When to Go in Seoul

Weather plays a big role when making a decision in what time of year to holiday in Seoul, particularly because Seoul has 4 distinct seasons with festivals to celebrate them with. The seasons also bring distinct changes in the food as well, either offering fresh vegetables or high-protein foods. Knowing Seoul and when to go is your best bet to find the season and the adventure you’re looking for.

Seasonal Seoul Festivals

Celebrations are a wonderful time to visit any city and Seoul is no exception. A festival that the whole family will enjoy is the Hi Seoul Festival. A parade, traditional dances, Nongak performers, Namsadangpae, and fireworks are all great experiences that guests are welcomed to participate in and enjoy. Even better, the festival is observed 4 times a year. Celebrated seasonally, visitors can partake in Hi Seoul Festival during their favorite time of year, spring, summer, fall or winter.  

Summer Activities and Temperature

Besides sunny skies, warm winds and beautiful days, the summer months in Seoul are filled with celebrations and activities. Visit Yeouido Hangang Park and catch a Hangang Fantasy Show or Monster Ballet, stroll down city streets and find Seoul Street artists, or float along in a free canoe ride during the Hangang Canoe Festival, which marks the end of the summer festival season. Overall, August is the hottest of the summer months, averaging 90 F. The entire summer tends to be humid. To help raise the temperature, hot, high-protein foods are served to help re-energize the body. This type of cuisine is called Boyangsik, and visitors find it very scrumptious.  

Winter Adventures and Weather

Winter months are drier and the average temperature hovers around 35 F. Due to frost and snow, fresh vegetables are rare. For this reason, kimch’i was introduced. Seen almost as a condiment, kimchi’i is a fermented vegetable dish. There are well over 100 flavors created due to the variety of vegetables that can be used along with salted fish and various seasonings and is a common dish often found during winter. A delicious holiday food that locals look forward to eating every year on New Year’s Day is rice cake soup called ttok kuk. The dish is thought to aid you in turning 1 year older, a tradition that has been observed for centuries.

Fall and Spring Conditions and Fun

The temperature in the spring and fall months, on average, ranges between 50 and 60 F. A number of festivals and holidays also take place, but run much longer than the summer months. One of the best is the Hi Seoul Festival which runs for 23 days in October.