Best Time to Visit Seoul
Four proper seasons, cherry blossoms and autumn foliage both drawing genuinely enormous crowds, broken down so you can pick the trip you actually want.
There’s no single correct month to visit Seoul, it depends whether you’re chasing cherry blossoms, autumn colour, or a quieter trip without either. Here’s how the year actually breaks down.
Early April, or October
Cherry blossom season, typically peaking in early April, and autumn foliage, usually mid to late October, both bring Seoul’s most spectacular scenery. Both windows also bring the year’s heaviest crowds, book accommodation and popular sights well ahead.
Cherry blossom and autumn foliage: busiest, priciest
These two windows bring Seoul’s heaviest crowds and highest hotel prices, exact blossom and foliage timing shifts slightly year to year based on weather. Book well ahead if travelling either window, particularly for accommodation.
Winter (December-February): coldest, cheapest
Winter brings Seoul’s coldest temperatures, considerably more bundling required for a full day of palace-hopping. Prices dip given the tougher conditions, and the palaces themselves work well regardless of the cold.
Month by month, the short version
December-February: cold, occasional snow, cheapest window.
March-April: cherry blossoms, busiest and priciest window.
May-June: mild, comfortable, thinning crowds.
July-August: hot, humid, monsoon season.
September: cooling down, thinning crowds.
October: autumn foliage, the other busiest window.
Events worth timing around
The Seoul Lantern Festival each autumn is genuinely one of the city’s most photogenic events, thousands of illuminated lanterns floating along the Cheonggyecheon Stream. The Gyeongbokgung Royal Guard Changing Ceremony runs several times daily year-round too, worth timing a visit around regardless of season.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
