Geoje travel guide

Geoje is a city located in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is located near Busan.

Dubbing itself the "Blue City", Geoje is more of an island than a city. It is in fact Korea's second largest island (only Jeju is larger) with a loose collection of villages and settlements scattered in coves around the coastline. The two largest of these are Okpo (옥포) on the east coast and Gohyeon (고현) on the west. Most of the tourist sites lie between these two settlements around, and just off, the southern coastline. The intercity bus terminal is in Gohyeon but services also run from the odd remote bus stop. Geoje has played a significant role in Korea's naval history.

A jjimjilbang exists in Okpo roughly halfway between Geoje Museum and Okpo Port. Naturally, expect sauna access, cotton pajamas and a bunch of blankets to sleep on the heated floor. Look for the neon sign. Price is ₩11,000 a night, and the sleeping facilities are larger than usual. The townships all contain the usual array of motels. Further to this, outside of the larger towns, minbak (homestays for tourists) are scattered around the coast, often attached to restaurants.

Getting in

With the completion of the dual bridges and tunnel that comprise the Busan-Geoje direct expressway link, access by both express bus and car has become significantly faster and easier. There is no airport in Geoje, although Gimhae International Airport (PUS) is closer than Busan. Flying into Gimhae from the south (e.g. Hong Kong, Shanghai) provides great aerial views of Geoje. Buses leave approximately half-hourly from the Busan Seobu bus terminal and take 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach Okpo via the new bridge (in reality it's actually a bit shorter) for ₩9000 (as 9f 2025).

Getting around

This is the transport of choice for Korean visitors and the most practical way of getting around. Daegeoje-ro (대거제로) is a highway that loops the island following the cliffs closely and offering near continual spectacular views of the ocean and coastline as well as passing by practically every attraction.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.