Yeouido cherry blossom walk

What it is

Yeouido is an island in the Han river and the financial centre of Seoul. The road that curves behind the National Assembly building is lined with mature cherry trees, and for the spring flower festival in early April it is closed to traffic so people can walk under them. Office workers come at lunch, families and couples in the evening when the trees are lit. Beside the road is the Hangang riverside park, where people spread mats and order fried chicken. Forsythia and azaleas flower at the same time. Seoul's other well known blossom spots include Seokchon Lake and the hill of Namsan.

Before you go

• Early April is typical, but dates move each year with the weather.
• Weekday mornings are calmest. Evenings are liveliest.
• Use the subway. Stations on Yeouido are a short walk from the trees.

The flowers you will see

Cherry blossomThe spring-blooming flower of ornamental cherry trees, central to Japan’s hanami customForsythiaA yellow-flowered shrub that signals early spring in gardens and parksAzaleaShade-loving flowering shrubs with spring blooms and thousands of cultivated forms

Also part of it, and being written: Prunus × yedoensis.

More in Seoul

🇰🇷 Seoul · All yearYangjae flower marketSeoul's main flower market: a wholesale cut-flower hall and long greenhouses of pot plants. 🇰🇷 Changwon · Mar to AprJinhae cherry blossom festivalSouth Korea's largest cherry blossom festival, in a naval port town on the south coast. 🇰🇷 Gapyeong · Jan to DecThe Garden of Morning CalmA hillside garden north-east of Seoul designed to show a Korean sense of beauty in plants.