Korean Cherry Blossom Forecast 2023

Cherry blossoms in Korea come out from mid March until early April. They start in the south on Jeju Island and slowly work their way up towards Seoul by early April. Therefore, you can travel through the country and see several cherry blossom spots on your way.

The 2023 South Korea cherry blossom forecast is now available and the dates for the start of the cherry blossoms in Korea are provided below. Please note, this is an early version of the 2023 forecast and the official government cherry blossom forecast will be released in early March. I will update these dates as soon as it’s available.

Source: Weatheri website

The 2023 Korean cherry blossom forecast shows the start date of the cherry blossoms coming out. The peak Korean cherry blossom dates, the times when most cherry blossoms are fully out, is usually 4 to 7 days after the start date. If you want the best views, visit up to a week after the start date.

Please note: these dates can change due to unforeseen weather conditions. Visiting a few days after the start of the forecasted start dates should give you the best views in case the blossoms are slightly late or early.

Below you can find the Korean cherry blossom dates for various cities and the yearly average blossom dates. Yet again, the Korean cherry blossom forecast shows an early blossoming date than normal. This is likely due to a warmer than usual winter in Korea.

Recommended Cherry Blossom Tours

This article introduces the best cherry blossom spots across Korea, starting with Seoul and working down across the country, including the best festivals. If you’re interested in booking a cherry blossom tour, here are some of the best tours available this spring 2023.

• Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival Day Tour from Seoul
• Available Cherry Blossom Tour from Seoul & Busan
• Ganghwa Island Cherry Blossom & Luge Ride from Seoul
• Garden of Morning Calm & Eden Cherry Blossom Tour from Seoul
• Yangpyeong Galsan Park Cherry blossom Tour from Seoul
• Daegu E-WORLD Land & Spring Cherry Blossom from Seoul
• Jinhae Cherry Blossom Tour from Busan
• Cherry Blossom Hunting Tour from Busan
• Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Tour from Busan
• Jeju Canola Flower & Cherry Blossom from Jeju City

If you’re visiting Korea in mid-March, which is a bit early for cherry blossoms, you can still see the beautiful plum blossoms, which are known in Korea as maehwa. Here’s a tour that will take you to one of the best maehwa destinations in Korea:

• Gwangyang Maehwa & Jeonju Hanok Village Tour from Seoul

Not sure where to go and whether you need a cherry blossom tour in Korea or not? Keep reading to find out about everything to do with cherry blossoms in Korea this spring.

Cherry Blossom Festivals In Korea

The best way to see cherry blossoms in Korea is by attending a cherry blossom festival. These festivals go all out and have a lot of other attractions besides the colourful blossoms. You can find food trucks, cultural performances, games, and even live music at these festivals. Read on to find out the best cherry blossom festivals in Korea.

Jinhae Gunhangje Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

More than 2 million people visit the Jinhae Gunhangje Cherry Blossom Festival each year, making it the biggest cherry blossom festival in Korea. People flock to Jinhae to see the blossoms create a magnificent painting of colours, with lines of trees painting pinky-white stripes across the city.

Visitors to the Jinhae Gunhangje Cherry Blossom Festival can also see cultural performances, walk along romantic riverside walkways, try delicious street foods, and take pictures with the colourful street murals.

When: March 24 – April 6 2023

Address in Korean: 경상남도 창원시 창원시 진해구 여명로

How to get there: To get to the Jinhae Gunhangje Cherry Blossom Festival, take a bus from Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal directly to Jinhae. The festival is held throughout the city. The trip takes four hours and costs around W27,000.

Tour options: Tours to Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival are available from Seoul and Busan.

Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

The Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival is a free festival at the butterfly-like lake that sits below Lotte World Tower. The wings of the lake are lined with hundreds of cherry trees that explode with colour at the start of April.

Visit on a sunny day to get views of the angelic blossoms reflected on the lake’s surface and falling from the heavens above. It gets very crowded during cherry blossom season, but fortunately there are many places to take pretty cherry blossom selfies.

When: April 1 – April 10 2023

Address in Korean: 서울특별시 송파구 잠실6동

How to get there: To get to the Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival, take the subway to Jamsil Subway Station (Lines 2 & 8) and go out exit 2 or 3. The lake is visible in front of you.

Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival 2023

Yeouido Island is a popular destination in Seoul where locals flock to enjoy being outdoors on the weekends, drinking a Cass and eating ramyeon while sitting along the Han River’s grassy banks. During April, thousands of people swarm the scenic streets of Yeouiseo-ro Road to experience the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival.

In this colourful festival you’ll not only find cherry blossoms, but also azaleas, forsythia, royal azaleas, and other spring flowers all in full bloom. Stay for the night-time light show, where flowers are lit up as a backdrop to street performances and art exhibitions.

When: April 1 – April 15 2023

Address in Korean: 서울특별시 영등포구 여의서로

How to get there: To get to the Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival, take the subway to either National Assembly Subway Station (Line 9) or Yeouinaru Subway Station (Line 5) and follow the signs to the festival.

Tour options: There is a cherry blossom tour from Klook that will take you to 3 of the hottest cherry blossom spots in Seoul, including this location. The locations change depending on which site has the best blossoms in bloom.

Gyeongpodae Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

Head to Gyeongpodae Lake in the beautiful coastal city of Gangneung to combine cherry blossoms with beaches. Gaze at the cherry blossoms floating on trees above you and blowing down to the lake’s waters when a sea breeze blows through the trees.

With over 4km of trees to walk through, this is certainly a lovely way to spend a warm spring day. Check out the pavilion for romantic views that are best shared with a loved on. There are lots of fun games and activities to enjoy, as well as unique festival foods, such as flower pancakes.

When: April 1 – April 10 2023

Address in Korean: 강원도 강릉시 초당동 459-2

How to get there: Take a train or bus from Seoul to Gangneung City. From Gangneung Intercity/Express Bus Terminal, take Bus 202 and get off at Gyeongpodae Lake.

Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

At the Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival you can find streets full of cherry blossom goods, arts and craft stalls, and festival food stalls, all overlooked by the cloudy cherry blossoms. This is the most popular cherry blossom festival on Jeju Island and a perfect place for blossom viewing.

Jeju is home to a special type of cherry blossom, the King cherry blossom. These trees are said to be the original Korean cherry trees and the best of all the cherry blossoms in Korea. The blossoms are larger than other types of cherry trees in Korea. Like a pink sponge, more a full flower than a simple blossom. They come out later from mid-April.

When: March 23 – April 1 2023

Address in Korean: 삼도일동 721-14번지 제주시 제주특별자치도 KR

How to get there: Take bus 122 from Jeju Airport to Jeju Bus Terminal. Walk north along the river for 10 minutes or take a taxi there in less than 10 minutes. You can also see the cherry blossoms at Jangjeon-ri in Aewol and outside Jeju National University.

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival is your chance to view cherry blossoms growing around ancient Korean architecture in the historic city of Gyeongju. You’ll find the most incredible views of traditional Korea.

At this festival you’ll have the chance to enjoy various activities, such as face painting, traditional games, live music, a cherry blossom shower, and tours around the city. The Bomun Lake Tourist Area offers the chance to see cherry blossom reflections while riding rollercoasters, sitting by the lake, or enjoying coffee from a lakeside cafe.

When: March 27 – April 8 2023

Address in Korean: 경상북도 경주시 보문로 446 (Bomun Lake)

How to get there: Take an intercity bus from Busan Sasang Bus Terminal to the Gyeongju Bus Terminal. From there, follow the main road towards the historic central area or take a taxi to Bomun Lake Tourist Area.

Tour Options: book a private taxi tours of Gyeongju to see cherry blossoms and other sights. As Gyeongju’s main sights are quite spread out, this can be a time-saving and hassle-free option.

Hwagae Market Cherry Blossom Festival 2023

Located near Jirisan National Park in southern Korea is one of the most magical cherry blossom festivals in Korea – the Hwagae Market Cherry Blossom Festival. What makes this so spectacular is the landscape, set in the Korean countryside for a very different view of cherry blossoms surrounded by nature.

The main draw to the area is the ‘marriage road‘, which is rumoured to guarantee a long and happy life together if couples walk down it holding hands. When the sun hits the towering cherry blossoms from above, they cast a romantic pink glow on the road below.

When: March 22 – March 29 2023

Address in Korean: 경상남도 하동군 화개면 쌍계로 15

How to get there: Take the intercity bus from Nambu Bus Terminal (Seoul) to Hwagae City. Get off at Hwagaejangteo Market and walk to the temple from Hwagae following the river.

Where To See Cherry Blossoms In Seoul

Seoul is the most popular tourist destination in Korea and this bustling capital city has so many great sights to offer. There are countless places to see cherry blossoms in Seoul – in parks, along rivers, and amongst historic buildings.

The following locations offer the chance to not only take pictures with the cherry blossoms, but also to see pretty natural, historic and traditional Korean sights. When visiting Seoul for cherry blossoms, you get to enjoy the sights with extra colour.

Here are my recommendations for the best places to see cherry blossoms in Seoul.