Best Time to Visit Seoul

Short answer: April to early June, or mid-September to early November. October is our favourite month of the year here: dry, clear, cool and golden.

Seoul has four sharp seasons, sharper than most visitors expect. Spring starts with cherry blossom in early April, usually peaking in the first week or so. The trees along Yunjung-ro behind the National Assembly on Yeouido and around Seokchon Lake near Lotte World Tower draw huge crowds. Spring also brings hwangsa, yellow dust blown in from the deserts of northern China, and fine dust (misemeonji) on still days. Check the air quality in your weather app and carry a KF94 mask, which every pharmacy and convenience store sells.

Summer arrives with jangma, the monsoon, from late June to late July, bringing days of heavy rain. July and August are hot and very humid, often in the low to mid thirties. Typhoons can reach the peninsula in August and September. The Han River parks are at their liveliest on summer nights, though, and the subway and malls are cool.

Autumn is the easy season. The leaves turn first in the mountains in early October and reach the city in late October and early November. Namsan, the Secret Garden at Changdeokgung and the ginkgo trees along Deoksugung's stone wall road are at their best then. The Seoul International Fireworks Festival over Yeouido usually takes place in late September or early October.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and dry, with winds from Siberia that can push temperatures well below minus ten. Snow on palace roofs is lovely, and hotel prices drop. Dress for it properly: our packing guide covers the cold.

Season at a glance

• March to May: mild, cherry blossom, some dusty days.
• June to August: monsoon, then heat and humidity.
• September to November: clear, cool, autumn colour, some early typhoons.
• December to February: very cold, sunny, cheapest hotels.

Holidays to plan around

Seollal (Lunar New Year, January or February) and Chuseok (the harvest festival, September or October) are three-day national holidays. Seoul empties as families travel home, trains sell out, and many small restaurants and market stalls close, while palaces and big shops mostly stay open. Buddha's Birthday in spring brings the Lotus Lantern Festival and its night parade of paper lanterns along Jongno.