should You Rent a Car?
Rent a car if you have three to five days on Jeju and want to cover a lot of ground. With a car, you can do a full loop of the island, stop wherever you want, and carry your luggage from lodging to lodging without depending on bus schedules.
It also opens up the parts of Jeju that buses do not reach with frequency: the western coastline, the Sinchang Windmill Coastal Road (신창풍차해안도로), inland farms, and smaller villages.
Skip the car if you are staying only in Jeju City. The main attractions in the city and the nearby coast are well-served by public buses. Parking in Jeju City can be a challenge, and some bus lanes mean that buses actually move faster than private cars during busy hours. There is no point renting a car to sit in city traffic.
Also skip the car if you are not comfortable driving on unfamiliar roads at night. The main roads on Jeju are lit, but the smaller inland roads through the mid-mountain area are not. Combined with frequent sharp turns, these roads are challenging in the dark for drivers who do not know them.
Requirements for Foreign Visitors
You need an International Driving Permit (IDP). This is not something you obtain in Korea. You apply for it in your home country before you leave, typically through your local automobile association. Bring it along with your regular driver’s license.
Some rental companies only serve domestic drivers. If a company’s website is entirely in Korean with no English option, that is usually a sign they only rent to Korean drivers. The major companies that serve international visitors include Lotte Rent-a-Car and SK Rent-a-Car. Both have English-language websites and staff who can communicate in basic English.
Getting Your Keys
Grabbing the Rental Car Shuttle Bus
When you come out of the arrivals hall at Jeju International Airport, follow the signs for rental cars. You will reach a dedicated bus stop for rental car shuttles. Find the shuttle for your company, take it to their lot, complete the paperwork, and you will be on your way.
Setting up The In-Vehicle Navigation
Before you drive out of the lot, ask staff to change the car’s navigation system to your preferred language. The phrasing does not need to be complicated. Most Koreans under 50 understand English even if they do not speak it fluently. Pointing and saying English? Change? will get the job done. Having a navigation system you can glance at without deciphering Korean characters is worth the 30 seconds it takes to ask.
Also check the language of the in-vehicle system separately from the navigation. Sometimes they are set independently.
Getting Gas
Two fuel colors. Green nozzle is diesel (경유, gyeong-yu). Yellow nozzle is gasoline (휘발유, hwi-bal-yu). Check which your car requires before you leave the lot. This is not a detail to sort out at the pump.
Self-service stations (셀프, sel-peu) are slightly cheaper than full-service stations. The kiosks at self-service stations generally have English options, particularly near Jeju City. You select your fuel, pay, and pump. No conversation required.
At a full-service station, call out to the attendant: 사장님 (sa-jang-nim). Then say 가득 주세요 (ga-deuk ju-se-yo) for a full tank, or state an amount such as 5만원 주세요 (o-man-won ju-se-yo) for 50,000 won of fuel. Pay by card (카드, ka-deu) or cash (현금, hyeon-geum).
Parking
Outside of Jeju City and Seogwipo City, parking across the island is almost always free.
In the two cities, paid parking exists. Parking lots typically photograph your plate number on entry and require payment at a kiosk before you exit. Take a photo of your plate number when you pick up the car and save it for the trip. You will need it at paid kiosks.
Rules of the Road in Jeju
Speed Cameras: The Part Everyone Gets Wrong
Jeju has a significant number of fixed speed cameras, particularly on the coastal roads. Near elementary schools, the limit drops to 30 km/h (about 19 mph). Near areas designated for elderly pedestrians, the limit is 50 km/h. These limits are usually enforced by cameras.
A single speeding fine is 120,000 won (roughly $90 USD). It does not matter that you have already returned the car and left the country. The fine is billed to the rental company and charged to your credit card. And because cameras are fixed at multiple points on the same roads, it is entirely possible to collect several fines in a single drive if you are not watching your speed.
The speed limit drops appear with plenty of warning, and you’ll notice the other cars in front of you slowing down. They are hard to miss, but you do need to pay attention. Speed bumps frequently accompany the cameras at school zones, so if you see one, slow down for the other.
Roundabouts
Jeju has a significant number of traffic circles, particularly on coastal and rural roads. If you are from North America and not used to giving way to traffic already in the circle, take a moment to review the rule before you drive: vehicles inside the roundabout have priority. It is not complicated once you know it, but getting it wrong at speed is not a great start to your holiday.
Driving Times: They Are Longer Than You Think
Jeju is not a large island, but driving times are consistently longer than distance alone would suggest. Hallasan 한라산 sits in the center, so there is no straight cross-island route. There are no highways or expressways: all roads are local, with traffic lights, roundabouts, speed bumps, and speed cameras. Expect to travel at an average of 50 to 60 km/h on most roads, dropping to 30 km/h through school zones and villages.
A 100 km drive will take you at least two hours, often more. Build buffer time into any itinerary.
Wrapping Up
A rental car on Jeju is not a convenience upgrade. It is a different trip. The western coastline, the inland farms, the quiet coastal roads with nothing around you but sea and volcanic rock: none of that is accessible on a bus schedule. If your itinerary is built around the major attractions and you have time to spare, the bus is fine and will save you money.
But if you have three to five days and want to find the parts of Jeju that do not show up on the highlight reel, get the car.
Just watch the speed cameras.
