Jeju · Jocheon, Jeju
함덕해수욕장
Shallow, calm and close to the airport — the easy Jeju beach day.
Hamdeok is under an hour from Jeju airport and the water stays shallow a long way out, so it is the beach most families end up at.
Seowubong, the small green hill at the eastern end, takes about fifteen minutes to walk up and gives the view the beach is known for.
What else is here
Hamdeok is the one that looks least like Korea: jade-green water over pale sand, palms along the front, and the little volcanic cone of Seoubong standing at the eastern end of the bay.
Twenty minutes up an oreum
The small cone at the eastern end of the beach, climbed on a stepped path in about twenty minutes. The view back over the bay is the picture everyone takes of Hamdeok, and the walk continues round the headland on a coastal path.
Free, on the north side
There is a free campsite on the north side of the beach where you can simply pitch a tent — one of very few free beachside sites in Korea. Facilities are basic and it is busy in summer, but the price is hard to argue with.
A proper little town
The front is lined with cafés, bakeries, bars and guesthouses, and unlike some Jeju beaches it stays open into the evening. It works as a base rather than a day trip.
The bay is sheltered
The bay is shallow and protected, so the water is usually flat. Hire is available on the beach through the summer.
North-east Jeju
Hamdeok is about half an hour east of Jeju City on the coastal bus, which makes it the beach most people reach first. The bay is shallow, sheltered by the headland, and the water sits at around 23–26°C through the season.
The official swimming season runs from roughly the first week of July to the end of August, when lifeguards are posted. Outside it the beach is free to use and considerably calmer.
Climb Seoubong before you leave. It takes twenty minutes, it is the only elevation for miles, and the view down onto the bay explains why this particular beach ends up on the front of so many Jeju guidebooks.
Hyeopjae Beach
White shell sand, water the colour of a swimming pool, and an island offshore.
Jungmun Saekdal Beach
Four colours of sand, real waves, and the island's surf and dive centre.
Woljeongri Beach
A row of cafés looking straight out at very blue water.