Seoul’s autumn leaves don’t all turn on the same day. Bukhansan, the mountain on the city’s northern edge, began to color in mid-October, while the trees on Namsan and in the old palaces downtown can lag behind. This guide compares three places you can reach this week — Namsan, the palaces and Bukhansan — explains why their timing differs, and shows where to check Seoul’s fall foliage reports before you go.
We checked the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Korea Forest Service, Korea National Arboretum, Seoul city and palace pages on October 26, 2026 (how we research).
Where to go this week: Namsan, the palaces or Bukhansan
When we checked, the latest stage we could confirm for Bukhansan was first color, which KMA recorded on October 14.[6][7] For the country as a whole, the Forest Service’s forecast gives peak dates by tree type: October 30 for ginkgo and October 31 for both maples and oaks.[1] That forecast is for the whole country, not for any one park, and the agency says actual timing can shift with the weather.[1][12]
| Namsan | Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung | Bukhansan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 270 m[8] | Downtown, in Jongno-gu[9] | Summit (Baegundae) 836.5 m[10] |
| Latest stage | Search the Arboretum’s address service[2] | Search the Arboretum’s address service[2] | First color on October 14, 2026[6][7] |
| Open | At all hours[8] | 9 a.m.–6 p.m. through October, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (Gyeongbokgung) or 5:30 p.m. (Changdeokgung) from November[9] | A national park hike |
| Closed | Never | Gyeongbokgung on Tuesdays, Changdeokgung on Mondays (the next non-holiday if that day is a public holiday)[9] | — |
| Getting there | No private cars or taxis (except cars of some Korean disability-card holders, checked on site); green buses 01A and 01B run up to N Seoul Tower[8] | — | — |
Pick Bukhansan if you don’t mind a climb: it showed first color on October 14,[6][7] so check KMA’s latest stage before you go.[5] Pick Namsan or a palace if you’d rather walk on paths in the city; their trees may turn later than the mountain’s upper slopes. For palace entry rules, including free entry in hanbok, read our Gyeongbokgung hanbok guide.
Why the leaves don’t turn at the same time
Height comes first. KMA judges a mountain’s color from the summit down: “first color” means about 20% of the mountain has turned from the top, and “peak” means about 80%.[3] So the upper slopes of Bukhansan, at 836.5 m, color before the trees near its foot,[3][10] and a 270 m hill like Namsan sits much lower.[8]
Tree type matters too. The Forest Service gives separate peak dates for ginkgo, maples and oaks, a day apart in this year’s forecast.[1] A street lined with yellow ginkgo and a slope of red maples won’t always peak together.
The city itself also plays a part. A 2019 study of nine stations in the Seoul area, using records from 1991 to 2010, found that where more people lived, leaves colored later, by up to 15 days.[11] The researchers linked this to warmer nights at the more crowded stations, and of the two species they studied, Japanese maple reacted more strongly.[11] That may help explain why trees downtown, such as those around the palaces, can lag behind trees in less built-up areas — our inference, not something the study tested.
Why the “peak” dates you read don’t match
Different agencies use different definitions. The Forest Service and the National Arboretum count peak when about half the leaves have turned,[1][2] while KMA counts peak when about 80% of a mountain has turned.[3] So a forecast and an observation can name different days for the same place, and both can be right.
Forecasts also move. Bukhansan’s first color came one day earlier than its normal date of October 15, and eight days earlier than in 2025.[7] This guide doesn’t give a single predicted peak date for Bukhansan. Check KMA’s page for the latest observed stage before you go.[5]
How to check before you go
KMA posts the stage for each of its 21 mountains, with photos taken before color, at first color and at peak.[3][4][5] The page is in Korean; look for 북한산 (Bukhansan) on the list. Its labels are 첫단풍 (first color) and 절정 (peak).[5]
For a park or street that KMA doesn’t track, the National Arboretum’s search service gives an expected peak date for an address or building name you enter. It has run since September 29, 2026, on knpn.nature.go.kr, under 관측기록 (observation records) and then 계절예측 (seasonal forecast).[2] The service is in Korean.
To get across the city, our Seoul bus guide explains how to tap on and off, and our transit card guide covers which card to buy. For another seasonal guide, see what to pack for Seoul in winter.
Good to know
Before you pick a day:
- Check the stage for Bukhansan on KMA’s foliage page the day before.[5]
- Don’t go to Gyeongbokgung on a Tuesday or Changdeokgung on a Monday.[9]
- From November 1, expect the palaces to close earlier: last entry 4 p.m. at Gyeongbokgung and 4:30 p.m. at Changdeokgung.[9]
- For Namsan, take green bus 01A or 01B, or walk the 7.5 km path around the hill.[8]
Foliage timing changes with the weather. Check the KMA foliage page (in Korean) before you go.
More for your first days is in Arriving in Seoul. To see how we’re paid, read how we’re funded.
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