South Korea Islands and Beaches

Jeju is Korea’s largest island, formed by the volcano of Hallasan, and its beaches are the best in the country. On the west coast, Hyeopjae and its neighbour Geumneung have white sand and shallow turquoise water looking out to the small cone of Biyangdo; this is the beach for families and the classic Jeju photo. Hamdeok on the northeast coast, 30 minutes from Jeju City, has similar water with a low hill and cafes behind. Woljeongri, further east, is the cafe and surf beach, and Gimnyeong next to it is calmer. Iho Tewoo, 10 minutes from the airport, is the convenient one, known for its two horse-shaped lighthouses.

On the south coast near Seogwipo, Jungmun Saekdal beach has the island’s surf, with resort hotels on the cliffs above. Seongsan Ilchulbong, the tuff cone on the eastern tip, is a 20 to 30-minute climb for sunrise over the sea, and the haenyeo, Jeju’s women free-divers, often perform or sell their catch below it. Allow at least four days for the island; a rental car is the easiest way around, though the bus network covers every beach. Our national parks guide covers the Hallasan climb and the lava tubes of the Jeju World Heritage site.

Udo, shaped like a lying cow, is a 15-minute ferry ride from Seongsan port, with boats every half hour or so in season. Its west coast has Seobin Baeksa, a beach of pale crushed red algae that turns the water bright turquoise, and Hagosudong on the north has fine white sand. Rent an e-bike or electric scooter at the pier and circle the island in two to three hours; cars are restricted. Try the peanut ice cream, the island’s speciality.

Marado, the southernmost point of Korea, is a flat grassy islet 30 minutes by ferry from the Songaksan or Moseulpo ports. You walk around it in an hour, past the lighthouse and the row of jajangmyeon (black bean noodle) restaurants that are the island’s odd claim to fame. Gapado, closer to shore, is covered in green barley in April and May, when it holds a barley festival. The Chuja Islands, between Jeju and the mainland, are for fishing and coastal hiking and need an overnight stay.

Busan is the one city where a beach is part of a normal sightseeing day. Haeundae, about 1.5 km of sand backed by towers, is the most famous beach in Korea and the most crowded: on an August weekend the parasols are rented in rows. It hosts a sand festival in late spring and a polar bear swim in January. Take subway Line 2 to Haeundae station and walk five minutes. The Dongbaekseom island walk at its west end and the Blueline Park beach train along the coast to Cheongsapo and Songjeong are the best ways to see the shore.

Gwangalli, six subway stops west, faces the Gwangan Bridge, which is lit up every night; on many Saturday evenings a drone light show plays over the water. The beachfront is lined with seafood restaurants, bars and cafes and is the best place for an evening on the sand. Songjeong, east of Haeundae, is the surf beach, with lessons and board rental for beginners. Dadaepo in the far southwest is a wide, shallow beach at the mouth of the Nakdong River, known for sunsets. For the city’s other sights see the nightlife and food guides.

The East Sea coast of Gangwon has the clearest water and the longest beaches on the mainland, backed by pine groves and, inland, the peaks of Seoraksan. Gangneung is the easiest base: the KTX from Seoul takes about two hours, and Gyeongpo beach, Anmok’s coffee street and the sunrise spot of Jeongdongjin are a short bus or taxi ride from the station. Yangyang, north of Gangneung, has become Korea’s surf capital, with Jukdo and Ingu beaches lined with surf schools, hostels and beach bars. Naksan beach near Yangyang sits below the seaside temple of Naksansa.

Sokcho, further north, has a city beach, a fish market and the Seoraksan trailheads 20 minutes away, which makes it the best choice if you want mountains and sea in one trip. South toward Donghae and Samcheok, beaches are smaller and quieter. The water is cold until July, and swimming is only allowed in the official season of roughly early July to mid or late August.

The south coast is a drowned coastline of bays and islands, most of it within Hallyeohaesang National Park. Tongyeong is the hub: take the cable car up Mireuksan for the view across the islands, then a ferry to Hansando, site of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s 1592 naval victory, or to Bijindo and Somaemuldo with their cliff walks and white lighthouse. Geojedo, joined to the mainland by bridge, has the black-pebble beach of Hakdong and boats to Oedo, a privately built botanical garden island where a visit lasts about 90 minutes.

Namhaedo, linked by bridge from Hadong and Sacheon, is a farming island of terraced rice fields, the German Village built for returning migrants, and the small beaches of Sangju and Songjeong. In Yeosu, the city’s night views, the camellia island of Odongdo and the cliffside hermitage of Hyangiram on Dolsando make a good two-day stop, and boats run to Geumodo and to the Geomundo group, the Geomundo islands, for longer trips.

Wando sits at the bottom of the peninsula and has ferries to its own scatter of islands. Cheongsando, 50 minutes away, is one of Asia’s first designated slow cities, with stone walls, terraced fields and canola flowers in April; walk the Slow Road trail. Sinjido, joined by bridge, has Myeongsasimni beach, a long sand beach popular with Korean families. Jindo, west of Wando, is famous for the sea-parting festival each spring, when a low tide opens a land bridge of nearly 3 km to a nearby islet.

From Mokpo, fast ferries head out to the islands of Dadohaehaesang National Park: Hongdo, with red rock cliffs best seen from a tour boat, is about 2.5 hours away, and Heuksando is on the way. Sinan county’s islands, many now linked by bridges, include Jeungdo with its salt farms and Ujeon beach, and the purple-painted villages of Banwoldo and Bakjido. These are for travellers with time: ferries cancel in rough seas, and English is scarce.

The Yellow Sea coast has huge tides, so beaches here change shape through the day and the water is murkier, but they are the closest to Seoul. Muuido, next to Incheon airport and reached by bridge, has Hanagae beach with simple huts and mudflat walks, a good last-day escape before a flight. Deokjeokdo, about an hour by fast ferry from Incheon, has the pine-backed Seopori beach, and Yeongheungdo and Daebudo can be reached by road.

Further south, Taeanhaean National Park protects the beaches of the Taean peninsula, including Mallipo and Kkotji with its sunset rocks. Daecheon beach in Boryeong is the venue for the Boryeong Mud Festival each July, the west coast’s biggest party. The tidal flats along this coast are part of the Getbol World Heritage site. Baengnyeongdo and Daecheongdo, four hours or more by ferry from Incheon near the maritime border with North Korea, have dramatic rock coasts but a military presence and long journeys.

Ulleungdo is a volcanic island in the East Sea, about 120 km off the mainland, with almost no flat land: roads tunnel through cliffs, and the island is ringed by sheer rock and clear, deep water. There are no sand beaches; instead you swim off rocks and walk the coastal trails, climb Seonginbong, Ulleungdo’s highest peak, and eat squid and wild mountain greens. Ferries leave from Pohang, Gangneung, Mukho near Donghae and Hupo, taking about three hours or more, and cancel often in winter and bad weather, so leave a spare day.

From Ulleungdo, boats run to Dokdo, the Liancourt Rocks, which Korea administers and Japan also claims. Most trips allow a short landing only in calm conditions, otherwise the boat circles the rocks. Nearby Jukdo is a small farmed islet you can visit by boat from Ulleungdo’s port.

Korean beaches officially open for swimming for a short season, usually from early July to mid or late August, with Haeundae and a few Busan beaches opening in June. During the season, lifeguards are on duty and swimming is allowed only inside the buoys and in daytime hours; outside it, you can walk the sand but not swim. July and August bring the warmest water but also the crowds, the highest room prices and the end of the rainy season; early September is often the best time, with warm sea and fewer people. Our best time to visit guide has the month-by-month weather.

Ferries are run by regional operators, and you can check timetables and book most routes on the official island ferry booking site run by the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA), or buy tickets at the port. You must show your passport to board any ferry, so keep it on you. Book ahead for summer weekends and Chuseok, and keep a buffer day for remote islands. For trains and buses to the ports, see getting around.