Kimchi stew at a plastic table, steam on your glasses, and it is 11pm with the market still going.
Autumn is Seoul at its best. Dry, bright, cool enough to walk all day. Xiamen Air is flying London to Seoul from £372 return across September and October.
✈️ The deal
- From: London Heathrow, United Kingdom
- To: Seoul, South Korea
- Airline: Xiamen Air
- Stops: 1 stop
- Price: £372–£399 return
- When: September to October 2026
Example dates:
18/09/2026 – 13/10/2026 20/09/2026 – 22/10/2026 22/09/2026 – 14/10/2026
Check dates on Trip.com
💰 How far does your money go?
A pint in London is £6.50 before you have sat down. A cold beer from a Seoul convenience store is about 2,000 won, near £1.20, and nobody minds you drinking it on a park bench. Street food at Gwangjang or Hongdae runs 2,000 to 5,000 won a plate, £1.20 to £3. A full Korean BBQ dinner with all the sides comes to about 15,000 won, under £9. You can eat well on £20 a day.
☀️ The weather
You are landing in the best stretch of the Korean year. September starts warm, high 20s by day, then eases off. By mid-October highs sit around 19°C and nights drop to 10°C, so bring a jacket. Rain is rare, three or four wet days in the month, and the skies turn sharp and blue. Late October brings the first autumn colour to the palace gardens and the hills around the city.
🏨 Where to stay
Book early. Central rooms in Myeongdong and Hongdae fill fast in autumn.
Nine Tree by Parnas Seoul Myeongdong 1 — 8.7/10 · From £78/night Compact, spotless rooms a two-minute walk from Myeongdong's food streets and the airport bus stop.
RYSE, Autograph Collection — 8.8/10 · From £150/night Design hotel in the middle of Hongdae. Rooftop bar, record shop in the lobby, the airport express two stops away.
Signiel Seoul — 9.0/10 · From £420/night High in the Lotte World Tower, floor-to-ceiling views over the river and the mountains, a pool near the 76th floor.
🎯 What to do
A city you take on foot, then by metro when your legs give out.
Bukhansan ridge hike — Granite peaks straight off the end of a metro line. Half a day up to Baegundae for the whole city laid out below.
Gyeongbokgung at opening — Be there before 9am for the changing of the guard, then walk out the back into the wooden lanes of Bukchon Hanok Village.
Gwangjang Market — Sit at a stall for mung bean pancakes and mayak gimbap. Cash only, elbows out, no English menu needed.
Chimaek by the Han River — Fried chicken and cold beer on the grass at Yeouido as the bridges light up. Order it to the park on an app and it finds you.
🗺️ Where to go from here
Seoul is the front door to the whole country.
Busan — Beaches, a raw fish market and the painted hillside of Gamcheon, 2 hours 15 by KTX from Seoul Station. Jeonju — Hanok village, hanbok for hire and the birthplace of bibimbap, under 2 hours by KTX. Nami Island — Tree-lined lanes best walked in autumn colour, 1 to 2 hours by train and ferry. Sokcho and Seoraksan — Red-and-gold granite peaks at their best in late October, seaside fish market in town, about 2.5 hours by express bus. Jeju — Volcanic island, coast paths and lava tubes, 1 hour by domestic flight.
Autumn seats to Seoul at this price do not sit around. Pick your dates now, sort the train tickets later.
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