Yeouido Spring Flower Festival

Yunjungno is a road that runs about one and a half kilometres behind the National Assembly on Yeouido island, lined with roughly 1,600 cherry trees, many of them planted decades ago and now large. For about a week each April, when they open, the road is closed to cars and Seoul walks down it - along with food stalls, buskers and a considerable crowd. The exact week moves with the weather and is announced only a short time ahead, which makes planning around it difficult; forecasts of the blossom front are published each spring and are approximately right. Azaleas, forsythia and other spring flowers are planted alongside so the festival is not purely cherry. Evenings are lit. The Han river parks are a few minutes away on both sides, and walking out to the water is the usual way to escape the density on the road itself.

What you actually see

• Yunjungno under blossom - 1,600 trees on a closed road.
• The festival stalls - food and busking along the route.
• The evening lighting - the avenue lit after dark.
• The river parks - Han riverside a few minutes away.

When to go

Early to mid April, for roughly one week - the dates are announced close to the time and shift with the weather. Early morning is the only quiet hour; evenings and weekends are extremely crowded.

Honest expectations

The window is short and unpredictable, and a warm or wet spell can end it in days. During the festival the road is shoulder to shoulder and the nearby metro stations queue. Outside that week there is nothing to see.

Nearby

The Han river parks, Noryangjin fish market and the 63 Building are close.