Posted by Korea has four beautiful seasons. Right now, Korea’s autumn season is in full swing with the beautiful foliage.🍁 The streets are colored with yellow and red leaves. Autumn leaves in Korea at the peak of the season? We can’t miss these wonderful views, can we? Today, Incheon Airport is going to introduce four must-visit destinations to enjoy Korea’s autumn foliage! 🛤
You can take the best pictures of your life in Korea! We have some must-visit travel itineraries for those who are planning to travel to Korea in the fall. Well, let’s check out the golden autumn attractions right now! 😀
1. Hwadam Forest in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do: Ride a monorail into a colorful maple forest!
Hwadam Forest in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do
278-1, Docheok Witro, Docheok-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
A must-see place in Korea right now is Hwadam Forest in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. It’s an arboretum near Seoul, so it’s perfect for a quick and easy trip. 🚌 You can enjoy the scent of autumn with more than 400 varieties of trees and chrysanthemums.
During this time of the year, there is an autumn foliage festival in Hwadam Forest! This year, it runs from October 15th to November 13th. Reservations must be made in advance to ensure a safe viewing experience, but ticketing competition is fierce, so we recommend you look into it asap! If you are planning a trip to Korea during autumn, why not try booking tickets for Hwadam Forest and soak in the beauty of the autumn foliage. 💪 Cancellations often happen, so even if tickets are sold out, don’t give up!
There’s also a special viewing experience available at Hwadam Forest. You can tour the maple forest on a monorail! 🚊 It will be a unique experience where you can look around the forest at the same height as the trees. There’s also a stamp tour. We recommend you to take a slow stroll through the forest and encounter all the various plants in Korea.
2. Damyang Gwanbangjerim: Therapeutic experience viewing the autumn leaves reflected in the water!
Damyang Gwanbangjeerim
37 Guesthouse 7-gil, Damyang-eup, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do
If you think it’s too late to see the autumn leaves, visit Gwanbangjerim in Damyang, Jeollanam-do! Since it is in the southern part of the country, the leaves change colors a bit later, so you can enjoy the autumn foliage even in the latter end of the season. 🙌 There is a green stream in the middle and a 2 km-long landscape forest on both sides. This is made all the more beautiful with the autumn leaves 🍂 reflected in the water.
This place is sure to melt all your worries away just by taking a walk along the maple forest path! The reeds bloom along the water’s edge, capturing the autumn vibes perfectly. Also, there is a great photo spot 📷 where you can capture some great pictures. It’s at a stone bridge between the streams. Standing on the middle of the bridge, you can see the beautiful scenery of Gwanbangjerim in one glance, making it a popular place for photos.
Of course we can’t leave out food when talking about Damyang! There is a Damyang Noodle Street located next to Gwanbangjerim. Warm noodles make for a perfect meal on a chilly, windy autumn day, right? 🍜 You can enjoy everything from satisfying anchovy-broth noodles to spicy bibimgooksu (noodles mixed with vegetables and toppings). Outdoor tables are available so you can enjoy a meal with a view of the foliage.
3. Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon: An autumn trip to a quiet temple
Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon
122 Haeinsa-gil, Gaya-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
The trend in travel seems to be “healing trips”, where you can recharge the body and mind that have taken hits from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Korea, Temple Stay experiences are particularly popular for providing a time to meditate on daily life at a temple up in the mountains. For our next destination, we recommend enjoying the autumn leaves at a temple 🍂: Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do.
At Haeinsa Temple, you can see the beautiful temple building and the autumn leaves in one glance. Especially noteworthy is the road between Iljumun and Bonghwangmun, where chrysanthemums and tall trees line the background. It becomes a colorful and wonderful spot to take photos of autumn in its full glory. Haeinsa Temple is also the place where the woodblock prints of the Tripitaka Koreana, designated as a World Heritage Site, are stored. 📚 During the fall foliage season, the Hapcheon Record Culture Festival is held and people can learn about the history of the Korean Tripitaka Koreana.
Haeinsa also offers Temple Stay. You can have time to organize your thoughts by having a meaningful talk with one of the resident monks and partake in meditative walks. Haeinsa Temple offers the perks of not just being able to view autumn leaves, but Korean Buddhist ruins too for a “healing trip”! We definitely recommend for you to visit this destination! 👍
4. Seoul Forest: Picnic in the city center while looking at golden ginkgo trees!
Seoul Forest
273, Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Where is the last place on our list perfect for enjoying Korea’s autumn foliage? It is Seoul Forest, a small forest in the city center. 🌳 This site used to house a sports park and racetrack., but was renovated and restored to become a theme park. There are various biking paths 🚲 from the lake to the gallery garden to the path of contemplation. The must-go place to visit in autumn is the Ginkgo Tree Forest. The fallen leaves make a beautiful carpet of yellow that you really must see for yourself!
Enjoy a picnic in Seoul Forest after taking plenty of photos in the Ginko Tree Forest! You can feel how romantic it is to relax while looking at the autumn leaves on the vast lawn. For those who dislike packing mats or lunch boxes while traveling, picnic sets are also available to rent nearby. In the picnic set you’ll get a nostalgic checkered picnic blanket and delicious bread 🥪, all in a traditional picnic basket. For more information, look up cafes like Lyon Bakery, Corner Waffle and more!
Also, Seoul Forest is located in Seongsu-dong, a trendy area that many young Koreans visit. It is full of newly renovated cafes and shops that used to be old warehouses and factories. After viewing the autumn leaves, visit some of the places nearby that are so popular amongst the young crowd.☕ 🍰
How did you like Incheon Airport’s recommendations for travel destinations that show off the beauty of Korea’s autumn foliage? Just looking at the pictures of colorful autumn leaves is enough to make anyone want to get away! 😍 We included activities that go hand in hand with the autumn foliage, so give them a try and make the most of your autumn trip in Korea. Incheon Airport will be back with more information next time, so check back in soon!