Don’t let all the pretty photos on Instagram and videos on TikTok fool you, cherry blossom season in Korea is REALLY tricky. There are cherry blossoms everywhere, but finding the right place at the right time is difficult if not impossible depending on the season.
That’s why we’ve put together 5 tips to make sure you make the most out of your trip to Korea.
Go BEFORE the Rains
This is rule number 1 if you’ll be traveling to Seoul or Korea during cherry blossom season. Spring rains in Korea are known for absolutely demolishing cherry blossom trees and completely clearing entire groves of petals in one go.
Unfortunately, the spring season in Korea is full of rainy days. And the only sure-fire way to see the cherry blossom before it rains is to go as soon as you can. Thankfully, there are cherry blossom trees all over Seoul which means it’s easy to know when the trees are in full bloom. Just make sure to visit any hotspots as soon as you start seeing trees in full bloom and you should be okay.
Be Ready for the Weekend Crowds (and Avoid Them for Better Pictures)
Cherry blossom festivals are a lot of fun. There’re performances, street food, and loads to see and do all across South Korea. If you’re in Seoul, the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival is the main festival to head to while the Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival is less of a festival and more of a photo-taking opportunity.
That being said, festivals in Korea are overly crowded and make it difficult (if not impossible) to take good photos. So if you’re looking to get the best photos, we recommend either (a) waking up early and getting to your target location around 9 AM or (b) avoiding crowds altogether and going on weekdays.
Cherry Blossom Season Changes Every Year
Chalk it up to global warming or just the minute differences in winter thaw every year. But while cherry blossom season is usually at the end of March every year, it isn’t predictable. Hoping to plan a trip to Seoul or South Korea during cherry blossom is luck-of-the-draw. Most people can’t take a month off to travel, but that’s essentially what you’ll need to catch the cherry trees in blossom. Korea releases their predictions for cherry blossom blooms every year, but make sure to keep an eye out for updates.
This year, the cherry trees are expected to bloom in full in early-April which brings us to our next tip…
Cherry Blossom Predictions Can Be Wrong
This doesn’t happen often, but occasionally the prediction of when cherry blossoms will be in full bloom can be wrong. It’s especially problematic when the predictions are early (like in 2024) because visitors end up seeing cherry blossom buds instead of petals and cherry blossom festivals end up cherry blossomless.
For this reason and many others, a lot of people wake up early during the week and take walks through Yeouido and Seokchon. And, when the trees are actually in full bloom, you’ll see hundreds of Instagram posts talking about how today is the day to see the cherry blossoms in full-bloom.
But this can be especially problematic for travelers. There isn’t much you can do aside from keep any eye out for posts online and hope that the full-bloom happens to overlap with your travel dates.
Use the Photo Spots at Cafes
In order to make things easier for everyone, cafes with scenic views generally have designated “photo seats”. These are tables and chairs set near photogenic spots that patrons can take turns taking photos at. There’s usually a sign asking patrons not to sit there for longer than 5 minutes just in case, but the rotating line of people is an obvious tell.
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