The best time to visit 南韓

What a year in 南韓 looks like

South Korea has a genuinely cold, dry winter, a hot humid summer with a short rainy season in the middle of the year, and two brief transitional seasons that are the prettiest. Because the country is not large, the weather does not differ much between Seoul, Busan and Jeju — except that Jeju is milder and windier. Picking a month is therefore more straightforward than in its longer neighbours.

The year, in windows

• September to November — Dry air, clear skies, and autumn colour running north to south through October into early November. It is the easiest time of year both for walking cities and for climbing hills. Rooms in Seoul and Busan tighten on October weekends.
• April to May — Spring warms quickly and the cities fill with blossom. May is often the steadiest month of good weather before the humidity arrives. Early in the season there can be days of poor air quality from dust blown in from outside the country.
• June to August — A short rainy season followed by heat and humidity. These are the months when Koreans head for the coast and Jeju, and seaside rates climb through midsummer. Rain tends to come hard in bursts rather than all day.
• December to February — Cold and dry, with sub-zero temperatures normal in Seoul. Ski areas open and the cities stay walkable because there is little rain. Pack properly: the wind makes it feel colder than the number suggests.

The weeks to aim for

October gives the most usable weather per day on the ground: dry, comfortably cool, with autumn colour as a bonus. May comes second and is usually a touch less busy.

The weeks to avoid

Chuseok and lunar new year are when the country travels home at once: intercity trains fill and some businesses close. Avoid them unless the holiday is the point, and if you cannot, book train seats ahead.

What the season does to a data plan

Coverage across South Korea is dense — in cities, on the metro and on the high-speed trains — and the season barely affects it. What does affect it is hiking trails in the national parks, which thin with terrain rather than with the month.