South Korea Weather: The Best Times of the Year to Visit Korea
The best times of the year to visit Korea – After living in Korea for the past two years, I’ve been able to experience all of the different seasons that Korea has to offer.
We even got an unprecedented amount of snowfall in 2020/2021. If you’re visiting South Korea, when is the best time to visit?
Let’s take a look at each of the seasons.
Spring
One of the best times of the year to visit Korea – Spring.
Similar to Japan, cherry blossoms are very popular in the springtime. Late March/early April is the ideal time to visit, but it can vary depending on which part of Korea you’re visiting. The southern part of the peninsula tends to have cherry blossoms the earliest.
If you’re visiting Seoul, Olympic Park, Namsan, Seokchon Lake, and Yeouido are popular destinations. The palaces also have cherry blossoms and if you take the Secret Garden Tour at Changdeokgung, you can get some great shots.
For those looking to get out of Seoul, Gyeongju to the east is a popular location and was once the capital of the Silla kingdom. Nami Island is also a great option as well for spring flowers.
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Summer
Summer is not my favorite season of the year in Korea. The weather can be very humid and I usually find myself staying indoors enjoying the air-conditioning. If you end up visiting during the summer, Busan is a popular location with Haeundae Beach, and Jeju is also a popular destination.
If you’re looking for someplace to cool off closer to Seoul, there’s Daecheon Beach down in Boryeong. It’s about two hours by bus or train from Seoul and has the largest beach on Korea’s west coast.
Towards the end of summer is typically the monsoon season in Korea. Umbrellas do little good, but finding a cozy cafe can make the rain go away.
Fall
In the fall, you’ll find many Koreans heading out of Seoul to places like Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm to check out the leaves changing colors. To get to these places you can book a tour with one of the popular tour companies or take a train/bus. The ride will take you about an hour from Seoul.
Hiking is another favorite fall pastime in Korea. It’s no surprise since a large portion of Korea is mountainous terrain. Seoraksan in Gangwando is one of the most popular places, but if you’re spending a short time in Seoul, hiking up to Namsan Tower is also a great view.
Winter
Gangwando hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics and has some of the coldest temperatures in South Korea. Pyeongchang has many ski resorts including its Phoenix Snow Park that had the snowboarding competition.
If you’re in Seoul, street food is another popular activity and you can get some tasty treats and food like hotteok and bungeoppang.
No matter which part of the year you visit Korea, there’s going to be something for you to do. Which is your favorite season or weather?
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