Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, Everything You Need to Know

Updated for 2024. Apparently, this year’s cool weather has resulted in a late bloom. While the festival may be over, it’s expected that the cherry blossoms won’t bloom fully until as late as the first week of April.

If you’ve seen pictures of a train driving through a shower of cherry blossoms, chances are you’ve seen a photo of Jinhae’s cherry blossom festival. It’s a mecca for tourists and locals alike, attracting tens of thousands of visitors (if not more) each year. And while it may be an overhyped event, it is ABSOLUTELY worth the trip.

So here’s our complete guide to the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival.

What is the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival?

The official name is the Jinhae Gunhangje, but it’s more commonly known as the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival. Held every year, the festival a little over a week near the end of March and the beginning of April. Back before Seoul city started their own municipal push to plant cherry blossoms on every major street, Jinhae was a prime example of just how beautiful a city looks when covered in cherry blossoms.

Thanks to its distance from Seoul, we haven’t visited as often as we’d like, but we did detail our trip in a previous blog post.

During the festival, the city hosts events, performances, and designates festival areas where shopkeepers set up tents and booths. While there are plenty of places to go in Jinhae, we’d like to spotlight the main three that every visitor should check out.

Jungwon Rotary

The rotary is essentially the city center where the main festival grounds are hosted. The rotary is where the opening ceremonies are held as well as multiple performances and events. As the main festival grounds, there are tents set up with food and trinkets as well as activities (depending on the year).

Yeojwa Stream

This stream cuts through the city and is flanked on both sides by shops, restaurants, and cafes. There aren’t as many old-school traditional food tents here, but there are more modern cafes serving cute drinks and snacks. The real highlight is Yeojwa Stream itself which is absolutely gorgeous.

Gyeonghwa Station

This is the prime location for photos at this festival and everyone knows it. And if you visit, you’ll know it too. While Gyeonghwa Station used to be the main train station for the region, it’s since been put out of commission and the train parked there is on permanent display.

If you’re hoping to get one of the picturesque shots of the train “driving” through a shower of cherry blossom petals, you’ll have to arrive early in the morning to do so. This is a prime photo location in the area, so it tends to get overwhelmed with couples, families and photographers looking to get the perfect shot. If you’re looking to do the same, it will definitely require both time and patience.

When is the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival?

In 2024, the festival will be taking place from March 23 to April 1.

Where is the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival?

The Jinhae district is located in southern region of Korea, not too far from Busan. Below, we’ve outlined addresses and map links to Jungwon Rotary, Yeojwa Stream, and Gyeonghwa Station.

• Jungwon Rotary (Google Maps, Naver Map)
  • 경남 창원시 진해구 통신동
  • Gyeongnam Changwon-si Jinhae-gu Tongsin-dong
• Yeojwa Stream (Google Maps, Naver Map)
  • 경남 창원시 진해구 여좌동 217
  • Gyeongnam Changwon-si Jinhae-gu Yeojwadong 217
• Gyeonghwa Station (Google Maps, Naver Map)
  • 경남 창원시 진해구 경화동
  • Gyeongnam Changwon-si Jinhae-gu Gyeonghwa-dong

How do I get to the festival?

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From Seoul

There are two ways to get to Jinhae from Seoul: bus and train. The train option is faster, but tends to cost a bit more. The KTX from Seoul takes just over 3 hours to Changwonjungang Station. From there, it’s another 40 minute bus ride to the Jinhae distrct.

TIP: There are two train stations for Changwon City. Neither is particularly far from Jinhae, but getting to Jinhae from Changwon Station requires 2 buses while Changwonjungang Station only requires 1. The time to get there is about the same either way.

You can book your tickets online through the KTX app or on Trip.com (link). We highly recommend booking tickets a few days in advance since tickets routinely sell out.

The bus option takes just under 4 hours from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Masan Express Bus Terminal. From there, it’s another 40 minute bus ride to the Jinhae district. While buses can be more comfortable than the standard seating for KTX, traffic delays on buses are far more common than those for trains. But, if the train tickets are all booked, a bus may be your only option.

From Busan

A direct bus from Busan Bus Terminal to the Jinhae Bus Terminal is the quickest and easiest option. This ride takes just over an hour with another 10 minute ride to get to the festival area itself.

Tips

• The dates for cherry blossom festival are subject to change even after they’ve been announced. Definitely keep an eye out for date changes.
• Cherry blossom season typically lasts until the first major rainfall in spring. Spring storms have been known to wash the petals from trees during festival periods so keep an eye on the weather. If it looks like it’ll rain on or just before the date of the full-bloom, you may want to visit earlier.
• Yeojwa Stream is beautiful during the day and magical at night. If you’re able to stay late, make sure to walk the stream at night to see the stream and trees illuminated in various colors.

• There are a few entry points that allow visitors down to Yeojwa Stream. The entrances are few and far between, but the pictures taken there are sure to look amazing.