Best Tours to Maximize the South Korea Cherry Blossom Season

You may find yourself longing to visit Korea for the rich culture, scrumptious cuisine, and the countless activities you can try. But there’s even more for you to enjoy through the seasons in the Land of the Morning Calm. Have you ever considered visiting simply to enjoy the breeze and beauty of the Korean spring season? It’s highly recommended, especially with the breathtaking cherry blossoms in Korea. 

Though Japan may be most known for its sakura season, there are also plenty of spots around Seoul and Busan where you can embark on a Korea cherry blossom journey.  Here are the best packages to get you started!

Begin your hunt for cherry blossoms in Seoul by departing from right within the heart of the city!  On the Chasing Cherry Blossom and Spring Flowers Day Tour, you’ll hop on a tour bus that’ll take you to three of the best spots to admire the cherry blossoms.

The specific stops for this roughly 12-hour tour will be announced on the day of travel. You may experience the lush pink trees in iconic cherry blossom spots such as Children’s Grand Park (the perfect family park with hiking trails and a botanical garden), Seoul Forest (the third largest park in Seoul with year-round free admission), Gapyeong Eden Cherry Blossom Road (one of the top known spots for cherry blossoms in the country), and many other delightful locations. You can choose from several convenient pick-up and drop-off spots within Seoul, too.

If you wanna delve into the country’s vibrant history while still searching for Korea cherry blossom views, there’s no better tour to pick than the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Tour! It blends the depth of the past with the fresh charm of the cherry blossoms. A renowned location for Joseon Dynasty culture, the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress also features backdrops of vividly colored flowers during the springtime.

There are a variety of packages to choose from for this 12-hour tour. Depending on which package you select, a tour shuttle will conveniently pick you up and weave you through a lineup of various flower festivals, such as the Gaesimsa King Cherry Blossoms and even the Purple Azalea Festival.

If Seoul is not your main destination, you can still catch glimpses of cherry blossoms in Busan! A top pick for a cherry blossom activity when you’re coming from Busan is the Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Tour. Tip: You should allot one whole day for this activity since you’ll want to spend every moment strolling through the streets of Gyeongju, sprawled with cherry blossom trees.

You’ll even stop by a couple of stalls selling local snacks and souvenirs. Wander around the Bomun Tourist Complex, where you can do fun family activities such as riding a boat through the Bomunho Lake, or the Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex, where you can immerse yourself in South Korean history amidst a wide array of ancient relics and artifacts. Both stops have plenty of picturesque spots framed by soft cherry blossoms.

Whether coming from Busan or Seoul, you wouldn’t want to miss out on one of Korea's biggest and most iconic annual spring festivals: the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival! When you book the Jinhae Gunhangje Cherry Blossom Festival Day Tour, admiring the cherry blossoms isn’t the only thing you’ll do. 

Travelers will be entertained by plenty of cultural performances, parades, and more Korean culture and tradition displays. More than a simple excursion to admire some pretty pink flowers, the Jinhae Festival is a celebration of the beauty and appeal of the Korean cherry blossoms. 

You can find floral beauty beyond the Korean cherry blossoms during your trip! Apart from the tours we’ve mentioned earlier that allow you to appreciate other precious flowers, we also highly recommend seeing Taean tulips at the Taean Tulip Festival! Have a blast at one of the world’s top tulip festivals, where you can relish in the dreaminess of a wide array of flowers such as fawn lilies, magnolias, and, of course, tulips. During this tour, you will also go strawberry-picking on a nearby local farm as you celebrate the start of springtime in Taean. 

If you want to experience this festival but also want to embark on an additional stop to another superb natural location, you can book this tour instead that has an added stop in Kkotji Beach, where you can enjoy the ocean views and take a walk on the long stretch of white sand after admiring the tulips and picking strawberries.

Don’t pass up on the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful country in the springtime. We are certain that apart from all the festivals and activities,  it will be worth visiting simply to explore the wonders of Korea’s natural scenery. And as the cherry blossoms go with the seasons, make sure to catch these iconic blooms when you have the chance!