Seoul in Autumn — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Seoul in Autumn offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for mountain hikers, palace heritage & photographers. Expect temperatures of 11–19°C, around 5–7 days of rain, and high crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around ₩90,000–150,000 for mid-range travellers. Book accommodation two to three months ahead — the most popular rooms sell out fast during peak visiting windows.
Contents13 sections
#At a Glance
Autumn is the season when the mountains inside Seoul come into their own. The city is ringed and cut through by granite peaks, from Bukhansan in the north to Gwanaksan in the south, with Namsan standing in the middle, and in autumn the humid haze of summer lifts and they are all visible at once. The air is at its driest and clearest, wet days fall to between five and seven a month, and the temperature drops from the mid-20s in September to the low teens by November. The leaves turn from the tops of the mountains downwards, reaching the palace gardens and the city's ginkgo-lined avenues from late October. Two things shape the calendar. Chuseok, the harvest holiday, empties the city for three days each autumn: in 2027 it falls on 14–16 September. And the foliage window is short, a few weeks from late October into early November, and everyone in the country is aiming for it.
#Weather in Seoul in Autumn
Seoul in Autumn averages 11–19°C (52–66°F) with around 5–7 days of rain, and crowds are high.
September runs 18–26°C with seven wet days and 141 mm of rain, most of it early in the month as summer's pattern winds down. October is the month many Seoulites would pick if they could keep only one: 11–20°C, five wet days and just 52 mm. November cools to 4–12°C with six wet days, and by the end of the month it feels like the start of winter, with the first frosts at night.
Autumn is the clearest season, with low humidity and good visibility. Typhoons can still reach the peninsula in September, but a direct hit on Seoul is rare, and the effect is usually a day or two of heavy rain and wind.
The practical point is the fall in temperature through the day. An October afternoon in the sun can be warm, and the same evening on a mountain or by the river needs a jacket. Sunset comes quickly: by November, it is dark soon after half past five.
#What to Do in Seoul in Autumn
Solo Travellers
Climb Inwangsan in the late afternoon. The trail starts near Gyeongbokgung and climbs past shamanist shrines and a stretch of the city wall to a rocky summit with the palace directly below and the whole of the centre laid out behind it. It takes about an hour up and is best at sunset.
For a longer day, Bukhansan's Baegundae summit, at 836 m, is the highest point in Seoul. The final section is steep granite with cables, so go in dry weather and start early, because autumn weekends bring crowds on the popular routes.
Couples
Deoksugung Doldam-gil, the road along the palace's stone wall, is lined with ginkgo trees that turn gold in late October and early November. Walk it and then go into the palace itself, which stays open into the evening.
The Secret Garden at Changdeokgung, Huwon, can only be visited on a guided tour. In autumn the tours sell out, so book the English one online ahead of time.
Families
Seoul Forest and the Children's Grand Park are at their best in autumn, with mild days and colour in the trees. The Han riverbanks are good for a family bike ride, with shaded rest points and convenience stores along the way.
Namsan is an easy family walk. Walk up through the park rather than taking the cable car, which has long queues on autumn weekends, and ride down instead.
Groups
Organise a hike and follow it with the Korean way to finish one: a plate of pajeon, the savoury pancake, and a bottle of makgeolli, rice wine, in one of the restaurants that crowd the foot of every mountain trail.
The Seoul Fireworks Festival over the Han at Yeouido, usually held in early October, draws enormous crowds. The best spots on the riverbank are claimed from the morning, and some groups watch from the opposite bank or from the Noryangjin side.
#Getting Around
The subway reaches the foot of most of the mountains around Seoul, which is what makes autumn hiking here so easy. Bukhansan's main trailheads are reached by subway and a short bus ride, Inwangsan starts from Gyeongbokgung station, and Achasan from the station of the same name.
The bus from the station to a trailhead needs no second fare: tap the same T-money card within 30 minutes of leaving the train and it counts as one journey from a ₩1,550 start.
Seoul's public bike scheme, Ttareungi, is best in autumn. The bikes are rented through an app, and the cycle paths running along both banks of the Han go for tens of kilometres with no traffic.
Over Chuseok, trains and express buses out of Seoul sell out weeks ahead and roads out of the city are jammed for the first day. Inside the city it is the reverse: the subway is quiet and the centre almost empty.
#Budget & Costs
Autumn is high season, and the late October foliage weekends and the Chuseok holiday push hotel rates up. Book early for either.
Seoul has no nightly tourist tax. Check whether a hotel price includes tax and service before comparing it with another.
What a day costs this season:
- Mid-range hotel ₩150,000–250,000 a night; hostel dorm ₩25,000–45,000
- Pajeon and makgeolli after a hike ₩20,000–30,000 for two
- Palace entry ₩3,000; the Royal Palace Pass covers four palaces and Jongmyo
- Subway ₩1,550; taxi flagfall ₩4,800
Spend on the room and save on the food, and ₩90,000–150,000 a day covers most things outside the hotel.
#Food & Dining
Autumn is harvest season, and the food follows. New-crop rice, chestnuts and persimmons fill the markets. Jeon, pan-fried savoury slices, and songpyeon, the half-moon rice cakes filled with sesame or beans, are the Chuseok foods, and the bakeries sell them in the weeks before the holiday.
Gwangjang and Mangwon markets are at their best in the cooler weather. For a first taste of a traditional Korean meal, hanjeongsik brings a long table of small dishes all at once.
Over the three days of Chuseok, many family-run restaurants close, and the ones that stay open are busy. Chain restaurants, convenience stores and hotel restaurants keep going.
#Nightlife
Autumn is the season for sitting outside at night, and the pavement bars in Euljiro and Jongno are at their best before the cold arrives. Seongsu and Mullae, the old ironworks district, are the newer bar areas, with craft beer and cocktail bars in former warehouses.
The Han riverside parks are busy on autumn evenings, and the night markets that run there through the warmer months usually continue into October.
#Shopping
Autumn is when new season stock reaches the stores, and Seongsu, Garosu-gil in Sinsa and Hongdae are the places to look for Korean designers. Namdaemun Market, the oldest in the city, is good for everyday goods and cheap hiking gear, which Koreans buy seriously.
Ask about the tax refund at the till, and carry your passport.
#Culture & Etiquette
On a Korean mountain, a greeting to people coming the other way is normal. Keep to the marked trails, carry out your rubbish, and expect a lot of very well-equipped older hikers moving faster than you.
At Chuseok, families visit ancestral graves and hold rites at home, and the holiday is a quiet, family occasion. The palaces often run traditional events over the holiday, and in recent years they have opened free for it. Treat any ceremony you come across with the respect you would give a service.
Shoes come off on heated floors and in homes. Receive a drink with two hands from anyone older, and turn slightly away when you drink it.
#Essential Local Phrases
English goes a long way in central Seoul; the mountains and markets are where Korean helps.
| Korean | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) | Hello | Also the greeting on a hiking trail |
| 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) | Thank you | Everywhere |
| 단풍 (danpung) | Autumn leaves | On every forecast and trail sign in October |
| 등산 (deungsan) | Hiking | What most of the city is doing at the weekend |
| 화장실 어디예요? (hwajangsil eodiyeyo?) | Where is the toilet? | Before the long climb |
| 추석 (chuseok) | Harvest holiday | The word behind closed shutters in September |
| 맛있어요 (masisseoyo) | It's delicious | Said to anyone who has cooked for you |
#Packing List
- A warm jacket for the evenings, especially in November
- Layers for a day that ranges ten degrees
- Walking shoes or light hiking boots with grip for granite
- A small daypack for hikes
- A refillable water bottle
- Sunglasses for bright autumn days
- Gloves for late November
- Your passport for tax refunds and palace bookings
#Backup Plans (Rainy Days)
Rain is rare in October, but September can bring the remains of a typhoon.
The National Museum of Korea and the War Memorial are both free and can fill a day. The National Museum of Contemporary Art beside Gyeongbokgung has changing exhibitions and a good café.
An autumn rainy day is also a good day for a jjimjilbang, a long lunch in a covered market, or the underground shopping streets beneath Gangnam and Jamsil.
#Safety & Health
Autumn is the safest season for outdoor activity in Seoul. The main risks are on the mountains: granite is slippery when wet or covered in leaves, and trail injuries are the most common reason visitors need help. Tell someone your route and start early enough to be down before dark.
On a mountain, 119 is the number for rescue as well as for an ambulance; 112 is the police. The 1330 Korea Travel Hotline is staffed in English day and night.
The first cold nights of November can catch visitors out, so carry a layer even when the afternoon is warm.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do the autumn leaves peak in Seoul?
From late October into early November in the city itself. The colour starts on the mountaintops and moves downhill, so Bukhansan turns before the palace gardens, and the ginkgo avenues go gold towards the end. The peak weekends are the busiest of the autumn, on the trails and in the hotels.
What happens in Seoul over Chuseok?
Chuseok is the harvest holiday, three days in September or early October set by the lunar calendar; in 2027 it runs 14–16 September. Millions of people leave Seoul to visit family, so trains and buses out sell out and many small restaurants close, while the centre goes quiet. The palaces stay open, and in recent years they have opened free over the holiday.
Can you go hiking from central Seoul?
Easily, and autumn is the season for it. Inwangsan starts near Gyeongbokgung and takes about an hour to the top; Bukhansan National Park, with the 836 m Baegundae summit, is reached by subway and a short bus ride. Start early at weekends, when the popular routes fill up.
How much does an autumn trip to Seoul cost?
Around ₩90,000–150,000 a day before the room. Autumn is a high season, so hotel rates rise over the foliage weekends and around Chuseok; book those dates early. Palace entry is ₩3,000, and a subway ride starts at ₩1,550.
What’s the weather like in Seoul in Autumn?
Seoul in Autumn typically sees temperatures of 11–19°C with around 5–7 days of rain across the period. Pack lightweight layers that suit both cooler mornings and warmer afternoons.