With spring on the horizon, now is the perfect time to plan a getaway to Geoje Island. To make the most of your long weekend, time your trip to coincide with the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 27 to April 5, 2026. For the latest festival updates, follow @jgfestival on Instagram.

Geoje Island (Geojedo) is South Korea’s second-largest island after Jeju, and you can reach it without hopping on a plane or ferry. This shipbuilding hub lies about four hours southeast of Camp Humphreys (around 60 minutes from Busan), and having a car makes it easy to move between beaches, lookouts, and cafés.

Here’s what to see, eat, and do while you’re in Geoje!

🌸1. Geoje Maengjongjuk Theme Park (Bamboo Forest)

This small bamboo park was mostly empty while we were there. Towards the top, it opens up to stunning views, and a bonus was seeing the cherry blossoms in bloom on the hill. Plan to spend one to two hours here.

🌸2. Hakdong Pebble Beach

For any young travelers in your group, this beach is a kids’ paradise. Though walking on the pebbles can get a bit tricky, children love searching for the perfect rock among the sea of pebbles.

🌸3. Windy Hill

This was the most crowded place we visited in Geoje because it was a filming location for several K-dramas. The views offer panoramic scenes of the sea and cliffs, and it is quite beautiful on a clear day. Of course, the windmill is also a big draw.

🌸4. Coastal Walk 옥하마을 해맞이길 산책로

If you are looking for a pleasant coastal stroll, this walk is for you. We only encountered a handful of people on our walk, and it was a great way to spend an hour outdoors on the water.

🌸5. Maemi Castle 매미성

This European-style stone fortress was built by Baek Soon-sam to protect his crops after a typhoon destroyed his farm in 2003. Now, a tourist attraction, the stone ruins offer stunning sea views and are free to explore.

 🌸6. Catch a glimpse of haenyeo at Deokpo Beach 덕포해수욕장

Though Jeju is famous for its haenyeo, Geoje has quite a few, including two young haenyeo, Sohee and Jungmin, who are quite famous throughout Korea. If you are at the docks in the morning, typically around 9:00, you might get lucky and catch them preparing to head out on their boat for the day.

🌸7. Odeo Botania 외도 보타니아

(requires a 40-60 minute ferry from Geoje)

Enjoy a morning stroll through the grounds of this formerly uninhabited island, now a botanical garden along the sea. Plan to spend two hours roaming around, and it’s highly recommended to arrive first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds.

🌸8. Spend a day at the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival

Just a forty-minute drive from Geoje (using Deokpo Beach as a base), you can spend half a day or a full day taking in the cherry blossom festivities in Jinhae. The drive from Geoje to Jinahae is quite lovely, and you will see roads lined with blooming trees everywhere you look.

☕1. Oedo Nursery Glasshouse Cafe 외도널서리

(not located by Odeo Botania, located on Geoje Island)

In spring, the grounds of this cafe are brimming with tulips and cherry blossoms, set right on the water. Inside, the café is designed as a greenhouse, making it one of the prettiest in Korea. Parking for the café is located past the grounds–follow the signs and stickers on the ground. The lot is paid, but the café will validate your parking for up to 90 minutes (ask the clerk before you leave).

☕2. Geoje Café W181 더블유181

This wouldn’t be a list of things to see in Korea without another fabulous café. As with many things in Geoje, this café offers unforgettable sea views paired with an Instagram-worthy interior.

☕3. Café Guana 구아나 카페&레스토랑

For spectacular sunset views paired with great pizza and salad, this café is a must. It has fantastic indoor and outdoor seating spaces to soak up the sea views.

For 15 years, Erin Henderson has been a photographer capturing compelling stories around the world – from travel and food to conservation and military life. She’s published internationally and mentors entrepreneurs from her base in Stuttgart, Germany. You can find more of her work at erinhendersonmedia.com or on Instagram @erinhendrsn.

Fleet Chinhae

USAG Daegu

related stories

• Four-day escape to Japan
• My Paradise: 4 top spots in Vietnam
• My Paradise Family fun in northern Thailand