If you’re headed to Korea for spring and you happen to be in Busan, you must participate in the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival! It’s known as one of the biggest cherry blossom festivals in the region and offers themed activities alongside stunning views of the flowers in full bloom.
Here’s a guide to how you can maximise your experience at the festival!
What Is The Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival?
This year, the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival will be happening from 22 March 2024 to 1 April 2024.
Jinhae is a naval city that hosts several naval bases including that of the Republic of Korea Navy and US Naval Fleet. Despite its military status, the city has made a name for itself with its explosive population of cherry blossom trees – almost 340,000 of them!
And so, the Cherry Blossom Festival – a.k.a Jinhae Naval Festival (진해군항제) – was started to commemorate the blooms.
Something special we learnt was that there are multiple species of cherry blossoms in the area! These include the indigenous Korean species and the Yoshino blossom from Japan (due to it’s history as a port for the Japanese Imperial Navy), all coming together to paint the town pink.
How To Get To Jinhae
The most convenient way is to get to Jinhae is join a day tour, which can bring you directly to the heart of the cherry blossom festival! These are available both from Seoul or Busan, and usually have two-way transportation.
The journey separately from Seoul takes about 4 to 5 hours drive, versus 1 to 2 hours from Busan. We opted for a day tour which picked us up from Busan KTX station, super convenient!
Main Spots For Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival
The cherry blossom festival spans over a few areas which are all within walking distance of each other. There’s no set route to take, so we recommend taking your time to explore at your own pace!
The area can get very crowded so we recommend coming earlier on a weekday to avoid having to squeeze.
Gyeonghwa Station (경화역벚꽃길)
The most famous spot would be Gyeonghwa Station, a decommissioned train station lined from end to end with cherry blossom trees!
It was quite breathtaking in real life with the ocean of pink and white.
There’s also a Mugunghwa-style train on display for photos, providing a contrast of blue and red. Fair warning that during peak season, it’s impossible to get a picture without people in the background – but from our experience, the pictures still turn out alright.
There are small stalls that sell trinkets like flower crowns and cotton candy. While it’s obviously catered to tourists, they make for good keepsakes.
Gyeonghwa Station (경화역벚꽃길)
649 Jinhae-daero, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경상남도 창원시 진해구 진해대로 648
Naver Maps | Kakao Maps
Yeojwa Stream (여좌천-벚꽃명소)
Another popular spot is Yeojwa Stream, located about 15 minutes walk away from the station. This is also another idyllic spot where the cherry blossom trees stretch their branches toward the water.
It was popularised by the K-drama ‘Romance’, where the two main characters meet. We have to say the entire area did feel like a dreamy K-drama set thanks to the flowers. You can and should take your time to just stroll through the path to enjoy the view.
There were light installations and different features in the stream (like the famous umbrellas) but they probably look better at night!
Yeojwa Stream (여좌천-벚꽃명소)
16 , Yeojwacheon-ro, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경상남도 창원시 진해구 여좌천로 16
Naver Maps | Kakao Maps
Jungwon Intersection (중원로터리)
This is the area to get something to eat, located further down along Yeojwa Stream. Some eateries sell hot dishes like tteokbokki, jeon and even jokbal. We had a simple meal of noodles and found it to be satisfactory but not memorable. It’s good if you’re hungry and in the area!
There are also many workshops and booths set up that you can explore.
We also tried some cherry blossom-themed treats from the food stalls nearby, including ice cream and mochi. To be very honest, these didn’t have a unique taste so we wouldn’t recommend it but you can always get one for the memories.
Jungwon Intersection (중원로터리)
3 Daecheon-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경남 창원시 진해구 대천동 3
Naver Maps | Kakao Maps
Other Cherry Blossom Spots
If you’re keen on exploring the area more, here are a few other spots to hit! There are usually a lot of activities happening during this time.
- Jehwangsan Park (제황산궁원)
- Jinhae Naval Academy
- Jinhae Public Office Building
Cherry Blossom Festival In Busan
The Jinhae Cherry Blossom upholds its name as Korea’s biggest cherry blossom festival for a reason! With the sprawling expanse of cherry blossoms and themed activities, the city is a must visit during Spring to capture the peak of the season.
Check out more of our Spring content to plan for your trip to Korea!
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