Geoje: Coastal Scenery, Gardens and Fishing Culture

For planning your trip, you can focus on different highlights: Gujora Beach and the Geoje Fishing Village Folk Museum are in the same municipality, while Oedo-Botania offers a botanical focus. You can tailor your plans to your interests in coastal scenery, gardens and maritime culture.

Coast and excursions around Gujora

Gujora Beach is 1.1 kilometres long and 30 metres wide. The water is relatively shallow, warm and calm. The beach lies farther inland and is partly enclosed by the coastline. Facilities include shower cubicles, a drinking fountain and a campsite. If these details are important for your plans, check the current status of the facilities before your visit.

The Sound of the Breeze Path connects the Gujora Cruise Ship Dock with Gujora Fortress. Along the way, you can enjoy views of the coast, bamboo forests and villages. The fortress in Gujora-ri was built during the Joseon Dynasty to repel invasions and keep out the east wind. Cruises also give visitors the opportunity to visit Haegeumgang, Naedo and Oedo. It is worth checking the respective schedules in advance for these excursions.

Garden settings and traces of history

Oedo-Botania combines landscaped garden areas with a wide variety of plants. The Venus Garden is a standout attraction within the grounds: twelve statues of Venus are harmoniously integrated into the planting. Buckingham Palace gardens served as the model for its design. The natural area is home to 64 native plant species and more than 1,000 rare subtropical plant species from around the world.

The “Stairway to Heaven” also reveals different layers of the garden’s history. Today, it features various ornamental trees, including pagoda trees arranged like a carpet. In the wider surrounding area, the “Stairway to Heaven” was originally planted with 3,000 mandarin trees on former farmland and 8,000 cypress trees, intended to protect against strong sea winds. A 300-year-old guardian tree stands at the second viewpoint, Hill of Love. In the past, residents held ceremonies there to pray for the village’s well-being and a good fishing season.

The wider surrounding area also includes the Lee House at Oedo-Botania, which looks Mediterranean from the Venus Garden but was built in the traditional Korean style and is divided into anchae and sarangchae. Oedo-Botania covers a total of 148,760 square metres and is divided into Seodo Island and Dongdo Island. These details make the site interesting not only for its plant life, but also as a landscaped place shaped by architecture.

Maritime culture and local discoveries

The Geoje Fishing Village Folk Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting traditional maritime culture and the history of fishing in Korea. Visitors can see traditional fishing boats, fishing equipment and everyday objects from Korean fishing villages. The exhibition areas are called “Sea of Tradition,” “Sea of Life” and “Sea of Experience.” An aquarium with rare fish species and a video room complement the exhibition highlights.

Jisimdo Island lies east of Irun-myeon. The small island covers 0.338 square kilometres and has a 3.5-kilometre coastline. Ancient camellia trees define the island, which is also known as “Dongbaek Island,” meaning “Camellia Island.” As a guide, the ferry journey from Jangseungpohang Port to Jisimdo takes about 15 minutes. Allow approximately two hours to explore the entire island. Check the current ferry schedule and operating conditions before making plans.

To plan your trip together, you can easily compare the highlights: Gujora offers a beach and coastal scenery, Oedo-Botania offers plants and historic garden details, and the museum focuses on fishing culture. Search for a holiday rental in Geoje based on which of these experiences matter most for your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Miryang, Changwon, Sacheon-si, Tongyeong-Si, Gimhae, Jinju, Hamyang-gun, Hadong-gun

Back to the main travel overview: Gyeongsangnam-Do.