Seoul In Spring: Best Things To Do And To Eat
Spring is one of the nicest times to visit Seoul, the temperatures are mild and comfortable, making this the perfect time of the year to visit. The spring season in Korea is characterized by the stunning cherry blossoms, spring themed food and a wide array of spring themed festivals in the capital and all around Korea. From spring flower festivals to picnic along in one of the many parks along the Han river. Read on to learn more about Seoul in spring on this Seoul travel blog.
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Things To Know When Visiting Seoul In Spring
- Seoul Itineraries – Use these Seoul itineraries to start planning your trip to the capital of South Korea.
- Seoul Hop-On Bus – Go around the city using the Seoul Hop-on Hop-Off tour bus. Check more info.
- Transportation Card – When using public transport in Seoul like bus, subway or even taxi, a T-Money card is needed. Check more info here.
- Seoul Pass – The Discover Seoul pass gives you instant access to over 40 different attractions around Seoul. No need to buy individual tickets. Check more info here.
- Foreigner Discounts – Websites like Trazy or Klook have great discount deals for various attractions, restaurants and museums around Seoul and Korea.
- Tipping – There is no tipping culture in Korea, the only occasions where tipping is accepted is to tour guides and taxi drivers.
- Travel Insurance – Getting a travel insurance is vital when traveling to Korea. Don’t let any accidents or stolen luggage ruin your special holiday. More info here.
Weather In Seoul In Spring
Seoul in spring is one of the more pleasant seasons of the year. The temperatures are mild and there is generally little rainfall.
1. Seoul Weather March
At the start of spring, end of March, the temperatures are still quite cold. Average daily temperatures lie around 10°C. Make sure to pack tick sweaters and a hat for night times when coming to Seoul in March.
2. Seoul Weather April
The average temperatures are 8°C higher in April than in March. If the sun is out, it is the perfect time to go around the city and soak up some sunlight. Clouded days are still quite cold. When in Seoul in April, packing a thick sweater is still recommended. April and May are the best time to visit Seoul and the rest of Korea.
3. Seoul Weather May
The best season to visit South Korea. Unfortunately there will be no cherry blossoms anymore in Seoul in May, but this is the time of the year for other flower festivals. Bring a sun hat, sunscreen, shirts, sunscreen and a sweater. Temperatures are warm and lie around 23°C.
4. Seoul Weather June
June is generally the start of the humid hot weather. Temperatures lie around 28°C and there are more rainy days than March, April and May. It is still a pleasant time to visit South Korea. Especially if you are looking to visit beaches and do beach sports.
Cherry Blossoms In Seoul
South Korea is well known for the cherry blossom or sakura season, and Seoul is no different. During the flower season, you’ll find numerous places around Seoul that are filled with the pink trees in full bloom.
The sakura season normally falls late March till mid April, but this differs from year to year. Yearly the cherry blossom forecast by KWeather is published around early March. Seoul is generally one of the last places where the cherry blossoms are blooming. Below is a list of the best festivals and where to see cherry blossom in Seoul in spring.
1. Yeouido Cherry Blossoms Festival
The festival is held on one of the roads of Yeongdeungpo, behind the national assembly building. The festival is famous for having over 1886 Korean cherry trees. Other flowers trees in bloom during the festival are
azaleas, forsythia, royal azaleas and many other spring trees. Take a walking tour in English of the grounds and learn about interesting stories of the area. This is by far one of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Seoul.
Address: Yeouiseo-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
When: Early April
Entrance Fee: Free
TIP! Want to chase the cherry blossoms in Seoul in spring? Take a one day tour that will take you to the best spots in the city and around for seeing the trees in full bloom. More info here.
2. Seoul Children’s Grand Park
During the blooming season, the Seoul Children’s Grand Park is filled with pink flower trees. The park is a great place to spend the afternoon, with the kids or for a spring picnic. In the park you’ll find cafes, convenience stores, a modern art museum and a botanical garden.
Address: 102 Daegongwongwangjang-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
3. Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival
The annual cherry blossom festival in Seoul takes place around Seokchon lake in the Jamsil area. This is an excellent time to visit Lotte World, the fantasy-like amusement park, the lake, castle and cherry blossoms are like a paradise.
Address: 148, Jamsil-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
When: Early April
Entrance Fee: Free
4. The Palaces In Seoul
The palaces in Seoul are excellent places to enjoy the cherry blossoms. The contrast of the Joseon architecture and the cherry blossoms is just stunning, great for that perfect Instagram picture. In Changdeokgung, you’ll find many cherry blossom trees in the secret garden. Changgyeonggung has the highest concentration of cherry blossom trees in a palace in Seoul as the Japanese colonialists planted cherry blossom trees all around the palace grounds.
TIP! Take a guided tour of the palaces to learn more about the history of Seoul and Korea. More info here.
5. Seoul National Cemetery
Not a typical tourist destination, but the Seoul National Cemetery is known for its weeping willows. People say, the cherry blossom trees are paying respect to the lost lives. At the cemetery you can see the changing of the guard, a military band and join the cherry blossom photo competition.
Address: 210 Hyeonchung-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
6. Seoul Forest
Located in the east of Seoul, the Seoul Forest is a great park to go with kids in Seoul. Not only can you enjoy the cherry blossoms, but also visit the plant and insect garden, see the bunnies and feed the deer.
Address: 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Other Places To Visit In Seoul During Spring
Apart from the cherry blossoms, there are lots of things to do in Seoul in spring.
1. N Seoul Tower
From multiple location in Seoul, there is a walking trail leading all the way up to Namsan Mountan and N Seoul Tower. The hike only takes around 1 hour and is a great thing to do on a mild spring day. Not in the mood for hiking? Take the cable car to the top and just enjoy the view! More info here.
2. Paragliding In Seoul
Visit one of the most famous paragliding spots in Korea and enjoy the beautiful scenery from high up. Enjoy the flight with the guidance of a professional paragliding instructor. There are two option when booking the experience, a 15 minute flight or a 25 minute flight. March and April will probably still be too cold to go paragliding, but this is a great thing to do in Seoul in May. More info here.
3. Hiphopplaya Festival
One of Korea’s biggest hip hop festivals takes place yearly at Nanji Hangang Park. This two day festival in the last weekend of April will keep you buzzin. Artists performing at the festival are both up and coming and established international or Korean performers. This one of the most unique things to do in Seoul in April. More info here.
4. Strawberry Buffet
Each year in the spring season, the JW Dongdaemun Marriott Hotel in Seoul opens a strawberry buffet. The buffet includes all kinds of cakes and drinks. Indulge yourself in at this buffet! More info here.
5. Seoul Fashion Week
The Seoul Fashion Week happens twice a year at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, once in spring and once in autumn. During this week, the DDP are is filled with models and designers showing their latest collection. If you love fashion and don’t know what to do in Seoul in March, then this is the place to be. More info here.
Sakura Flavored Snacks
Not only is spring time of the cherry blossoms but also of all the cherry blossoms flavoured drinks and snacks. These snacks and drinks can only be found in Seoul in spring.
1. Cherry Blossom Drinks Seoul
Many coffee shops will sell cherry blossom drinks for a limited amount of time, with the most known one being Starbucks. At the end of March and April the big chain sells cherry blossom flavoured drinks and sweets. Including lattes, cake, green tea and more. If you are looking for other cafes that serve latte it is best to check out the Instagram hashtag #벚꽃라떼.
2. Cherry Blossom Flavoured Snacks
For the cherry blossom flavoured snacks, just make your way to one of the many convenience stores around Seoul. In Seven Eleven, CU, GS25 or Emart 24, you’ll find a wide collection of Sakura flavoured snacks like cakes, pocky, popcorn, chips, ice cream and all sorts of drinks.
Apart from the convenience stores, you’ll find cherry blossom flavoured drinks and snacks at the many Cherry Blossom festivals in and around Seoul. The most popular ones being cherry blossom ice cream and cherry blossom tea.
Cherry Blossom And Spring Themed Souvenirs
Don’t leave Korea without buying some spring themed souvenirs, you can find these at the many festivals or in Daiso and Starbucks.
1. Daiso
Daiso is well known for selling affordable themed souvenirs and merchandise. Each year they bring out a new collection and just before the cherry blossom season a pink spring collection is released. Daiso can be found in any city in South Korea. Apart from the themed souvenirs, Daiso also sells wonderful Korea themed souvenirs.
2. Starbucks
Starting in March, you can find beautiful spring themed souvenirs in Starbucks like umbrellas, cups, pouches and tumbles. The collection is a bit pricey but limited edition!
Korean Cultural Holidays
During the spring season there are 3 national holidays in Korea, 2 in May and 1 in June. On these days most companies have day off, except for restaurants, coffee shops, tourist attractions and shops.
Fifth of May is the Children’s Day, on this day Korean kids and their parents celebrate life and education of the kids and the hope for them to grow up as good citizens, to have a bright future and be healthy. On this day you’ll see many families going to parks, amusement parks, the cinema or the zoo.
On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (12th of May, 2019) it is Buddha’s Birthday in Korea. On this day all temples around the peninsula will be packed with visitors paying their respect to Buddha. Many events and celebrations will be held at the temple complexes. In Seoul, Jongyesa temple is the place to visit.
Memorial day falls on the 6th of June each year. This national holiday is a day to honour the fallen soldiers that died while fighting for the country. This is a nationwide holiday, but the biggest event happens at the National Cemetery in Seoul.
Korean Spring Food
Most Korean dishes can be found all year around, but there are some typical spring dishes like Jukkumi. This is small octopus, about 15 centimeter shorter that a regular octopus. Spring is the best season to eat this octopus as then its head is filled with eggs. The eggs look very similar to rice and have a mild taste.
King Crab is another typical spring food. They are best eaten in March and are so delicious that it used to be a popular royal food back in the Joseon Dynasty. Most of Korea’s king crab is caught off the east coast of Korea.
Spring is also the season of Korean strawberries, the season starts end of March. During this season, there are many strawberry picking experiences all over the country, with the closest one to Seoul being in Gyeonggi-do.
Cherry Blossom Festivals Outside Seoul
There are many other cherry blossom festivals outside Seoul, these could be the perfect day trip or weekend trip away from Seoul. Below is a list of the most popular ones.
- Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival
- Incheon Cherry Blossoms
- Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival
- Nami Island Cherry Blossom Fiesta
- Suwon Hwaseong Cherry Blossoms
- Jeju Island Cherry Blossoms
- Everland Cherry Blossom Festival
- Gwangyang Plum Festival
Hello,
I am planning to visit Korea for a period of 45-60 days. How does one find affordable accommodations within walking distance to a subway station and/or do you know of places where one could stay for that length of time?
Thank you.