Holidays to South Korea

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There's no short answer to 'when's the best time to visit South Korea?' but we've got a month-by-month breakdown to help you decide when suits you best.

For blossom-filled walks and mild days, go in April. October is best for autumn colors and clear hiking weather. Winter (Dec–Feb) is very cold but snowy palaces and hot street food offer a festive feel to cities. July and August are hot, humid and rainy – unless you’re here for summer festivals, it's the least comfortable time to visit.

It begins with a palpable sense of excitement, a blast of colors, sounds, and smells that hits you as soon as you step onto its frenetic city sidewalks. Saccharine K-pop choruses warble from cell phone shops, intermingling with the rush of traffic and trains, laughter of students, and street vendors shouting out their latest deals. The aroma of grilled meat and fresh seafood fills the air in the thrumming alleys and traditional markets, while at night the streets are awash in the vivid glow of neon signs from the seemingly infinite array of restaurants, bars and karaoke rooms.

South Korea is alive, 24/7. This is a country in perpetual motion, where ppalli ppallii (quickly!) is the name of the game. Everyone who isn't on the go seems to be engaged in work, study, or boisterous recreation, and like much of East Asia, it's often crowded, with people hustling and jostling. The Western concept of space is foreign here, which adds to the overall energy. South Korea is a place that really gets your blood pumping. 

From ancient palaces and Buddhist temples to outdoor adventure on Jeju Island, here are our top 10 reasons to go to South Korea - look no further for travel inspiration for your next vacation.

For over 5,000 years, South Korean people have managed to carve out their own way in an often hostile world. The result is a country and culture steeped in pride that – while sharing some traits with others in the region – manages to be utterly unique.

While cherry blossoms viewing spots, vibrant cities, and tantalizing food may draw you here, it’s the unprepared-for things – intriguing folklore, rugged countryside, and gregarious locals that’ll capture your heart during one of our South Korea vacations.

For whatever reason – call it cultural zeitgeist, serendipity, or just pure timing – the country is having a moment. South Korea, it seems, has arrived. This makes now a great time to go.

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Pungent, spicy, sour, salty, and sweet, South Korean food is bold and defiant, reflecting a culture that has managed to survive and thrive over millennia. Food is central to life in South Korea: everything revolves around a meal - and the first question you're likely to field as a visitor is, “have you tried kimchi?”

Kimchi: the nation's pride

Kimchi, of course, is at the heart of South Korean identity. Made from cabbage, garlic, anchovy sauce, and gochujang (a deep red chili paste), it ranges in spiciness from mild to atomic and is served with almost every meal. To enjoy kimchi is to honor Korea in the eyes of the locals - and your trip won't be complete without trying it.

More than food: a way of life

Sitting down to eat can feel like a party in South Korea. The scent of barbecue smoke hangs in the air and almost everything is shared, making the meal feel like a celebration. Pull up to a table with a grill in the middle, succulent cuts of pork or beef sizzling with onions, and a colorful array of side dishes and ice-cold bottles of beer.

Koreans aren't shy about diving in; they eat like they mean it, and around you packs of diners will be doing the same, punctuated by the sound of conversation, big laughs, and the clink of soju glasses.

In the years following the devastation of the Korean War, South Korea was a country synonymous with poverty. It wasn't until the 1988 Seoul Olympics that people began to see it in a different light, and by the early 2000s, South Korea could count itself among the top economies in the world.

This rubble-to-riches story has been one of the most extraordinary transformations in human history, resulting in affluence unimaginable by the generation that survived the country's baptism by fire. Once an East Asian backwater, South Korea is now an international hub of commerce, technology, and, most recently, entertainment. While known for its microchips, cars and cell phones, South Korea's now equally famous for its films, TV dramas and K-pop, which are exported all over the globe.

This is a nation that clearly punches above its weight.

North and South Korea history

While the Korean War is a fading memory for many, it remains very much alive along the South's border with the North. Just an hour away from the glittering N Seoul tower is another world — a place of weapons, watchtowers, fences and land mines. The Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, is an 155-mile barrier that cuts a swathe across the whole of the peninsula – and despite being a tense, dangerous place, it's also home to a rich variety of wildlife, acting as a kind of green belt separating the North from the South.

While the DMZ remains a source of great sadness for the Korean people, it's definitely worth checking out, if only for its unmistakable strangeness. The memory of gazing across the Military Demarcation Line that bisects the two Koreas will stay with you for a lifetime.