What to pack for Seoul in October: palaces and autumn leaves

In late October, Seoul runs from about 8 to 18 °C (46 to 64 °F), with clear, dry days and the trees turning red and yellow. Pack for cool mornings, mild afternoons and cold nights: layers, a warm jacket you can carry, a hat for the evenings, and comfortable walking shoes that slip on and off easily.

The story

Seoul in late October, and your first morning is 8 °C and bright. You come up from the subway at Gyeongbokgung station in a sweater under a light jacket, and the palace gate is lit gold by the low sun. Inside, the ginkgo trees along the walls are turning yellow, and the maples behind the pavilions are going red.

Half the people around you are in hanbok, the traditional dress, rented for a few hours at a shop near the station. You rent one too: it goes over your clothes, so you keep a thin layer underneath, and in hanbok you enter the palace for free. By noon it’s 17 °C, and the skirt and jacket are warm enough on their own.

In the afternoon you walk up Namsan through the trees to N Seoul Tower. The path is steep and the stairs go on; your shoes have soft, grippy soles, and you’re glad of them. At the top the wind picks up, and the sun sets before six. The warm jacket comes out of your bag.

Dinner is at Gwangjang Market: bindaetteok, crisp mung bean pancakes, eaten on a bench at a stall. The stall takes cash, so you pay in won. Later, at a barbecue restaurant, you sit on the floor and leave your shoes at the door. Your socks match, and have no holes.

The next day you take the subway out to Bukhansan, the mountain on the city’s edge. The trail is granite and roots, the colors are at their best, and everyone around you is in full hiking gear. At the top it’s windy and cool; back in the city at night it’s 9 °C, and you’re glad of the hat.

Seoul in late October is clear, dry and cool, with mild afternoons and cold mornings and nights. Pack layers you can add and take off, a warm jacket, a hat for the evenings, and walking shoes that handle stairs, hills and a day on the trail.

What to pack for Seoul in October

Pack layers for a 10-degree swing, from cold mornings to mild afternoons, and shoes for long days on foot.

Clothes

Long-sleeved tops and T-shirts to layer: afternoons reach about 18 °C.
A warm sweater or fleece for the mornings and the evenings.
A warm jacket, a light down or padded one that packs small: the nights get close to 6 °C by the end of the month.
Jeans or trousers, and a pair that moves well for the hills.
A thin layer to wear under a rented hanbok.
A hat and a light scarf for the evenings and the windy viewpoints.

Shoes

Comfortable walking shoes with cushioned, grippy soles: the subway’s stairs, Namsan and the palace grounds add up.
Shoes that slip on and off easily: some restaurants and guesthouses have floor seating.
Socks in good shape, and spare pairs.
Trail shoes, if you plan to hike Bukhansan: the paths are rocky.

For the day

A small backpack or crossbody bag for the layers you take off at noon.
A small bag for your trash: there are few bins in the streets.
Some cash in won for market stalls and to top up your transit card.
Sunglasses and sunscreen: the autumn sun is bright on clear days.

Documents, money and tech

Passport, valid for your whole stay.
Your K-ETA approval or visa, if you need one: check before you go (see below).
A plug adapter if your plugs aren’t types C or F: sockets are 220 V.
A power bank for maps, the subway app and photos.
An eSIM with mobile data, so maps and translation work from the airport.

Good to know

Weather: in the last ten days of October, Seoul runs from about 8 to 18 °C (46 to 64 °F), by the 1991–2020 averages of KMA, Korea’s weather service, for the Seoul station. By October 31, the averages drop to about 6 to 16 °C (43 to 61 °F). It’s the dry season: about 19 mm of rain falls in those ten days.
Autumn leaves: the colors come down from the mountains toward the end of the month. Bukhansan and Namsan turn first, then the ginkgo trees along the city streets.
Palaces: Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays, and entry is free for anyone wearing hanbok.
Getting around: buy a T-money card at a convenience store or a subway station and use it on the subway and buses. Top-ups at the machines are in cash. Transfers can mean long corridors and many stairs.
Money: Korean won (KRW). Cards are accepted almost everywhere; some market stalls prefer cash.
Plugs: types C and F, 220 V.
Entry: many nationalities enter South Korea without a visa but need a K-ETA, an electronic travel authorization, approved before they fly. Some, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, are exempt until December 31, 2026. Check what applies to your passport on the official K-ETA site (checked October 6, 2026).
Another city in October: what to pack for Istanbul in October. Or Japan in spring: what to pack for Japan in cherry-blossom season.

Questions

How cold is Seoul in October?

In late October, Seoul runs from about 8 to 18 °C (46 to 64 °F), and by October 31 from about 6 to 16 °C (43 to 61 °F). Mornings and nights are cold, and afternoons are mild.

Does it rain in Seoul in October?

Very little: about 19 mm of rain falls in the last ten days of October. Most days are clear and dry.

What should I wear in Seoul in October?

Layers: long-sleeved tops, a warm sweater or fleece, and a warm jacket that packs small for the nights. Add a hat and a light scarf for the evenings, and comfortable walking shoes with grippy soles that slip on and off easily.

When do the leaves change color in Seoul?

Toward the end of October. The mountains, like Bukhansan and Namsan, turn first, then the ginkgo trees along the city streets.

Do I need a K-ETA for South Korea?

It depends on your passport. Many nationalities that enter without a visa need a K-ETA approved before they fly, and some, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, are exempt until December 31, 2026. Check what applies to you on the official K-ETA site.