At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season Quiet overall. Over Seollal residents leave the city while visitors arrive for Chinese New Year, so residential streets empty while Myeongdong and the palaces stay busy.
Seoul in February — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Seoul in February offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for seollal festivals, food lovers & heritage. Expect temperatures of -3–5°C, around 3 days of rain, and low crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around ₩75,000–125,000 for mid-range travellers. Rooms are easy to find last-minute and hotel prices stay noticeably softer through the season.
Contents12 sections
#Weather in Seoul in February
Seoul in February averages -3–5°C (27–41°F) with around 3 days of rain, and crowds are low.
| Measure | February |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | 5°C / 41°F |
| Overnight low | -3°C / 27°F |
| Rain and snow | 3 wet days and about 28 mm |
| Daylight | About 10 hours 20 minutes on the 1st, rising to nearly 11 hours 20 minutes by the end |
February is still winter in Seoul, but a winter that is loosening its grip. Nights still average below freezing and the first half of the month can bring sharp cold. By the last week, a sunny afternoon can reach 10°C, and the light is noticeably longer: sunset moves from just before six at the start of the month to nearly half past six at the end.
It stays dry, at three wet days, and snow is still possible. What begins to change is the air. Late February is when fine dust readings start to climb towards their spring peak, and a hazy day becomes more likely than in January.
#What to Do in Seoul in February
Seollal in the city
The palaces and museums put on traditional games and performances over the holiday, and palace entry has been waived for Seollal in recent years. The National Folk Museum, inside Gyeongbokgung, and Namsangol Hanok Village usually run the fullest programmes: yutnori, the stick-throwing board game, kite-making, and jegichagi, a shuttlecock kicked with the side of the foot.
Families visit ancestral graves and hold rites at home on the day itself, so many small restaurants shut. Plan meals around chains and hotels on the main days.
The first full moon
Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, falls on 21 February in 2027. The tradition is to crack hard nuts, bureom, first thing in the morning to protect your teeth for the year, and to eat ogokbap, rice cooked with five grains. The folk villages and museums usually mark it with moon-viewing and traditional games in the evening.
Graduation season
February is the end of the Korean school and university year, and graduation ceremonies take place through the month. Flower sellers set up outside university gates, and the campuses of Yonsei and Ewha in Sinchon are busy with families in their best clothes.
A day at Suwon's fortress
Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is about an hour from central Seoul by subway. Its 5.7 km of walls run over a hill with views across the city, and the clear winter air makes the walk worth doing before the spring crowds and dust arrive.
#Getting Around
Seollal shapes the month's transport. In 2027 the holiday runs from 6 to 9 February, and in the days before it, trains, express buses and roads out of Seoul are packed as people head home to family. Tickets for long-distance trains over the holiday sell out as soon as they are released.
Inside the city it is the other way round. The subway runs as normal, the roads empty, and central Seoul is quieter over those days than at any other time of year.
#Budget & Costs
Outside the Seollal days, February is a cheap month for rooms in Seoul. The holiday is also Chinese New Year, so while residents leave the city, visitors from China and elsewhere in Asia arrive, and Myeongdong and the shopping districts can be busier than the empty streets elsewhere suggest.
Spending ₩75,000–125,000 a day beyond the room leaves space for one hotel strawberry buffet, the splurge of the month, while the fortress walk in Suwon costs little beyond the subway fare.
#Food & Dining
Seollal food is jeon, pan-fried slices of fish, vegetables and meat in egg batter, and tteokguk on the morning of the day. Department stores and supermarkets fill with gift sets in the weeks before, from fruit and beef to canned ham.
The strawberry season is at its height, and the hotel strawberry buffets are fully booked on weekends. Oysters, gul, are also at their best, often served raw with a spicy dipping sauce or cooked into rice.
#Nightlife
February's nightlife is subdued over Seollal and back to normal either side of it. Bars in Hongdae fill up again at the end of the month, when students return ahead of the new semester in early March.
On 14 February in Korea, women traditionally give chocolate to men, who return the favour a month later on White Day. Restaurants take bookings for couples on both evenings.
#Shopping
Seollal gift sets are the month's shopping ritual, and a walk through a department store food hall before the holiday is worth doing just to see them.
Winter clothing is discounted from mid-February, as stores make room for spring stock. Insadong's paper and craft shops sell the traditional envelopes used for gifts of money at the new year.
#Culture & Etiquette
At Seollal, younger family members perform sebae, a deep bow to their elders, and receive money in envelopes. As a visitor you will not be part of this, but a new year greeting in the days around the holiday is appreciated.
Many small, family-run businesses close for the main days of the holiday; this is a family occasion, not a commercial one. Chains, convenience stores, hotels and most sights stay open.
#Essential Local Phrases
| Korean | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 설날 (seollal) | Lunar New Year | On every closure notice in early February |
| 복 많이 받으세요 (bok mani badeuseyo) | Receive many blessings | The short form of the new year greeting |
| 휴무 (hyumu) | Closed | The sign on a shop's door over the holiday |
| 부럼 (bureom) | Nuts cracked at the full moon | Sold in markets before Daeboreum |
| 딸기 (ttalgi) | Strawberry | Every café menu in February |
| 졸업 축하해요 (joreop chukahaeyo) | Congratulations on graduating | If you find yourself at a ceremony |
#Packing List
- A warm, insulated coat
- Layers for a month that ends milder than it starts
- A hat and gloves
- Waterproof boots with grip
- Moisturiser and lip balm for the dry air
- A few KF94 masks for late-month fine-dust days
- Comfortable shoes for the fortress walls in Suwon
- Socks without holes for heated floors
#Safety & Health
Cold and ice remain the practical hazards for the first half of the month. By the end, the air quality is the thing to watch, especially for anyone with asthma.
Over Seollal, many clinics and pharmacies close. Hospital emergency departments stay open, and some pharmacies stay open on a rota; the 1330 travel hotline can help find one.
#Backup Plans
If the air is poor or the weather turns, the National Museum of Korea can take a whole day, and the War Memorial next to it explains the war that divided the peninsula. A jjimjilbang is the warmest way to wait out a cold, grey afternoon.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is Seollal in 2027?
The Lunar New Year holiday runs from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February 2027, with Seollal itself on Sunday 7 February and a substitute holiday on the 9th, as published in the government’s 2027 calendar. Transport out of Seoul sells out; the city centre goes quiet.
Is Seoul open over Seollal?
Mostly. The subway runs normally, convenience stores, chains and hotels stay open, and the palaces hold holiday events. Many small, family-run restaurants and shops close for the main days, so plan meals around places that stay open.
What is Jeongwol Daeboreum?
The first full moon of the lunar year, on 21 February in 2027. Koreans crack hard nuts in the morning to protect their teeth for the year, eat rice cooked with five grains, and in the evening watch the moon rise. The folk villages and museums usually hold events.
How much does a February trip to Seoul cost?
Seollal decides it. Rooms are generally cheap in February, but the holiday week also brings visitors for Chinese New Year, and train tickets out of Seoul over the holiday sell fast. Day to day, ₩75,000–125,000 covers food, transport and sights; the splurge is a hotel strawberry buffet, and the cheapest good day is the fortress walk in Suwon.
What’s the weather like in Seoul in February?
Seoul in February typically sees temperatures of -3–5°C with around 3 days of rain across the period. Pack warm layers, a waterproof coat, and sturdy shoes — days stay chilly.