Seoul · Month comparison

October vs April

October ranks #1 overall vs April at #2. Seoul at its most spectacular — autumn foliage rivals cherry blossom for sheer beauty.

Seoul October — autumn foliage at Changdeokgung Secret Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Seoul at its most spectacular — autumn foliage rivals cherry blossom for sheer beauty.

  • Namsan, Bukhansan, and Changdeokgung Secret Garden in peak foliage: deep reds and golds
  • 18°C: ideal hiking weather for the national parks surrounding the city
Seoul April — cherry blossom along Yeouido Hangang Park

April

#2 of 12 months

Best match

Cherry blossom peak — Seoul's most magical 2 weeks and its most visited.

  • Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival: the Han River and Namsan transformed into something genuinely breathtaking
  • 16°C afternoons: the perfect temperature for long walking days through the old city
FactorOctoberApril
Weather score
9
9
Value score
5
5
Crowd score
4
3
Events score
8
9
Atmosphere
9
9
Avg high temp18.4°C16°C
Monthly rain60mm90mm
Daily sunshine7.5hrs7.2hrs

October trade-offs

  • Foliage tourism drives accommodation prices 30–40% above summer lows
  • Popular hiking routes (Bukhansan) crowded on weekends — start before 8am
  • 60mm of rain: some foliage weekends disrupted

April trade-offs

  • Hotel prices spike 50–70% for cherry blossom weeks — book 3–4 months ahead
  • Yeouido park on peak weekend: genuinely impassable, arrive before 8am
  • 90mm of rain: blossom can be washed off early by April showers
Scores compare months within Seoul. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →