Korea’s October 2026 Holidays: When to Book Rooms & Trains

Korea’s autumn 2026 packs three long weekends into three weeks: Chuseok (24–27 September), National Foundation Day (3–5 October) and Hangeul Day (9–11 October).

Those same three weeks are when the autumn colour begins. Domestic travel demand hits its annual peak exactly as foreign visitors arrive looking for the same rooms and the same trains.

So the question is not whether to come. It is when to book. Here is the order, with dates attached.

1. The autumn 2026 holiday map

October is the one to watch. National Foundation Day falls on a Saturday, so Monday 5 October becomes a substitute holiday and creates a three-day weekend. Four days later, Hangeul Day creates another. Take 6–8 October off and you have nine consecutive days, 3 to 11 October.

Plenty of Korean office workers will do exactly that. Treat the first ten days of October as a period of concentrated domestic travel demand.

2. What this means for foreign visitors

Chuseok is a holiday people spend at their family homes, so Seoul itself gets quieter (we covered what closes over Chuseok separately). October is a different animal: these are travel holidays, not homecoming ones.

The consequences: rural accommodation and KTX seats vanish, worst of all at the Gangwon and Jeolla foliage sites. Seoul gets busier too, as domestic travellers come into the city and fill the palaces and Myeongdong. Popular restaurants stop taking bookings.

It is not all downside. This is the best weather Seoul gets all year — around 20°C by day — and outdoor events cluster here for the same reason.

3. What to book, and by when

In order of priority: accommodation, flights, KTX, everything else. Accommodation is the one worth locking in on free-cancellation terms before your dates are even final.

Which neighbourhood you choose changes how fast it goes. Myeongdong and Hongdae fill first, Gangnam and Seongsu a little later — though Seongsu has so few rooms that it often disappears soonest in practice.

4. Should you avoid this period?

No, and for three reasons.

1. The weather is the best of the year. October in Seoul averages 20.2°C by day — ideal walking temperature.

2. The colour starts. Mid-October for the mountains, late October for the cities. Early October is a little early, but the high ground in Gangwon is already turning.

3. Events cluster here. Programming is built around the holidays, and the atmosphere in the city genuinely changes.

If you want the season without the crush, aim for the weekdays between the holidays — 28 September to 2 October, or 6 to 8 October. Hotel rates and crowd levels both settle down.

5. If you cannot get what you wanted

No KTX seat: look at the express buses. Slower, but seats are often available on the day. Or travel standing and sit down partway.

No regional accommodation: switch to day trips. Bukhansan, Suwon and Incheon are all within an hour of Seoul, no room required.

Seoul is too expensive: step one ring outwards. Twenty minutes further out by metro changes the price materially, and a metro ride costs around 1,500 won. The room saving dwarfs the fare.

6. Checklist

Work through these in order.

□ Seoul accommodation (hold it on free cancellation)
□ Flights
□ Regional accommodation, if you are leaving Seoul
□ KTX, on the day booking opens one month out
□ Timed bookings such as Changdeokgung Huwon
□ Check the foliage forecast (published late September)
□ Check opening days over the holidays (3, 5 and 9 October)

Do not skip that last one. Some venues close on October public holidays. Palace closing days — Tuesdays for Gyeongbokgung, Mondays for Changdeokgung — can be waived when they fall on a public holiday, so check the official notice before you go.

Frequently asked questions

What are the October 2026 public holidays in Korea?

National Foundation Day is Saturday 3 October, and because it falls on a Saturday, Monday 5 October becomes a substitute holiday. Hangeul Day is Friday 9 October.

Will there be autumn colour in early October?

Not in Seoul yet. The high ground in Gangwon province will be turning. Seoul itself peaks from late October into early November.

Should I avoid the holiday weekends?

No need. But if crowds bother you, target the weekdays of 28 September to 2 October, or 6 to 8 October.

When does KTX booking open?

One month before the travel date. Trains crossing the holidays sell out on some routes the day sales open, so book that day if your dates are set.

Are the palaces open on public holidays?

Palaces have fixed closing days — Tuesdays for Gyeongbokgung, Mondays for Changdeokgung — which are sometimes waived when a public holiday falls on them. Check the official notice before visiting.