Take the bus and leisurely explore Jeju Island: one Tour Pass lets me go everywhere
연
6 hours ago
This trip to Jeju Island I tried the popular 'Tour Pass', and I experienced it in the most authentic way—traveling entirely by bus and taking it slow. Before I left I was a bit worried that without renting a car I wouldn't be able to use it, but after using it I found it created a nice rhythm and brought me closer to the essence of travel, it also made me see Jeju Island in a new light.
(The following itinerary is from personal experience, since the pass (card) free attractions may change, you should still arrange the actual stops based on the itinerary included after activating the pass (card)!)
The moment I first activated the Tour Pass felt like a little ritual, like the trip was officially starting. I opened the QR code on my phone and scanned in at the first attraction, and I was oddly excited, like I’d unlocked a map for free exploration. Riding the bus slowly toward each sight, watching the view change from the city to the coast and then to lush countryside, was really soothing. Unlike driving, you don’t have to focus on the road, so you can simply enjoy the scenery.
This time I bought a five-day 120-hour pass (card), the timer starts counting from the moment you activate it at the first attraction, it counts the full 120 hours, not days, so on the last day you can use the remaining hours to squeeze in a final activity!
This time I stayed at Seoul Air Hotel for the first night. Right after landing I went from the airport to Old Brother Shop. I didn’t expect much at first, but it was amazing inside, with huge displays that you can interact with, and the whole setup was very thoughtfully done. Then I visited the Teddy Bear Museum. The space isn’t large, but each bear is displayed differently, and some exhibits are set up like a wildlife zone. The last stop on day one was the Myth Museum, which also has lots of photo-friendly areas. In that one day I visited three attractions, and the tickets for the three places added up to almost 40,000 KRW.
Woke up early on the second day to go to Fanglin Garden, it was really hot that day, there’s a cave inside that’s very cool, the park isn’t big but it’s great for soaking up phytoncides. Then we went to see the elephant show and the circus, both highly recommended, they’re not the usual everyday performances! Tickets were about 45,000 KRW that day.
After checking out on the third day, since it looked like it was about to rain outside, I noticed the pass (card) included free one-hour access to an indoor playground nearby, so we went in and killed an hour there, and when we came out it had stopped raining. Next we went to Van Gogh Garden, which was truly stunning, filled with famous paintings presented in an interactive, photo-friendly way.
On the fourth day I soaked my feet, drove a go-kart, rode a camel, and watched the traditional Arirang show, but one thing to note is the rental card mentioned that driving the go-kart requires knowing Korean. If you speak Korean it’s fine, but if you don’t you should be careful not to include it in your itinerary.
On day five I headed to Seongsan Ilchulbong, and there were three nearby cafes that happened to accept the pass. Cafes usually offer a free Americano, but some let you choose between an Americano or iced tea, and there was also a gift shop near the Seongsan Ilchulbong entrance where you could exchange for cookies.
With only a few hours left on the sixth day, hurry to the farm to redeem oranges, then head to the café to trade for coffee, and make the most of the pass (card)!
The pass (card) is very thoughtful, it’s a mobile page that records the places you’ve visited and the ticket prices for those attractions, the page also clearly shows a countdown so you can easily see how much time is left on your pass (card)!
Use the Pass to redeem a drink, sit by the window and watch the sea or the street, that time becomes a meaningful moment in the trip. Especially while waiting for the bus or right after finishing a walk, that feeling of sitting down and relaxing really makes it feel worthwhile.
Overall, taking the bus is not that fast, but the five-day pass only cost a little over NT$1,000, and I used it for about NT$5,000 worth of attractions, cafes, and more! I personally think it was well worth it, so I recommend it to everyone, but your actual itinerary should still depend on the attractions available when you buy it.
