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One of the ways you can learn about a certain place, particularly if you’re new to it, is by visiting museums. These buildings are meant to give you as much insight on the location you intend to visit (Well, if they disappoint you, you could find avenues to provide feedback – hopefully, the relevant people will be happy to respond to whatever you’ve noted down). In fact, you might even discover something peculiar or surprising from visiting these structures. If you’re planning a trip to South Korea’s Jeju Island, especially if it’s your first one, make sure you include these museums as places to visit into your itinerary.

Glass Castle/Glass Art Museum 

Address: 462 Nokchabunjae-ro, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Opening hours: 9am-6pm

Recommended estimated time to spend visiting: Up to 1.5 hours.

This museum-castle was the final one that I visited during my short trip to Jeju Island when my family and I were in the southern part of the island (in early-October). Right from the entrance, you’ll feel invited to visit the place. The layout of the museum and the exhibits will appeal to both children and adults. It’s also wheelchair-friendly.

There’s even a well-designed café where the seats in it are made of glass. Fortunately, the toilet seat in the washroom of the café is not made of glass. Just the thought of answering nature’s call while sitting on a toilet seat made of something fragile scares me.

Jeju Provincial Self-Governing Haeny(e)o Museum

Address: Hado-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Opening hours: 9am-5pm

Recommended estimated time to spend visiting: About an hour

When we were first in the northern part of Jeju Island, this was one of the museums we visited. This museum is dedicated to the women divers of the island. Men divers are imposed high taxes, so that’s why the women are the ones to go out diving instead, according to our tour guide cum driver. Do note that these women divers are 60 and above (age-wise). They usually find seafood like oysters, abalone and seaweed. These women also do not use any oxygen tank and will have to hold their breath underwater for two minutes, before coming up. The culture of Jeju Haenyo is not only significant within South Korea but has also received attention from the world that it has been registered as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.   The museum has three exhibition halls as well as an observatory on the third floor of the museum (We only had time to go to two out of the three exhibition halls). You can witness the stunning view of the sea from the observatory, so it’ll be silly for you to leave without checking out the observatory. Besides on Jeju Island, you can find similar divers in Japan. What stood out to me was the lava tunnel within the museum (Sorry, no Facebook/Instagram Stories allowed when in the tunnel). This wheelchair-accessible museum is closed on the following observances/days:

Monday

New Years Day (1 January)

Lunar New Year

Chuseok (15 August in the lunar calendar)

Jeju  Folklore & Natural History Museum

Address: 40 Samseong-ro, Ildo 2(i)-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Recommended estimated time to spend visiting: Up to 1.5 hours

It’s a good idea to make this museum your first stop, so you’ll get a clearer picture of the entire island. By the time you leave the museum, hopefully, you’ll be more confident travelling around. Initially, we were confused because from the outside, it looked like a park instead. However, we eventually understood why. It’s just a different and clever way of attracting visitors. Located in the northern part of the island, this museum is wheelchair-friendly. Opening hours vary from season to season. The museum is closed on Monday, New Years Day, Chuseok as well as their dedicated maintenance day.