As the favorite honeymoon isle of South Korea, it comes as no surprise that Jeju is home to dozens of beautiful beaches vying for the title of the “Best Beach in Jeju Island.” These beaches, such as Iho Beach, are quite popular and crowded during the summer beach season between June and August, as tourists throughout South Korea and China flock to the volcanic island. If you can find this Hidden Beach of Jeju Island, you’ll be able to enjoy the summer South Korea waves without the crowds. Of course, other beaches also offer spectacular views of Mt. Sangbangsan—our favorite is Sagye Beach.
Watch our travel vlog from our visit to Sagye Beach:
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Contents
- A Beautiful Jeju Island Afternoon at Sagye Beach
- Visiting Jeju Island Beaches Without Crowds
- The Best Beach in Jeju with a Mt. Sanbangsan View
- Off the Beaten Track at Sagye Beach
- View 3 Jeju Island Volcanoes
- Views at Sagye Beach
- Brother Island
- How To Get to Sagye Beach
- Like this post?
- You Might Also Appreciate…
- Have you been to the beaches of Jeju Island?
A Beautiful Jeju Island Afternoon at Sagye Beach
Jeju has tons of activities to keep any traveler busy. From the green tea fields of the O’Sulloc Tea Museum, to the scenic Sunrise Peak, as well as the Korean cherry blossom sites in the spring—it’s quite easy to enjoy a variety of fun endeavors on the favorite island of South Korea.
Jeju’s beaches, however, are the crowning jewels of South Korea. And for the best beach in Jeju with a spectacular view of Mt. Sanbangsan, Sagye Beach is your prime bet.
We spent a beautiful afternoon at Sagye Beach after the end of the swimming season. The weather on the northern side of Jeju Island, where we live, was cloudy and threatening rain. We hopped on a bus over to Sagye Beach on the southwestern corner, hoping for better weather.
As is often the case on the fairly sizable island, the weather on the south-side was totally different. Blue skies and beautiful clouds greeted us at Sagye Beach. A strong breeze helped chase away any lingering summer heat: it was perfect. In fact, windy days are very common on Jeju Island.
The island is traditionally known for three things: wind, women, and stone!
Visiting Jeju Island Beaches Without Crowds
Did you know that Jeju Island closes its beaches?
Once the calendar turns to September, the Jeju Island beaches officially close for swimming. The beaches don’t actually close for visiting, though, and in fact the water remains warm enough to swim in until October.
The lesson here is that September and October are the best times to visit Jeju Island’s beaches, and enjoy them crowd-free! We took this opportunity to venture to perhaps the best beach in Jeju with a view of Mt. Sanbangsan: Sagye Beach.
The Best Beach in Jeju with a Mt. Sanbangsan View
Tucked away on the southwestern corner of Jeju Island in South Korea, Sagye Beach (pronounced Saw-gyeh) comes in just under the radar, but not for its lack of a spectacular Mt. Sanbangsan view.
Rather, crowds tend to flock to the well-known white sand and turquoise water of beaches like Hamdeok Beach and Hyeopjae Beach, both found on the northern side of Jeju Island. Sagye Beach’s relative lack of fame is our gain, however.
Stretching between the volcanic peninsula of Mt. Songaksan in the southwest to the foot of the stunning volcanic plug of Mt. Sanbangsan, Sagye Beach is a wonderful place to experience the stunning natural beauty of Jeju Island, South Korea—without tons of tourists!
No trip to Jeju is complete without a trip to a Jeju tangerine farm
Off the Beaten Track at Sagye Beach
The great appeal of Sagye Beach, for those looking for a taste of something different, is that it hasn’t been as developed for tourism as other places on Jeju Island.
Sagye Beach truly stands out for this reason.
The dark blue ocean at Sagye Beach can be a little rough at times for swimming, but it’s popular with surfers for that reason. However, you don’t need to swim in the ocean to enjoy your time at Sagye Beach, making it the best beach in Jeju for after the official swimming season.
View 3 Jeju Island Volcanoes
Sagye Beach just might be the best beach in Jeju for offering a stunning vantage point of Jeju Island’s volcanic history.
Composed of rich brown and yellow volcanic sand, Sagye Beach is within sight of at least 3 of Jeju Island’s volcanoes. On a clear day, you can view Mt. Songaksan, Mt. Sanbangsan, and Hallasan in the distance.
Views at Sagye Beach
I had wanted to visit Sagye Beach for a long time, mostly because it’s the best beach in Jeju for a view of Mt. Sanbangsan.
Mt. Sanbangsan is one of our favorite spots on Jeju Island, so I was excited to have a new view of it from Sagye Beach.
Sagye Beach definitely didn’t disappoint in that aspect. On that clear early autumn day, the views from Sagye Beach were absolutely magnificent. Mt. Sanbangsan stood proudly a few miles away, and even Hallasan was visible looming in the background.
Brother Island
A uniquely-shaped small island, Hyeongje-seom (Brother Island) is also visible from Sagye Beach.
Fun fact: this island is the namesake of the awesome Hey Brother café at the edge of Sagye Beach. Hey Brother café was a major reason we visited Sagye Beach that day, and was a fun place to grab a beer and enjoy the view.
The best beach in Jeju for a staggering view of Mt. Sanbangsan, Sagye Beach is a perfect spot to enjoy the rugged natural wonders of Jeju Island, South Korea. While Jeju Island’s most famous beaches are definitely beautiful and worth a visit too, sometimes it’s nice to get away from all the tourists and visit a quieter beach. Sagye Beach fulfills this desire perfectly!
How To Get to Sagye Beach
From Jeju-si Intercity Bus Terminal: Take the 750-1 bus headed in the Hwasun/Sagye direction. Get off at the Sagye-ri Office stop ( 1 hour, 10 minutes). From there, walk toward the coast for about 15-20 minutes. You should be able to find the beach if you keep Mt. Sanbangsan on your left as you walk. Important: There are several different buses numbered “750” that have slightly different routes. Make sure you take the 750-1 bus, which leaves every 30-40 minutes starting at 6:15 AM.
From Seogwipo: From Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal, take a westbound 702 coastal route bus. Get off at the Sagye-ri Office stop (about 1 hour). Walk towards the coast for about 15-20 minutes to find the beach. The 702 leaves about every 20 minutes all day from 5:55 AM.
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Have you been to the beaches of Jeju Island?
Tell us about your favorite!