Three nights among Seoul’s palaces and tea houses, then three on Jeju for a volcanic crater, waterfall walks and dinners by the coast.
A week with Seoul and Jeju has a lovely change of scale: palace courtyards and tiled-roof lanes first, then a volcanic crater, open sea and waterfall paths. Three nights in each place give the trip two full sightseeing days in Seoul and two on the island, with an arrival day, a flight day and departure around them.
The island stay uses Jeju City as a single base. That keeps the airport and Dongmun Market within reach while the car opens up a different coast each day. Seongsan lies to the east; Seogwipo and Jungmun make a separate southern outing. These are days out from the city, rather than short hops between neighbouring sights.
Gimpo is the Seoul departure airport for this plan. A morning flight leaves part of the afternoon for the market and a first island dinner, once the rental-car handover is finished. An international flight from Jeju keeps the final day simple. Returning through Incheon adds a domestic flight and a change of airports.
Seoul's palace courtyards, tea houses and evening restaurants fill the first half. Jeju brings longer views, a crater above the sea and the sound of waterfalls. Each half has two full days, with time to enjoy a meal along the way.
The flight from Gimpo takes around an hour. Giving the morning to the airport journey, flight and rental-car pickup leaves a useful arrival afternoon around Jeju City, rather than squeezing a distant coastal sight into the transfer day.
The staircase rises to a broad crater with sea views towards Udo. Jeju Tourism allows about 30–40 minutes for the climb; a slower visit leaves time at the rim and for the descent. The gentler free path below offers another view of the cone.
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Keep three nights in Seoul and three in Jeju City, with the fourth day given to the flight from Gimpo and the rental-car pickup. Seoul gets two full days for its palace district, Namsan and neighbourhood walks. Jeju gets two full outings: Seongsan Ilchulbong and the east coast, then Seogwipo's waterfalls and Jungmun. The flight takes around an hour, but airport journeys and the car handover take the rest of the morning. A direct international departure from Jeju is the easiest finish.
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Seoul holds the first three nights. Jeju City holds the next three, with one east-coast day and one southern outing before departure.
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1
Palace courtyards, hanok lanes, Namsan views and lively evenings
Three nights give Seoul an arrival evening and two full days. Jongno makes the palace district and tea houses easy to reach; Myeongdong adds shopping and evening restaurants. The flight to Jeju leaves from Gimpo, west of the centre.
Read the Seoul guide →
2
Dongmun Market, island food and a starting point for coastal drives
Jeju City keeps the arrival afternoon close to the airport and Dongmun Market. The east-coast and Seogwipo days each involve a longer drive out and back. Staying in the older centre keeps market evenings simple; a coastal hotel adds more driving to this same plan.
Read the Jeju guide →Two full Seoul days come before the flight. Jeju follows with an arrival afternoon and two full days out from the same hotel.
From Incheon, AREX Express reaches Seoul Station in 43 minutes from Terminal 1 or 51 minutes from Terminal 2. The onward journey to the hotel comes after that train ride. Myeongdong or Jongno makes a useful first base for the two city days ahead. The arrival evening can stay small: a stroll near the hotel, a first Korean meal and time to settle in. A T-money card from a convenience store covers local metro and bus journeys; AREX Express has its own ticket. The palace district belongs to tomorrow, after a full night's sleep.
Base: Seoul
Gyeongbokgung's wide courtyards and layered roofs make a good first full morning. The palace normally closes on Tuesdays, with holiday exceptions; when Tuesday falls here, swap this outing with tomorrow's Namsan day. The National Folk Museum beside the palace is an option for a closer look at everyday Korean life. Bukchon lies east of the palace, its hanok houses climbing the hillside. The restricted residential zone admits tourists from 10:00 to 17:00, so an afternoon wander fits naturally after the palace. The houses are still homes, with small lanes between their walls. Insadong gives the day an easy finish over tea, craft shops and galleries along its main pedestrian street. A late lunch and a long tea break leave enough time for all three places without adding another district.
Base: Seoul
Take the cable car or walk up Namsan for the N Seoul Tower's panoramic city views, then spend the afternoon however suits the trip best: a Han River park for a picnic or bike ride in good weather, Itaewon's international restaurant scene for a change of pace from Korean food, or a return to a favourite neighbourhood from the day before. A longer lunch and a free evening suit the last city day. Hongdae adds cafés and a lively dinner district if there is energy for another metro ride, while Jongno makes it easy to stay close to the hotel. If the palace outing moved here because of Tuesday's closure, the Namsan and riverside choices belong to the previous day instead.
Base: Seoul
Give the morning to Gimpo Airport, the flight to Jeju and the car pickup. Rental cars are collected at off-airport sites reached by shuttle; LOTTE's Jeju Auto House is one operator with a published shuttle and handover process. For a visitor renting through LOTTE, the published terms call for a passport, an original recognised International Driving Permit and a payment card. Its normal car-rental age range is 21–79. Other operators have their own terms. The afternoon stays in Jeju City. Dongmun Market brings food stalls and island produce into the first walk, followed by dinner nearby. Black pork barbecue is one familiar island choice. A hotel near the older centre makes that evening simpler; coastal accommodation farther west or east adds a drive before the market.
Base: Jeju
Seongsan Ilchulbong rises above the island's eastern shore, its crater ringed by rocky peaks. The ascent follows stairs and uphill paths; Jeju Tourism gives about 30–40 minutes to the top. Allow a longer visit for the view across the crater, the descent and a pause by the sea. The gentler free section below the summit offers a shorter walk around the cone's coastal setting. A sunrise visit starts with an early drive from Jeju City. A daylight climb leaves breakfast in town before the journey east, with the same broad sea views from the rim. Afterwards, have lunch near Seongsan and keep the afternoon relaxed. Return to Jeju City for dinner.
Base: Jeju
Drive south for a day around Seogwipo. Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang give the waterfalls quite different settings: a green, sheltered path to one, then steps down towards the sea at the other. Cheonjiyeon's approach is the gentler walk; Jeongbang has a stairway from the ticket area. Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market makes a useful lunch stop among the town's food stalls. Jungmun adds a further stretch of coast in the afternoon, with Jungmun Saekdal Beach and the resort district nearby. After both waterfalls and lunch, the beach is enough of a final stop. A longer spell at one waterfall or in the market can take its place without losing the shape of the day. Drive back to Jeju City for dinner.
Base: Jeju
Return the car at the rental site, then take its shuttle to the terminal. A direct international flight from Jeju is the simplest finish where available. Flying back to Gimpo for an onward Incheon departure adds a second airport journey, baggage collection and another check-in. This plan leaves no sightseeing on departure day, but an early Incheon flight still needs a different final night: return to Seoul on day six and replace the third Jeju night. That version has two Jeju nights and one fewer island outing.
Base: Jeju
The morning flight changes the trip from city streets to island roads. Airport journeys and the rental-car handover are part of this transfer day.
1 transfer
Seoul Jeju
Fly from Gimpo to Jeju, then use the rental company’s shuttle to its pickup site. A morning flight leaves an afternoon in Jeju City; the east and south coasts each have a full day later in the stay.
A practical October–November 2026 allowance is about US$600–1,120 per person, based on two adults sharing rooms and a car outside holiday peaks. It covers six nights and one Gimpo–Jeju flight; international flights and a return to Seoul are extra.
Booking tips
Rooms in Jeju City and its coastal districts. An old-town address suits the market evenings; Aewol and Gujwa involve a longer drive.
Seoul and Jeju City are the two overnight bases. Their markers show the change of location; the line is an overview of the trip rather than a flight track.
Seoul → Jeju
A car suits this version of the trip, with an east-coast day and a separate outing to Seogwipo and Jungmun. Keeping the same Jeju City hotel makes the evenings easier, but the sightseeing still involves longer drives.
This plan uses Gimpo, with a morning flight followed by the Jeju rental-car handover. Incheon is the international arrival airport at the start of the week, so these are two separate Seoul airport journeys.
Three nights leave an arrival afternoon and two full days: one to the east around Seongsan, one to the south around Seogwipo and Jungmun. That is enough for this pairing, with the car doing much of the work. Extra nights would give the west coast or a longer beach stop a day of its own.
Yes. Three Jeju nights followed by three in Seoul make a comfortable reverse version, especially with an international arrival into Jeju. Finishing in Seoul also simplifies an Incheon departure. Arriving internationally at Incheon before a Gimpo flight adds immigration, baggage collection and a journey between airports to that first day.
A Jeju City base still works with public transport and selected taxi rides, but the days become more focused. Dongmun and nearby city sights suit the arrival afternoon; one coast at a time makes a more comfortable day out. The sunrise drive and the combined waterfall-and-Jungmun day are the parts to shorten or replace.
The opening time is seasonal: 04:30 in May–August, 05:00 in March–April and September–October, and 06:00 in November–February. The ascent takes about 30–40 minutes. The first Monday each month is a closure day, moving to the next day when it is a public holiday. A daylight visit gives an easier start from Jeju City.
Editorial team StartBooker
Checked on 2026-10-17
Updated
Research approach: The plan follows seasonal Seongsan access from Jeju Tourism, palace and Bukchon visitor information, AREX train times and LOTTE’s published rental and shuttle arrangements. Independent island and travel-cost guides support the base choices and clearly labelled budget allowances.
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