Ditch the winter coats, grab your sunglasses and lace up your hiking boots for a holiday in spring in South Korea. With cherry blossom trees blooming across the country, verdant tea plantations ready for harvest and strawberry season well underway, spring is one of the most beautiful times to explore the country. Whether you want to walk on water at the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival or learn about the historical treasures at Gyeongju National Park, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this flower-filled season…
- Experience cherry blossom festivals
- Explore the tea plantations
- Savour the seasonal food
- Stroll through the national parks
- Attend the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival
Experience cherry blossom festivals
Spring in South Korea is peak cherry blossom season, so we’ve cherry-picked the best flower festivals. Get in early and head to Jeju Island (South Korea’s largest island) in late March or early April to catch the first cherry trees in bloom for the Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival. As April rolls in, visit the UNESCO-listed Gyeongju Historic Area – often called the ‘museum without walls’ – to admire the blush-pink trees dotted throughout the city. Set in the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty, the festival often lines up with the annual Gyeongju Marathon. Grab a beer from a nearby stand and soak up the lively atmosphere under a canopy of pink.
Explore the tea plantations
Spring in South Korea is also the tea harvesting season. Enjoy a caffeine hit with a cup of freshly picked green tea then hike up to the Daehan Dawong tea field’s viewing platform in Boseong to see vivid green tea bushes. Re-established in 1957 after the Korean War, Boseong’s fields now produce 40% of South Korea’s green tea. It’s a popular spot, so for a quieter experience, arrive early to beat the crowds. For a taste of tradition, head to the centuries-old Hadong tea plantations, where the leaves are handpicked and sip your way through a tasting session of freshly harvested green, black and oolong tea. Don’t miss a pit stop at Dosim Dawon in Hadong, home to a thousand-year-old tree (one of the oldest trees in South Korea).
Savour the seasonal food
After all that sightseeing, you’ll have likely worked up quite an appetite – luckily, spring in South Korea offers plenty of delicious dishes. Fresh vegetables sprout in spring, and what better way to enjoy them than in a piping-hot bowl of bibimbap, filled with cucumber, bean sprouts and carrots and topped with a spicy gochujang sauce. It’s the perfect on-the-go meal to grab at a pojanmancha (a small street food stall) as you roam through the roads of Seoul. Fruit lovers fear not; spring also marks the beginning of strawberry season in South Korea. Visit the strawberry farms in Ilsan, Yangpyeong or Namyangju, just outside of Seoul, for a day of strawberry picking, or stay in the capital and savour the tangy taste of fresh strawberries from one of the city’s local markets.
Image by Olivier Romano
Stroll through the national parks
What better time to explore South Korea’s national parks (there are 22 in total) than in spring? If you’re an avid hiker, stretch your legs on a climb up the peaks in Jirisan – this is the country’s oldest national park and is home to the tallest mainland mountain. If you’re a history enthusiast, head to Gyeongju National Park – South Korea’s only historical national park – to discover the ancient relics of the Shilla Dynasty. For panoramic views, hop on the cable car to Namsan Mountain and give your legs a well-deserved break, or if you’re a nature lover visit Bukhansan National Park to admire its thriving flora and fauna (it has a whopping 1,300 different plant and animal species). Whichever park takes your fancy in spring, you’re sure to set new daily step count records.
Image by Gregor Lengler/LAIF-REA
Attend the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival
Visit Jindo Island in spring to witness a natural phenomenon in action during the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival. Locals and visitors flock to the island, located on South Korea's southwest coast, between late April and early May to watch as the low tides reveal a narrow pathway connecting Jindo and Modo Island. During the festival, walk across the exposed sea road and join the locals as they forage for clams, seashells and seaweed. The event has been compared to the biblical story of Moses parting the Red Sea and is often dubbed the ‘Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival’. According to a Korean legend, the sea parted after a brave woman called to the gods to reunite her with her husband. To make the most of the celebrations, arrive early to avoid the crowds and keep an eye on the tide schedule.
Written by Amy Larsen
