Best Time to Visit Jeju City

Spring and autumn: the sweet spots

October is our top pick, and November is close behind. Both are rated Excellent. Days feel mild, the air is drier, and October has the most sun of any month. It's good walking weather on the Olle trails, the signed coastal paths that wind around the island. If you want Hallasan, South Korea's tallest mountain, autumn is when the slopes turn gold and red. Silver grass also waves on the Saebyeol Oreum, one of Jeju's small volcanic cones.

May is the other good month. It's warm without being sticky, though humidity is already creeping up. Spring starts earlier, in late March and April, when canola flowers cover the fields and cherry trees line the streets near Jeju City. Those months are cooler and wetter, with rain on about ten days in April. Pack a rain jacket for the Jeongbang Falls trip, not for the beach.

Summer: hot, wet and busy

July and August are rated Poor, and it's fair. July is the wettest month, with rain on 18 days, and the air feels heavy and damp. August is the hottest, at 28°C, and slightly sunnier. June and September are also wet, with typhoon season in play. Storms can cancel ferries to Udo island and flights from Gimpo.

Still, this is peak season. Korean families fill Hyeopjae and Hamdeok beaches during school holidays, usually from late July into August. If you hate crowds, skip this stretch. If you can't, aim for a weekday and keep an indoor plan, like the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum.

Winter: quiet and cool

December to February is mild by Korean standards, with highs around 9°C. It's also the greyest time, with only two or three hours of sun a day. Wind off the sea makes it feel colder than the numbers say. Beaches are empty, and hot bowls of gogi-guksu, a pork noodle soup, taste better here.

Hallasan can get snow, and the Eorimok trail is a favourite for winter hikers. Check the park's trail status first, since routes sometimes close. Mandarin oranges ripen in November and December, so you'll see them sold at roadside stands. In late winter, camellias bloom around Camellia Hill, which makes February and March a quiet time for flower fans.