Things to do in Seoul in Spring

I've been to Seoul in April several times, most recently in April 2023, when I spent the entire month in South Korea- in fact, till recently, it was my favorite time to be in Korea. (More on this below.) Here are the best things to do in Seoul in Spring, beyond cherry blossoms!

In Spring, Korea is brought to life by the vibrant spring blooms. Even people who aren't flower fanatics will find that 7 days in Seoul isn't enough! (Cherry Blossoms are the biggest crowd drawers. However, the other flowers, such as Canola flowers and plum blossoms, are equally gorgeous!)

From spring weather, and what festivals and events you can look forward to, this post has you covered- based on my (approx) 10 trips to Seoul.

The blooming of cherry blossoms is THE huge spring event in South Korea and Japan. Both locals and tourists flock to sights to enjoy the beautiful sight. Due to global warming, the flowers are blooming earlier and earlier every year, usually starting in late March.

Whether you can see them or not will come down to luck! (For more about cherry blossoms in Korea, click here.)

Some rooms in Signiel Seoul have great views of the cherry blossoms around Seokchon Lake. I've not stayed there, but you can click here for my review of Signiel Busan, at which I stayed for a week.

Dates : May 18 - 25, 2024/ 16-18 May 2025

Address: 375, Jungnangcheon-ro, Jungnang-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 중랑구 중랑천로 332

Getting There: Subway Lines 6/7, Taereung Station, Exit 8, 405m

At this festival, you can enjoy a spectacular 5.45 km long tunnel filled with thousands of roses. Planted in 2005 as part of the Jungnangcheon riverside park project, this is the longest such tunnel in Korea.

There is usually also a flower market, and a wide range of rose- themed activities and performances. Best of all, there's no admission fee (though you pay for any activities and food you buy, of course.)

Besides cherry blossoms, there are many other spring flowers worth seeing in South Korea:

• Plum Blossoms: Visit Hadong Plum Blossom Street (nearest subway station: Yongdap Station, Line 2)
• Red Plum Blossom: Visit Bongeunsa Temple (nearest subway station: Bongeunsa Station, Line 9)
• Forsythia: Visit Eungbongsan (nearest station: Eungbong Station, Gyeonggi-Junggang Line)
• Yeouido Flower Festival 
• Jinhae Gunhangje Festival: another famous cherry blossom festival (but held in the city of Jinhae, not Seoul. There are a few tours from Seoul that will bring you to Jinhae.)
• Everland Tulip Festival: Amusement Parks are big in Korea. (You can get tickets to Everland here (affiliate link.)) This starts at the end of March- you'll find tulips planted all over an area of 10,000 square meter (2.47 acres)!
• Hangang Seoraeseom Island Canola Flower Festival

Royal Culture Festival  (궁중문화축전)

Dates : April 27 - May 5, 2024

Address: Held in several parts of Seoul, such as the Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu, Changgyeong, and Gyeonghui Palaces, Jungmyo, and Cheong Wai Dae.

161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

서울특별시 종로구 사직로 161

The festival is so popular, it's now held twice a year, with the second event in fall. One can enjoy Korea’s rich cultural heritage in the 5 Joseon Dynasty palaces where performances, rituals and moonlight tours are held for a week in May.

Note: some events will involve admission fees.

Admission into all palaces is free on the 1st day of the festival! (Or wear a hanbok and enter the Palaces for free, any day.)

Festival Dates: The season is between April- June, with exact dates varying by palace. Out of the season, only 2-3 days are for foreigners.

Time: Around 6-9 p.m., with the exact timing and duration varying by palace.

Imagine roaming the palace grounds in a hanbok (traditional Korean dress) at night- it feels like you're in your own Korean drama! No wonder this is one of the most popular annual festivals in Seoul in spring- it can be hard to get tickets and the site will close once they are sold out.

Note that you will need to buy tickets to enter (and that there are only a fixed number of tickets for sale every day)- there is a minimal fee of about 1000 Won but it's free if you have a hanbok.

Seoul Festa

Dates : May 1 - 6, 2024/ April 30- May 6 2025

Address: Visit Seoul Spring Festa for more details.

This is one of the city’s biggest festivals- events will be held at Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square, Noeul Park, Myeong-dong and all over Seoul in general.

Note: lantern festivals are held all over Korea- there is one in Busan and one in Jeonju too- but the one in Seoul is the biggest.

A fun thing to do in spring is to read at Cheonggyecheon Stream- this interesting event ran from April to November in 2024.

Dates: May 10 - 24, 2024

Address:  119 Jungnogwon-ro, Da yang-gun, Jeollanam- do 전라남도 담양군 담양읍 죽녹원로 119

My Mom and I visited Damyang almost 10 years ago. You can visit anytime of the year- however, in May, there's an annual event to celebrate this famous bamboo forest.

Frankly, I'd say it was an OK experience, but not so beautiful or enjoyable that we wanted to go back. The most memorable things about our visit were:

1. eating the local specialties such as bamboo rice
2. my Mom's feet turning orange thanks to the dye from her shoes running!

The bamboo forest is relatively accessible for seniors to walk through, as it's relatively flat.

For those visiting Korea for the 1st time, here's a 3-day Seoul itinerary as well as a broader South Korea itinerary for you. If you're on a budget, here are the best free things to do in Seoul!

Beauty Treatments

Why not get a facial in Seoul? (Click through for reviews of the various spas I've tried.)

My favorite way to relax after a long and tiring day is to get a Sulwhasoo ginseng facial. (Click through for my detailed review.)

Or how about a haircut? There are SO many hair salons in Seoul, doing your hair is not expensive AND the stylists can recreate your favorite hairstyles from Korean dramas. (Click here for my review of the famous Juno hair salon.)

Souvenir Making

For those who are artistic, why not try some traditional Korean crafts?

This Mother of Pearl Craft Making Class at Bukchon Hanok Village gives you an opportunity to relax your tired feet as well as make your own traditional Korean artwork.

Kimchi and food are key parts of Korean culture so your trip won't be complete without learning about Korean food! (This is also a good way for solo travellers to eat in Korea- some restaurants don't accept people who only order single portions. (More common outside of Seoul though.)

At the Museum Kimchikan in Insadong, kimchi visitors can learn and taste samples of different varieties of kimchi. You can even taking a Kimchi making class in Bukchon-dong! (Click through for my review of my "Professional Kimchi Class.")

Other favorite things to do in Seoul in March-May include:

• lunch at Ikseon-dong, tea at a traditional Korean tea house in Insa-dong, then dinner at Bukchon Village
• Skincare shopping in Myeongdong (yes it's super touristy, but also very convenient and who can say no to all the samples!)
• taking advantage of the weather and heading out to the national parks for a hike (another popular Korean activity)

Note: if you plan to shop, here's a FREE Dongdaemun voucher from Klook! (It's a Super Pass that gets you exclusive discounts and sometimes free gifts)

From the subtle, delicate flavors of seasonal namul (wild greens) to the refreshing tang of mul kimchi made with spring water, there are many seasonal spring foods to feast on!

Popular foods that Korean like to eat in spring include:

• snow crabs (대게)
• webfoot octopus (쭈꾸미)
• strawberries (딸기)- just keep in mind that Korean fruits are heinously expensie, especially in supermarekts. I paid over US$10 for ONE orange in Lotte Busan! (Getting fruits at Korean traditional markets will save you a lot compared to buying them from supermarkets.)
• tomatoes (토마토)
• spring vegetables such as ssuk (mugwort), gondeurae (cirsium setidens), gosari(bracken), dalle (wild chive), naengi(shepherd’s purse) etc will be used to make banchan and bibimbap!

Spring & Fall are widely thought to be the best times to visit Korea, as the weather is less extreme and there are more hours of daylight. However, spring often experiences bad bouts of air pollution so Fall is actually my favorite time to visit Korea.

The average temperatures in Seoul can vary from:

• in March: 6°C to 13°C (55 degrees F)- great for outdoor activities. If the sun is out, it can even feel even hotter. I sometimes find it hot in April even in shorts and a long sleeved shirt! If you are not a fan of hot weather, visiting Seoul in March is a safer bet.
• in May: 13 degrees C /  55 degrees F to 23 degrees C /73 degrees F. For more about Seoul in May or June, click here.

Note: Seoul weather is a bit more extreme than the coastal areas, such as Busan or Jeju. (So, during the warm months, Seoul is warmer than Busan, and during the cold months, it's colder.)

The weather in March and May is quite different.

In the beginning of May, you will usually be comfortable in jeans/ skirts, long- sleeved shirts, sweaters and a cardigan/ light jacket and hoodie for evenings.

However, by the end of May, the warmer weather may call for shorts and T-shirts. (Quick drying clothing and staying in a hotel with a Laundromat will help you travel more lightly!)

• travel documents : passport, itineraries, hotel reservations, plane tickets, travel visas, insurance
• travel adaptor
• short sleeves (because the sun can make it feel hotter than it is) AND long-sleeved shirts, sweaters/ cardigans.
  • In Korea, women wear very short skirts but not low-cut tops- if you want to be modest (advisable when visiting temples), don't show your shoulders or cleavage.
• jeans, trousers- leggings used to be a bit controversial in Korea, but are more commonly worn now
• light jacket/ wind breaker, and a thicker coat- on the same trip to Korea in April, I needed shorts in Seoul but my winter coat in Jeju!
• sunglasses
  • not commonly worn in Korea, so you may get weird looks from older folks
  • The UV index is high during daylight hours. Korean sunblock is very good so you could just bring a travel-sized sunblock and stock up there.
• walkable shoes or sandals
  • you walk so much in Korea, my shoes have broken there on TWO trips. And it's hard to find large sized shoes! (I'm EU 40.5 and haven't been able to find my size in department stores. You can try ABC Mart in Myeongdong if desperate- I managed to get a pair of sports slippers there. Service ain't great though.)
• any prescription medication you need
  • your Doctor's prescription note may not suffice- it depends on the immigration officer- so make sure you check the drug laws
• a local SIM card (The previous (affiliate) link is for a physical card that can be picked up at the airports. For an eSIM, click here (affiliate).)

• The weather can change dramatically between night and day (or from city to city), so make sure you layer up! I was too hot in Seoul but FREEZING in Jeju in spring.
• Book early as the best things can sell out fast. For example, I wanted to join this Korean market tour and Sulwahsoo facial last April but when I tried to book 2 weeks before the tour, it had already sold out!
• You get WiFi almost everywhere in Seoul but I still always get an eSIM- Korean roads are hard to navigate and you can get easily lost without Naver or Kakao Maps!
• For more travel tips for your 1st trip to Korea, especially for solo female travellers, click here.

Any questions about what to do in Seoul in spring? Let me know in the comments- feel free to share stories of your trip!