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Photo by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Best time to visit Seoul
South Korea · East Asia
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Seoul
Tap a month for its page
- JanJSeoul in January: avoid
- FebFSeoul in February: avoid
- MarMSeoul in March: good
- AprASeoul in April: sweet spot
- MayMSeoul in May: sweet spot
- JunJSeoul in June: sweet spot
- JulJSeoul in July: ok
- AugASeoul in August: ok
- SepSSeoul in September: good
- OctOSeoul in October: good
- NovNSeoul in November: ok
- DecDSeoul in December: avoid
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
- Prices thereCheap, about 57% of the US
- MoneyWon
- PlugsType C and F, 220 V
- DrivingOn the right
Book your trip to Seoul
Best in June 27°C · 6 rainy days quiet June in Seoul ›
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Flights
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Where to stay
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Luxury
Things to do
Driving is on the right here.
Car hire
Rent direct
Travel insurance
Check whether your bank card or home insurance already covers this trip.
If the trip needs a visa, the travel agent or visa centre usually sells the cover it asks for.
These are sites people in book with. Each opens in a new tab, on the site's own pages.
Things to do in Seoul
- Lotte World Tower Enjoy the view from the fifth tallest building in the world.
- Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea
- Changdeokgung Second only to Gyeongbokgung in historical importance, it was built in 1405 and was the seat of power between 1618 and 1896.
- Cheong Wa Dae Also known in English as the Blue House, it was the residence of the President of the Republic of Korea from 1948-2022.
- Lotte World Indoor amusement park in Seoul
- Cheonggye Stream This stream has been restored to a verdant tourist attraction after long being covered by a busy freeway.
- Gwanghwamun Plaza A center of Seoul.
Tours and tickets in Seoul
Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank
Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (Seoul/Jongno, Seoul/Jung, Seoul/Songpa), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.
Seoul in pictures
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SJ Yang, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Month by month
| Month | Max °C | Rain days | Humidity | Sun h/day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2° | 2d | 59% | 7.7h | avoid | bitter cold: 2C daily max |
| Feb | 5° | 3d | 61% | 8.4h | avoid | bitter cold: 5C daily max |
| Mar | 12° | 5d | 66% | 8.9h | good | 12C max, 5 rainy days |
| Apr | 18° | 6d | 64% | 9.4h | sweet spot | 18C max, 6 rainy days |
| May | 23° | 8d | 68% | 9.6h | sweet spot | 23C max, 8 rainy days |
| Jun | 27° | 6d | 71% | 9.7h | sweet spot | 27C max, 6 rainy days |
| Jul | 29° | 12d | 82% | 8.4h | ok | 29C max, 12 rainy days |
| Aug | 30° | 11d | 81% | 9.0h | ok | 30C max, 11 rainy days |
| Sep | 25° | 7d | 77% | 8.3h | good | 25C max, 7 rainy days |
| Oct | 18° | 5d | 75% | 8.0h | good | 18C max, 5 rainy days |
| Nov | 11° | 4d | 70% | 7.6h | ok | 11C max, 4 rainy days |
| Dec | 3° | 3d | 62% | 7.2h | avoid | bitter cold: 3C daily max |
Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.
Weather read at Seoul City Hall, 48 km from the airport (ICN): ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.
A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.
How busy it gets
Then and now
Seoul's January days now average 1.7°C, 2.4°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 8 of 12 months are clearly warmer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | -0.6° | 3.0° | 9.3° | 16.4° | 21.5° | 25.5° | 27.5° | 28.5° | 23.9° | 18.2° | 10.3° | 3.1° |
| 2017–26 | 1.7° | 4.8° | 11.7° | 17.8° | 22.7° | 27.2° | 29.3° | 29.5° | 25.4° | 18.5° | 11.3° | 2.8° |
| Change | +2.4° | +1.8° | +2.4° | +1.4° | +1.3° | +1.7° | +1.9° | +1.0° | +1.5° | +0.2° | +1.0° | -0.4° |
The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.
Busy and quiet times in Seoul
Seoul's climate features cold winters and hot, humid summers. Be aware that the wet season from July to August can include heavy rain, and extreme heat may occur during this time.
| Busiest |
early Apr to late Jun — Spring is a popular time due to cherry blossom festivals and mild weather.
early Sep to late Oct — Autumn features beautiful foliage and comfortable temperatures, attracting many visitors.
|
|---|---|
| Quieter, still good |
early Jan to late Feb — Winter is quieter, offering better prices despite cold temperatures.
early Nov to late Mar — Late fall to early spring sees fewer tourists, resulting in lower accommodation rates.
|
| Wet or stormy |
early Jul to late Aug — monsoon, moderate
|
| Watch out for | extreme heat; haze |
Written by a language model from the climate figures above. The month-by-month table is measured — ten years of ERA5 readings and published holiday calendars — and where the two disagree, the table is the one to believe.
What Seoul is like
Seoul (서울) is the capital of South Korea. With a population of over 9 million (with over 20 million in the wider metropolitan area), Seoul is by far South Korea's largest city and one of East Asia's financial and cultural centers. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- Seoul is a vast, vibrant cityscape, set against an airy backdrop of mountains. It includes a standout collection of attractions with a blend of old and new. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- Enjoy hiking in the mountains around the city. Up to 800m (3,000 ft) is accessible by public transport, with courses ranging from easy to difficult. More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- Seoul (SEL IATA for all airports) is served by two airports; Incheon International Airport serves most international flights, while Gimpo Airport mostly serves as Seoul's domestic airport… More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- Seoul is a remarkably safe city despite its size, comparable in safety to Hong Kong or Tokyo. Pickpocketing is not very common and violent crime is very rare. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Seoul, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.
Getting there
How far Seoul is depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from Busan
- from Osaka
- from Tokyo
- from Taipei
- from Hong Kong
- from Manila
- from Hanoi
- from Ho Chi Minh City
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Seoul, flying or not.
Like a local in Seoul
On arrival
- Paying — Visa and Mastercard are taken almost everywhere, even for a coffee, but phone wallets such as Apple Pay often fail. Carry some cash for the countryside; T-money also pays in convenience stores.
- UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
- Tipping — Not expected, including in taxis; some hotels and tourist restaurants add a 10% service charge.
Getting around Seoul
T-money card on the subway, buses and taxis; buy and top up, usually with cash, at stations and convenience stores. A Climate Card pass covers 1 to 7 days. Foreign bank cards cannot be tapped yet.
- Apps — Rides: Kakao T, k.ride, TADA, Uber. Maps: Kakao Map, Naver Map. Messages: KakaoTalk. Google Maps still gives no walking or driving directions in South Korea; use Naver Map or Kakao Map.
Traffic jams are common in Seoul, but buses usually have their own lanes so they don't get stuck in traffic. The subway is a good choice too. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Seoul, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ferries from Seoul
- 丹东 - 仁川渡轮
Crossings within 60 km, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Times are typical where the map records them.
Help
- Emergency — police 112 · ambulance and fire 119.
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.
Your embassy — : how to reach your embassy or consulate abroad. A guess from your city, : a city is not a passport.
Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 3 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.
Sources (19)
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea/getting-help
- english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=197907
- english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=140663
- tmoney.co.kr/aeb/cmnctn/news/readNewsView.dev?bdSeqNo=4292
- kride.kakaomobility.com
- english.seoul.go.kr/policy/transportation/climate-card
- uber.com/global/en/cities/seoul
- koreaherald.com/article/10878189
- koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20251017/seoul-to-allow-use-of-foreign-credit-cards-on-buses-subway-by-2030
- blog.google/intl/ko-kr/company-news/inside-google/google-maps-data-export-qa-kr
- 9to5google.com/2026/08/27/google-maps-turn-by-turn-navigation-south-korea
- seoulz.com/google-maps-korea
- developers.google.com/maps/coverage
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/South_Korea
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Seoul
- busan.go.kr/eng/bscard
- busan.go.kr/eng/public-transportation
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286608
- nipl.com/uploads/NPCI_International_Press_Release_LIQUID_GROUP_TO_POWER_UPI_QR_ACCEPTANCE_IN_10_ASIAN_MARKETS_bcb05ffeee.pdf
Before you go
Type C and F plugs at 220 V. Drives on the right. The currency is the Won. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Global Affairs Canada: Exercise normal security precautions. US State Department: Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. Entry rules for British travellers. Entry rules (Global Affairs Canada). Entry rules (US State Department). Everything for South Korea: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.
A guide, not advice: entry rules change and depend on your passport and your trip, so check the official page before you book.
Around Seoul
Also in South Korea
- Pyeongchang best Apr, May, Jun
- Sokcho best Apr, May, Jun
- Gyeongju best Mar, May, Jun
- Busan best Apr, May, Jun
- Jeju best Apr, May, Jun
Nearby
Routes through here
Kind of place
Seoul is in South Korea, East Asia. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
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