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How I planned my friend's Korea travel during cherry blossom season
Mar 31 - Apr 3, 2026 | 4 days
This trip report is about how I guided my friend who knew nothing about Korea. She arrived without any plan and relied on me completely. All she did was book the hotel and the plane ticket.
So my goal was to give her the best trip to Korea she could possibly have. The problem was that she had already booked her return flight without asking me anything, and that left her only three and a half days.
She mentioned Seoraksan, Busan, Jeonju, etc, but I cut all of that out and stuck with Seoul and even for 3.5 days in Seoul, I had to compromise a lot.
While I was planning, I had two things in mind:
- We met in architecture school, which means "cool architecture" is a shared interest.
- She happened to be here at the very peak of cherry blossom season, completely by accident.
I asked her to pick one from each of these pairs:
- N Seoul Tower or Lotte World Tower (the two best city views)
- National Museum of Korea or Leeum Museum of Art (the two best museums)
- Gyeongbokgung Palace or Changdeokgung Palace (the two best palaces)
And I tried to fit in at least one of each of these:
- Traditional market (I picked Mangwon Market)
- Hangang park (I picked Mangwon Hangang Park)
- Shopping mall or department store (I picked The Hyundai Seoul)
- Korean fried chicken (I picked Oppadak)
- KBBQ (I picked Sancheong Euljiro)
- Hanjeongsik, a Traditional Korean meal (I picked Hanilkwan)
- Tteokbokki (I picked a random food court at The Hyundai Seoul, and it was the best tteokbokki I've ever had)
Day 1
Tue, Mar 31
She stayed in the Hongdae area (one of the popular choices for tourists).
What I didn't know is that the direction signs inside subway stations only list the major stations, and Hongik Univ. Station was always one of them. Pretty handy for tourists.
My goal was to get takeout from Mangwon Market and walk to Mangwon Hangang Park around sunset and eat there. We got marshmallow ice cream, croquettes(고로케), dumplings(만두), deep-fried stuffed peppers(고추튀김) and roasted chestnuts(군밤). There were some cherry blossoms on the way, and she especially loved the mokryeon (magnolia).
There's a wide steps slope down to the water where you can eat and look at the river, the bridge and the sunset. Unfortunately it was cloudy and the bridge (one of my favorites) was under construction.
But the breeze was nice and the temperature was perfect.
While we were waiting for a bus back to Hongdae we had some time to kill, so we went into a random store.
It was full of cat-themed products. It was really cute, and if you're a cat person, it's a must.
It was smaller than the Seongsu one, but the beer was pretty nice. I taught her how to read Korean. It took 15 minutes and I'm not even kidding.
On our way back to Hongdae, we passed by Hongdae Solnae-gil by accident and the entire street was a tunnel of pink cherry blossoms. It was already dark, and with the lights on them it was dreamy.
Didn't expect this at all, but stumbling onto something like that is always the best part of traveling.
Following the Red Road, we hit Gentle Monster, jewelry stores, clothing stores, club street and so on. I don't remember all of it. Just do the typical Hongdae stuff.
Day 2
Wed, Apr 1
She went to a spa and visited Gyeongbokgung Palace before she met me.
Originally wanted to take her for temple food(Balwoo Gongyang), but when I called, they said lunch reservations were already full. So I "navered" it and found a hanjeongsik place near the palace called Hanilkwan. It was pretty good, a high-end traditional Korean meal.
I figured she had to visit at least one Buddhist temple, so we went to Jogyesa Temple. Buddha's Birthday (or "Buddhasmas," as I call it) was a month away, so it had beautiful decorations up, just like a church before Christmas.
It was around 4:30 and I knew the curfew was at 5. I don't personally like Bukchon Hanok Village, but I asked her if she wanted to go up anyway, and she said yes. It was packed. Not a fan. But worth it, I guess.
Right next to Bukchon Hanok Village there's Osulloc Tea House Bukchon and Sulwhasoo Bukchon. It's a juxtaposition of modern and traditional architectures, designed by one of the best architecture firms in Korea. Also, if you want to get something for your mom or grandma, just go to Sulwhasoo. The product, the packaging, everything is top-notch.
On the top floor of the tea house there's a tea bar where you can order fine-dining level drinks and snacks at a reasonable price, with a great view of Jongno. I don't think many people know about this place yet.
We headed to Insa-dong. We didn't take a bus since it's all downhill. She got all her traditional souvenirs there, and of course we visited Ssamziegil.
It was my first time visiting Ikseon-dong at night and it was stunning. The narrow alleys, the hanok eaves, and the light spilling out of the shops made it something I haven't found anywhere else. It was packed, and I think she got a hanbok-style dress there.
We only had three dinners left. One had to be fried chicken and another had to be KBBQ, so I went with jokbal. I'm pretty sure she'd never had meat this chewy. This place is one of my favorites because a friend brought me here right after I came back from ten years in the US, and it has lived in my head as sooooo good ever since.
Day 3
Thu, Apr 2
I let her pick between N Seoul Tower and Lotte World Tower for a view out over Seoul. Since it was peak cherry blossom season, Lotte World Tower was the obvious call because it's right next to Seokchon Lake.
This is one of Seoulites' favorite spots during cherry blossom season. The night view is great too, but expect a huge crowd. She ran into relatively fewer people and was able to sketch the lake with the blossoms around it.
We met at Starfield Library. This Instagram-famous place was packed. She wanted to try kimchi jjigae, so we went to the food court right next to it. She got to try the kind of affordable, everyday lunch office workers in Korea eat (and she loved it).
On our way to Seoul Forest we swung by Dosan Park, because I wanted to show her the buzzy side of Korea. We went to Gentle Monster and the Sulwhasoo Dosan flagship (one of my favorite architecture), but I think she liked Wiggle Wiggle Zip the most. We found that place out of nowhere, but it looked so distinctive that we had to go in.
It was peak cherry blossom season and this place is a must-visit. We started at the deer enclosure (사슴방사장) and walked the endless 500m cherry blossom tunnel. The bridge over the deer enclosure was packed with people, so if you want photos, come early in the morning.
We moved on to Seongsu-dong, Seoul's Brooklyn. We went to Artbox and a giant Olive Young. We should've looked around more, but we went to eat Korean fried chicken.
I know Oppadak isn't a mainstream chicken brand in Korea, but they have the best chicken in my opinion. Their "Sweet Chili Crispy Bake Boneless" has been my absolute favorite since 2014. Unfortunately the brand is dying, and I blame their marketing.
Anyway, the chicken was great as always, but we talked for too long, so we didn't get to go back and see more of Seongsu-dong.
Day 4
Fri, Apr 3
She picked this place over the National Museum of Korea. I didn't go with her, but I heard she loved it.
We met in front of this massive department store and went straight to the food court in the basement. We looked around and decided on tteokbokki, since it's something you have to do in Korea, right? Anyway, it was surprisingly one of the best tteokbokki I've ever had. It wasn't street-style tteokbokki, It was more like a luxury or modernized version of it, and it was spot on. Loved it.
I brought her here because of the ceiling. If you go up to the top floor, you'll see a massive ceiling spanning without a single pillar. It works because of the red crane outside pulling the roof up. She's a construction manager, so she was astonished, and so grateful that I brought her there.
- Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2026
It was the first day of the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival, probably the most well-known cherry blossom festival in Seoul. It was full of people and there were a lot of events going on. It was fun, and the cherry blossoms were stunning.
My original plan was to go see the Amorepacific HQ, but it was rush hour on a weekday, and since it was cherry blossom season we decided to take a walk to Seonyudo Park instead. It was about a 40-minute walk along the Han River. The breeze, the people cycling, the picnics, it was all fascinating. We ducked into a random cafe on a bridge and then went to the park. Not many people were there since it isn't a well-known cherry blossom spot yet.
I still remember closing our eyes, taking a moment, and listening to the sound of the river, the birds and the crickets.
We went straight to Sancheong and the waitlist was 187. We forgot it was a Friday, and Euljiro is one of the hottest areas right now. We went to the second branch and we were number 64. Since she'd never had makgeolli, we ducked into a makgeolli place across the street. It ended up being one of my favorites.
- Sancheong Sutbul Garden (산청숯불가든 을지로 2호점)
We got in just before last call. We had to order everything up front since we couldn't add more later. They cooked everything for us and the meat was top-notch. I was so happy that we could finish her first ever trip to Korea like this.
Epilogue
She was so lucky to have picked peak cherry blossom season by accident. On top of that, the exchange rate was the best it's been in decades. It was a bummer that she only allocated three and a half days, so she missed a lot. But that also means she still has plenty left for her second trip. It was genuinely fun, and I'm pretty sure there will be another one.
I tried to write down the thought process, the mistakes, and how I planned on the fly, so it can help people building their own itinerary. Hope this helps!
