Korea Cherry Blossom Season 2027: Peak Dates by City

For spring 2027, expect cherry blossoms in the last week of March on Jeju and the south coast and in the first half of April in Seoul. Exact 2027 dates do not exist yet, so this page uses the Korea Meteorological Administration’s (KMA) normal dates, what happened in 2025 and 2026, and when the forecasts arrive. See also Seasons & Festivals.

When will cherry blossoms peak in each city?

The table gives the normal first-bloom date for each city, as listed in Weather i’s 26 February 2026 release, which uses KMA’s standard observation trees. The 2025 column shows what actually happened, and 2026 shows Weather i’s forecast against KMA’s observed date where KMA announced one.

The pattern holds every year: the south coast and Jeju bloom in the last week of March, central cities such as Daejeon and Gangneung around the start of April, and Seoul, Incheon and Chuncheon last. A dash means the source gave no figure; the Jinhae, Gyeongju and Yeouido rows are blossom groves, not weather-station trees. “First bloom” is the day the first flowers open. The peak, which is what you want to see, comes later (see the next section).

Two more rules of thumb from Weather i’s release are useful when you leave the big cities. Blossoms open about 2 days later for every 100 m of altitude at the same latitude, so hillside temples and mountain roads trail the city below them. And the date for any one city depends mostly on February and March temperatures, which is why nobody can pin down 2027 in October.

How early or late can the dates be?

Recent years have run early. Weather i’s 2026 forecast averaged 3.7 days ahead of normal across its 19 cities, and the 2025 column above is ahead of normal in most cities too. The actual 2026 season was earlier still:

• Jinhae, Yeojwacheon stream: KMA observed the first bloom on 24 March 2026, three days before Weather i’s forecast of 27 March.
• Seoul (official tree): first bloom on 29 March 2026, six days earlier than 2025 (4 April) and 10 days earlier than the normal 8 April. Weather i had forecast 3 April.
• Yeouido Yunjung-ro: also 29 March 2026, five days earlier than 2025 (3 April) and eight days before its normal 6 April.

So even a February forecast missed Seoul by five days in 2026. A date fixed in October can easily miss by a week either way. Plan a window, not a day.

What “bloom” and “full bloom” mean

KMA’s definitions explain why different sites quote different dates:

• First bloom (개화): at least three flowers fully open on one branch of the standard tree. For groves such as Yeouido, the same test on 1–7 representative trees.
• Full bloom (만발): 80% or more of the flowers on the observation tree are open. Seoul’s normal full-bloom date is 10 April, two days after its normal first bloom.
• Peak across an area: Weather i’s rule of thumb is about 7 days after first bloom, and a Korea Forest Service researcher quoted on 25 March 2026 said the same (“about a week”). Seoul’s single official tree can get there faster than a whole avenue of trees.

The foliage season has the same split between observing and forecasting; our autumn foliage guide explains the 50% and 80% definitions used there.

Which week should you book for 2027?

If you must book flights before the forecasts come out, book the window that covers the normal date and the recent early years, and keep everything else flexible.

• Seoul only: 1–12 April. That covers the 2026 peak (expected around 3–4 April on Yeouido, according to a 1 April 2026 news report) and the normal full bloom on 10 April. If you only have five days, 4–9 April is the middle of the range.
• Busan, Jinhae and Gyeongju: 25 March to 3 April. All three normally bloom in the last week of March. Our guide to where to stay in Busan helps you pick a base for that week.
• Jeju: from about 24 March. Seogwipo is normally the first city to bloom. Read whether Jeju is worth it before you add the flight.
• Two chances: start in the south in the last days of March and finish in Seoul in early April. The roughly two-week gap between Busan (28 March) and Seoul (8 April) is why this works. The KTX booking guide covers the train between them; book early for blossom weekends.
• Late trip (after 12 April): head north or uphill. Incheon (normal 12 April) and Chuncheon (11 April) are the latest of the 19 cities in the table.

When this advice is wrong: in a cold March the whole season can slip a week later than normal. Check the forecasts in late February 2027 and adjust your city order before you lock in trains and hotels.

1. MarFine with caveats

   11 / 2 °C

   52 / 35 °F

   37 mm

   South blooms late in the month; cold nights

2. AprGood

   18 / 8 °C

   64 / 46 °F

   73 mm

   Seoul blossoms early in the month; dust days

Seoul in March and April, KMA 1991–2020 normals (checked 6 Oct 2026)

Month	High / low °C	High / low °F	Rain	Verdict	Note
Mar	11 / 1.9	52 / 35	37 mm	Fine with caveats	South blooms late in the month; cold nights
Apr	17.9 / 8	64 / 46	73 mm	Good	Seoul blossoms early in the month; dust days

April evenings are still cool, around 8°C at night in Seoul, so bring a jacket for night-time blossom walks. Month-by-month detail, including yellow dust, is in Korea weather by month.

When were the main festivals in 2026?

Festival dates are set each winter around the expected bloom, so 2026 is the best guide to 2027 until the cities announce new dates.

In 2026 the festivals started a few days after first bloom, so they ran through the peak; in a late year the trees can still be in bud on the opening day. Jinhae Gunhangje (진해군항제) fills the naval port town in Changwon with about 360,000 cherry trees, according to Chosun Ilbo’s report on the 2026 opening, with fireworks, a military band festival and an air show across the 10 days. The Yeojwacheon stream and its footbridges are the classic photo spot. Jinhae is west of Busan, so most visitors come from Busan for the day.

The Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (여의도 봄꽃축제) runs along Yeouiseo-ro behind the National Assembly. Because the area is closed to cars for about a week, arrive by subway rather than taxi.

How do you check the bloom before you go?

Once you are within about a week of your dates, official observations beat any forecast. Both tools below are in Korean but mostly photos and maps.

What should overseas visitors know before booking?

A few things depend on where you are flying from:

• K-ETA (US, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore and other exempt countries): the temporary K-ETA exemption for 22 countries and regions runs only until 31 December 2026. Unless Korea extends it again, plan to apply for a K-ETA on the official site for a spring 2027 trip.
• Malaysia: Malaysia is not on the exemption list, so Malaysian visitors already apply for a K-ETA.
• India and the Philippines: individual travellers need a visa rather than a K-ETA. Apply through the Korean embassy well before the spring peak.
• Easter: Easter Sunday 2027 falls on 28 March, the same week as the southern blossoms. Families from Australia, the UK and the Philippines travelling over the Easter break are likely to catch Busan and Jinhae rather than Seoul.
• Arriving at Incheon: if you land late, see Incheon Airport to Seoul for the last trains and buses.

Common mistakes

We will update this page with the 2027 forecasts and festival dates when they are published.