Every season in Korea has its highlights but spring is especially gorgeous. The cherry blossoms are incredible, and the weather means youโll be happy to be outside without being cold. Here are some things you have to check out in the spring!
The cherry blossoms
Spring is cherry blossom season in Korea, and many cities have festivals to show them off. To help plan the timing of your trip, look up an โexpected blooming dateโ chart. Then you can organize the rest of your trip around the peak blooming periods.
The cherry blossoms are also a good excuse to plan a day trip outside of Seoul to see another part of the country. The main tourist areas in Seoul will be packed with people trying to see the trees (and take a million pictures with them!) so going to another city can give you a more relaxed experience. For example, near Daeguโs downtown area there are many.
If youโll be in Seoul, Yeouido(์ฌ์๋) is a great place to start. You can walk around and see the flowers, and enjoy the Han river(ํ๊ฐ)ย view at the same time. Seokchon Lake Cherry Festival(์์ดํธ์ ๋ฒ๊ฝ์ถ์ ) in Jamsil(์ ์ค) or the Gyeongbokgung Palance(๊ฒฝ๋ณต๊ถ) are both famous spots as well, but even just walking around the city will give you opportunities to see some of them. The cherry blossoms have a notoriously short blooming period, so donโt miss it and have your camera ready!
Read our article about cherry blossom season in Korea.
Spring festivals and special events
There are lots of festivals going on in the springtime that you can check out as well! May 11th-13th 2019 will have the Seoul Lantern Festival in honour of Buddhaโs birthday. If you walk along Jong-ro ์ข ๋ก, a major street, you can see thousands of lanterns lining the sides. Thereโs also a parade on the Thursday of the festival that has many floats representing scenes from the life of the Buddha. Itโs all very beautiful with bright colours and pretty lights. Temples will also be decorated with their own lantern displays at this time of year, so be sure to walk around and see them all.
Beautiful lighted displays at Cheonggyecheon stream(์ฒญ๊ณ์ฒ) in downtown Seoul for the Seoul Lantern Festival and Buddhaโs birthday.
The Jeju Fire Festival(์ ์ฃผ ๋ค๋ถ์ถ์ ) is another super unique event that has lots activities and plenty to see. It will take place from March 7th to 10th this year, and includes a torch lighting ceremony with fireworks, and traditional games for tourists to take part in. Itโs also a great excuse to visit Jeju and experience the many sites the island has to offer. March in Jeju is a little warmer, and can be a nice break from Seoul if itโs still chillier when you visit.
In early spring is the Korea Grand Sale (์ฝ๋ฆฌ์๊ทธ๋๋์ธ์ผ), where many companies and stores (including the department stores) have major sales. It ends at the beginning of March however, but if youโre here during the sale, itโs a great time to do all your shopping.
All the festivals and seasons in Korea are awesome, but the cherry blossoms are amazing. If you are planning a trip to Seoul in the spring, make sure to see them!