Autumn is one of the most popular times to visit South Korea, and for great reason. The vibrant Fall leaves, colorful wildflowers, and pink grass make for a very beautiful sight during your visit. And the moderate temperatures make this a great time to spend hours outside walking around and exploring. Besides the beautiful foliage, there are also plenty of events taking place in Korea to add to your itinerary such as Seoul Fashion Week, Seoul Fireworks Festival, and more. Below are some of the top 20 things to do in Korea this Fall:

For more seasonal ideas, check out my blog post Top 20 Things to do in Korea this Summer.

Enjoy the Vibrant Fall Foliage. Arguably the best part about Autumn in South Korea is the beautiful Fall colors. I’ve never lived somewhere with all four seasons before, and honestly never fully understood the obsession with Fall until moving here. The leaves are so incredibly vibrant and make for an amazing time to enjoy the outdoors.

Take Pictures in the Pink Grass. The pink muhly grass is another very popular thing here in Korea and can usually be found at local farms and parks.

Go on a Fall Hike. South Korea is a very mountainous country, making this the perfect place to enjoy some Fall Foliage and cooler temperatures for hiking. There are honestly SO many beautiful hikes in every part of the country, below are some of my favorites that I’ve done or saved:

-Daedunsan, Nonsan (pictured above)

-Dobongsan, Seoul

-Bukhansan, Seoul

-Seoraksan, Sokcho

Attend the Seoul Fireworks Festival. Every Fall, Seoul puts on a huge fireworks festival over the Han River that is truly such a beautiful sight to see. This is a huge event that usually attracts over a million people, so for a good spot you’ll need to plan to spend the day camped out near the river. Or if you don’t mind splurging a bit, you can rent a hotel room for the night at one of the hotels overlooking the fireworks area. One of the prettiest views I’ve seen is from Hotel Naru’s pool deck in Mapo.

Dress like a Princess at the Seoul Palaces. The palaces in Seoul are great to visit year-round but are especially beautiful with the bright Fall colored leaves surrounding the architecture. If you want to dress in a traditional Korean hanbok, the cooler Fall temperatures make it much more comfortable as well. Trying out the traditional garments is actually highly encouraged in Korea, and you’ll receive free admission into the palaces while wearing them. You can usually find numerous shops around the palaces to rent from, where the shop employees will fully dress you and style your hair.

Spend a Weekend Glamping. The cooler temperatures and beautiful foliage make Autumn one of the best times to go camping. Camping is huge in Korea and you’ll easily be able to find plenty of camping spots for your tent, or glamping resorts. If you plan on going to a popular glamping resort make sure you book well in advance though.

Walk Around Suwon Fortress. Suwon Fortress is one of my favorite areas to explore outside of Seoul. It’s got beautiful Korean architecture and is filled with cute cafes, local shops, a hot air balloon, and more. A crisp Fall day is the perfect time to grab a coffee and walk around the fortress wall without breaking a sweat.

Take a Weekend Trip to Busan. Busan is Korea’s most popular coastal city, located on the Southeast coast of the peninsula. This is one of my favorite spots in Korea with so many things to do. Early Fall is the perfect time to visit, as the water is still warm enough to enjoy the beaches. I’d recommend staying in Haeundae Beach or Gwangali Beach as these are the most popular areas where you’ll find plenty of restaurants, cafes, and attractions right near the beach.

Grab Coffee at a Scenic Rooftop Cafe. I LOVE a good rooftop cafe (or bar haha), but the extreme temperatures in Korea can make it pretty brutal to enjoy at times. Take advantage of the cooler temperatures and enjoy a coffee with a beautiful view.

Attend Fashion Week. Every Fall (& Spring) consists of Seoul Fashion Week taking place at DDP. Even if you don’t have an invitation to watch a show, there are plenty of free exhibits taking place that are open to the public and it’s a great chance to check out some creative outfits.

Take a Stroll at Seokchon Lake in Jamsil. This is one of my favorite places to see the cherry blossoms in the Springtime, but it also looks incredibly stunning with the vibrant fall colors in Autumn. I’d recommend taking a stroll around the lake before heading to Olympic Park or a nearby rooftop cafe.

See the Cosmos at Olympic Park. Olympic Park is a huge park in Seoul that offers so many beautiful sights during every season. During Fall you can expect to find the famous pink muhly grass as well as a beautiful hill covered in colorful cosmo wildflowers. The cosmos are located right next to South Gate 2 at “wildflower hill”.

Ride the Cable Car at N. Seoul Tower. Namsan Tower is a really beautiful lookout spot to visit after the leaves start to change. You can actually take the hike up to enjoy the Fall colors, or just take the cable car to the top. The top has a few cafes, a gift shop, and is also an area with love locks that people enjoy leaving. There is also an observation tower you can pay to go up, but personally I would recommend Seoul Sky over at Lotte Tower.

Visit Nami Island. If you’re looking for a very wholesome Fall day, Nami Island is the place to go. This is a great spot to see the Fall leaves, and activities on the island include things like bike riding, pedal cars, a small zipline, farm animals, etc making for a very family-friendly day.

Ride the Monorail at Hwadam Botanical Garden. Hwadam Forest is one of the most popular Fall spots on Instagram and for good reason. The leaves here get extremely vibrant and it’s filled with so many beautiful photo spots throughout, including the famous monorail. This is also an extremely popular spot in the Fall, so I would recommend trying to get monorail tickets online in advance or visit on a weekday morning.

Asan Gingko Tree Road. For a magical Fall experience, check out the gingko trees in Asan. This beautiful spots features a river front trail that’s lined with large gingko trees on either side, creating a tunnel effect of vibrant yellow leaves. It’s such a beautiful area, and with every gust of wind the leaves sprinkle down as you walk through. There’s also a few cute cafes along the side of the trail, making this a great spot to cafe-hop and enjoy the Fall colors.

Have a Sunset Dinner at the Han River. One of the most popular activities along the Han River is enjoying the sunset while eating ramen, and the crisp temperatures make Autumn the best time to do so. You can usually grab a Ramen pack from a GS or CU convenience store and then find the hot water stands at Hangang park in Yeouido. There’s also usually food stands selling tteobokki and other traditional Korean foods.

Go to a Pampas Grass Festival. If you were obsessed with the pampas grass/boho decor that was everywhere in 2019, you’ll be happy to know that it’s also everywhere in Korea during the Fall. Pampas grass is a huge thing at the local Arboretum gardens in the Fall and they even have Pampas Grass (or silver grass) festivals when they’re in-season.

Go Cafe Hopping. Honestly, cafe hopping is my favorite thing year-round here but Autumn is truly such a great time with the cooler temperature and beautiful Fall colors everywhere.

Visit an apple orchard. Korea doesn’t typically have pumpkin patches, but if you’re looking for more traditional American Fall activities you can head to an apple orchard. Most orchards here allow you to pick your own apples, and some even offer little classes to make apple pies afterwards. There are also apple wineries you can visit to try apple wines & ciders.

For more Korea content, make sure to check out my Instagram and TikTok.

xoxo

Need Inspo on what to wear this Fall? Check out my Revolve Fall Faves here or shop my outfits on LTKit here.