Where to Go in September

Places to Visit in September — Destinations Where Early Autumn Flowers and Eulalia Begin

September, when the midsummer heat begins to subside, is the month when the doors to outdoor outings reopen. Red spider lilies and cosmos reach their peak, while pink muhly and eulalia are just beginning to turn silver and pink. It's a good time to experience early autumn quietly, avoiding the crowds of the peak season in October, so deciding where to go this month in advance will make your weekends much more relaxed.

At a Glance

Early Autumn Flowers for a Half-Day Trip from Seoul

If traveling far is burdensome, you can fully experience early autumn even within Seoul. Haneul Park (World Cup Stadium Station on Line 6, free) is famous for its eulalia, but from mid-September, autumn flowers like cosmos, pink muhly, and kochia also begin to grow on the hills, and the sunset through the eulalia is especially beautiful. However, the peak of the silver eulalia is in mid-October (around the Seoul Eulalia Festival), so in September, it's worthwhile to enjoy the early blooming scenery and visit again in early October. If cosmos is your goal, Olympic Park's (Olympic Park Station on Lines 5, 8, 9, free) Wildflower Garden forms a cluster from mid to late September, and weekday mornings are the quietest for taking photos.

If You Want to See Eulalia, Reeds, and Their Waves

If your goal is waves of eulalia swaying in the wind, Jeju's Sangumburi is representative. The ridge slope is gentler than Saebyeol Oreum, so about an hour is enough for viewing, and it's also suitable for visiting with children and parents. However, the silver peak is from mid-October to early November, so by late September, the eulalia is just beginning to bloom in its green stage. If you're aiming for "silver waves," plan for October, but in September, it's better to capture the quiet ridges and Jeju's early autumn sky together. On the south coast, Suncheonman National Garden and Suncheonman Wetland are places where you can see pink muhly and reeds together, and the National Garden and Wetland are connected by Sky Cube (approx. 4.6km), making the half-day itinerary short. The National Garden costs 15,000 won for adults and operates from 09:00 to 21:00, so a course of viewing the garden during the day and moving to the wetland reed fields at sunset is suitable.

Peak September Spots in the South

If you're aiming for a "now or never" flower in September, it's the red spider lily. Hamyang Sangrim Park (free admission·parking) in Gyeongsangnam-do is one of Korea's most renowned red spider lily colonies, where the red Lycoris radiata covers the forest floor in mid-September. Its unique silhouette of only flower stalks without leaves is striking in photos, and its timing often coincides with the Chuseok holiday, making it a popular family outing destination. If you want to see a large-scale pink muhly, the vast pink meadow of Hapcheon Sinsosyang Sports Park (free admission·parking) begins to color from late September. It is a different place from Hapcheon Video Theme Park, so it's best to search for "Sinsosyang Sports Park" exactly when using navigation.

Early Autumn Outing Essentials

In September, the temperature difference between day and night increases, and mosquitoes are still active amid the late heat. Flower fields and eulalia fields have little shade and require a lot of walking, so it's convenient to bring the following.

• Thin windbreaker·cardigan — For chilly mornings and evenings, waiting for sunset photos
• Picnic mat·lightweight mat — For grass field picnics
• Mini tripod·selfie stick — For low-angle photos of eulalia·pink muhly
• Mosquito repellent·sunscreen — For late September mosquitoes and still strong UV rays
• Comfortable sneakers — For walking in parks·wetlands

See Also

As October begins, early autumn flowers pass the baton to autumn foliage. For autumn foliage timings and spots, continue reading in Autumn Foliage Spots, and if you're curious about the last water activities and festivals of summer, you can check Places to Visit in August. For places like Jeju and Suncheon, where it's good to book tickets or tours in advance, you can check directly on the booking cards below.