Korea is an unusual honeymoon destination in one useful respect: it already is one, domestically, and has been for generations. Jeju is where Korean couples went when going anywhere else was difficult, and the island still carries the infrastructure of that: resorts, restaurants with two seat tables facing the sea, waterfalls with viewing platforms, and a whole vocabulary of couple oriented things to do. Add four nights in Seoul at the other end and you have a trip that does two entirely different things well.
The shape that works
Four nights in Seoul, for the city, the food and the palaces.
A short flight to Jeju, which is one of the busiest air routes in the world and cheap.
Four nights on Jeju, in one place rather than three.
Optionally Busan, for two or three nights, if you have longer.
Shoulder season, for weather and for colour.
One long dinner every evening, which is the actual point.
Jeju for couples
The south coast around Seogwipo, for waterfalls, cliffs and the warmest weather.
The west coast, for beaches, cafes and the sunsets.
Inland villages, for stone walled guesthouses among tangerine groves.
Sunrise Peak in the east, which is the classic photograph and genuinely worth the early start.
A stretch of Olle trail, which is the best free half day on the island.
Seafood, including the abalone and the raw fish, which is the island’s own.
Seoul for couples
A hanok guesthouse for two nights, which is the memorable half of the city stay.
The palace grounds in hanbok, early, before the crowds.
Cafes, which is what Seoul does better than almost any city.
A rooftop or a mountain view, of which Namsan and the Bukhansan foothills are the best.
A proper Korean barbecue dinner with somebody else doing the grilling.
A bathhouse, together in the shared heated rooms, which is more romantic than it sounds.
Practical notes
Flights to Jeju are frequent and inexpensive; book earlier in holiday periods.
Hire cars on Jeju need booking well ahead in high season.
The rainy season in summer and the typhoon window in late summer are both real.
Cards everywhere; almost no cash needed.
Local map apps rather than international ones, which do not work properly here.
Two bases for the whole trip, which is the difference between a holiday and a tour.
Where this fits in a Korea trip
Eight to ten nights, split between the capital and the island, in a shoulder season.
For the island in full and how to plan the days, our guide to Jeju covers the ground.
For the best free half day on the island, our guide to the Olle trail covers the walking.
And for the thing Seoul does better than anywhere, our guide to Seoul cafes covers the districts.
The short version
Four nights in Seoul and four on Jeju, with the cheap flight between them, in late spring or autumn. Spend the room budget on the island rather than the capital, because on Jeju the room is where the afternoons happen. Stay on one coast for all four nights. Hire the car for two or three days rather than the whole stay. In Seoul take a hanok for two nights, the palace early in hanbok, and a bathhouse in the evening. Eat long dinners.
