This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The end of South Korea’s long, frigid winter is announced by puffs of pink and white. Cherry blossom season is a big deal here, celebrated with local festivals and flower-themed drinks — and it’s as beautiful as it is fleeting. Southern Jeju island sees its first blossom in mid-March, while up in the mountains of the northern mainland, buds can linger on until the end of April. The blooms usually peak a week or so after first appearing, and soon after lie in pale mounds on the ground.
It’s difficult to avoid comparisons with neighbouring Japan, over the sea. There, cherry blossom-viewing — an experience known locally as hanami — is more well-established. But South Korea is the more affordable of the two countries, especially when it comes to transport and accommodation, meaning you may be able to enjoy the sights here a little longer.
So, come in the spring and do as the locals do: grab a watermelon drink, sit in a park on a dotjari (a cushioned picnic mat) and watch as the wind sends the cherry petals swirling in a rain of pastel pink.
Gakwonsa Temple, with its 15-metre-high Buddha statue, is a popular destination during cherry blossom season. Photograph by Sanga Park
Celebrate by the Hangang
Half-a-mile wide and crossing the city from north to south, Seoul’s major river, the Hangang, is the capital’s most popular cherry-viewing spot. With cherry trees lining much of its park-fringed banks, you can enjoy the spectacle somewhere quiet, somewhere lively or anywhere in between. Yeouido Park is the busiest place — an island home to the National Assembly and high-rise buildings, and a prime picnicking zone whenever the weather’s good. It has its own cherry festival, during which you’ll catch performances of Korean music and dance. The dates change every year, but it usually falls on the first or second week of April.
Pay tribute to the blossoms
Plenty of South Korea’s Buddhist temples have cherry trees on their grounds, but one of the most popular during spring is Gakwonsa Temple. It’s located at the foot of forested Mount Taejo, just east of Cheonan, a city 40 minutes from Seoul by high-speed train. Gakwonsa’s buildings are topped by the pitched roofs and overhanging eaves typical of Korean Buddhist architecture, and they’re not so much fringed with as surrounded by pink at the height of cherry blossom season. A 50ft-high, 60-ton seated Buddha welcomes worshippers, and numerous hiking trails zigzag off towards the nearby peaks.
Admire the all-Korean buds
Located south of the peninsula, Jeju island has a milder climate, meaning cherry blossoms arrive here a week or two earlier than they do on the mainland. Come to see South Korea’s very own bloom variety. Most of the country’s cherry trees derive from yoshino imports, planted in the 20th century during the 35-year Japanese occupation. This isolated island, meanwhile, has rare, native ‘king’ trees. They’re celebrated with a festival, and a popular place to see them is Jeonnong-ro, a street in the island’s capital, Jeju City. The trees that line it are festooned with lanterns during blossom season, so consider visiting after sundown.
Published in the South Korea guide, available with the November 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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