If there is one good reason to visit Seoul in South Korea during spring season, it will be to the sites for cherry blossom in Seoul. Usually, the ones in Jeju Island in the southern part of the country will be the first to show their full gorgeous blooms. Expect that more and more areas, starting from the south will have their own seasons for the flowers to be in their most charming scene.

If your main reason to travel to Seoul is to get a great view and photos of the cherry blossoms, make sure you refer to the calendar that indicates the blooming dates of cherry blossoms per different site.

It only takes about two to three weeks for the flowers to be in full bloom. And people, both the locals and foreign visitors, make sure that they get the chance to be in the midst of pink flowers. The usual dates to be right on time for the cherry blossoms in Seoul would be on the last week of March up to the second week of April. So if you are in the Seoul on these dates, make sure to visit at least one of the known sites to get some amazing photos (with you in it, of course) of the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Here are the most known sites to see cherry blossom in Seoul that you can visit for the during spring time.

• Yeouido

• Seokchon Lake

• Yangjaecheon

• Namsan

• Olympic Park

• Seoul Forest

• Eungbongsan

I have been to some of the sites and I can talk first hand my experiences there. I’m planning to visit at least two or three other places this season.

Yeouido

I went at the wrong time here a few years ago and I totally missed the full bloom. But judging from the online photos, this should be one of the top in the list. The good thing in this area is it is near the Han River where one can be in the midst of a huge, open park. Rent a bike, bring a pad and relax on the grass, walk around, or even take a river cruise (make it afternoon river cruise) to have a more rewarding experience.

Seokchon Lake

I have been many times to Seokchon Lake and it is one of the most scenic sites for cherry blossoms in Seoul. The roads surrounding the lake that are usually filled with many people who are either walking or jogging, while the waters, especially towards the end of the blooming days, would be filled with seemingly millions of fallen pink petals that I find equally scenic as the trees still filled with the blossoms. I would highy recommend a visit to this place as it is beside other major tourist destinations such as the Lotte Tower and the Lotte Theme Park. Here’s another tip - be there very early in the morning on a weekday when there would be fewer people. The experience would become more magical, specially when there would be gusts of wind and the petals fall like rain drops. If you go in the afternoon, perhaps a visit to the top of the Lotte Tower (prepare about $25) would make the experience more complete, especially if your stay on the tower would cover between the afternoon sunset and the night city lights.

Look at the photo - a duck wading through a sea of cherry blossom petals in Seokchon Lake. That photo made my day very memorable.

Namsan

Namsan Mountain and the tower is one of the most beautiful nature places in Seoul. It actually has no season as one can go anytime (yup, even at night) to visit the place. To experience the full glory of looking at the cherry trees along the mountain road and the foot trails, one may have to walk up to the tower area, but that would be very tiring for many. The trick is to take the cable car near Myeongdong (not really that near, but good enough near), then walk through the trail going down. Another option is take the bus (bus #1) going to Namsan, then walk down to enjoy the cherry blossom scenery.

Olympic Park

Olympic Park is a huge area and the cherry blossom trees are located in many places. There are actually many sites you can see while exploring the park, so better allot at least half a day when visiting this park.

It is actually quite near Seokchon Lake. It’s just one subway station of one bus stop away from each other. If you save enough energy, you can actually visit these two places in one day, just be ready to walk long distances.

Within April, the different sites for the cherry blossom in Seoul should be in full bloom. You have just a few weeks to try to visit the other top places. For those who get the chance to be in Seoul during this year’s season, make sure you spend a few hours witnessing and being in the midst of a garden of cherry blossoms.