I landed in Seoul braced for the usual noise, taxis everywhere, crowds, that specific chaos big cities have. Instead, it was oddly quiet. Took me most of a day to figure out why, turns out half the city had just packed up and gone to see their grandparents. That was Chuseok. I had no idea what I’d walked into, and weirdly, it ended up being one of my favorite trips I’ve taken.
So here’s the actual guide. What Chuseok is, how to survive what’s honestly one of the busiest travel weeks in the country, and why I wouldn’t fly here now without already having an eSIM for South Korea sorted before I land.
What Chuseok Actually Is
People call it Korean Thanksgiving, which is a decent shorthand. It’s a three-day holiday tied to the lunar calendar, so the date shifts every year, it’s not fixed like a lot of Western holidays are. In 2026 it lands on September 25, with the full holiday running September 24 through 26.
Families go back to their hometowns. They visit their ancestors’ graves. They cook together, and honestly, the food might be the whole point as far as I’m concerned. There’s this rice cake, songpyeon, shaped like a tiny half-moon, filled with sesame seeds or chestnuts or sweet red bean paste. I ate an unreasonable number of these over three days. No regrets.
It’s a warm holiday. It’s also, genuinely, one of the busiest stretches of travel you’ll find anywhere in Korea, so don’t expect a quiet week just because it sounds cozy.
Here’s the Weird Part Nobody Mentioned to Me
Seoul itself gets quieter. So many people leave the city to see family that places like the palaces and the bigger parks end up feeling almost peaceful, which threw me off completely since I’d read a dozen guides saying to expect crowds everywhere.
A few things shift around at the same time, though. Some of the smaller restaurants and local shops just close up for the holiday, no warning really. The bigger chains and convenience stores stay open, so you’re not going to starve. And every so often there’s some kind of festival happening, I stumbled into the Seoul Autumn Festa completely by accident, wandered into live music and street performances running right through streets that had felt empty ten minutes earlier.
So the city’s calm. Getting anywhere outside it is a different story entirely.
Actually Getting Around During the Rush
Trains and highways get slammed; there’s no getting around that part. A few things genuinely helped me deal with it. Book your KTX tickets early, earlier than feels necessary, honestly, because they sell out fast once Korea Thanksgiving travel season kicks in. Build in extra time at the airport too, particularly if you’re on a regional flight. Skip the highways during peak hours if you have any say in it. And just use a transit app for real-time updates rather than trusting whatever schedule you printed out three days ago, things move around more than you’d think.
If your dates have any give in them, shifting even a single day either side of the main holiday makes a noticeable difference in how packed everything feels.
Why I Won’t Travel Here Without an eSIM Anymore
South Korea runs on mobile data almost entirely. Subway maps, food delivery, paying at a tiny street stall with a QR code- it’s all phone-dependent, constantly, in a way that surprised me even coming from a fairly connected country myself. Throw in a holiday where schedules shift and shops close without much warning, and having real connectivity stops being a nice extra.
This is where an eSIM for South Korea actually earns its place. I set mine up through Commbitz before I even left home, and it just worked the second I landed, no store visit, no digging through my bag for a SIM tool at the airport like an idiot.
If you’re specifically looking for the best eSIM for Chuseok Korea travel, go for something with nationwide coverage rather than a plan that’s really only built around Seoul. There’s a decent chance you’ll end up somewhere smaller during this particular holiday, given that basically everyone else is leaving the city too.
Staying Connected Mattered More Than I Expected It To
This isn’t only about being able to post photos, though sure, I did plenty of that too, not going to pretend otherwise. Having South Korea connectivity actually helped when plans shifted, and during Chuseok, they do shift, more than once, probably.
A real South Korea travel data plan meant I could find a new route the second a train got delayed, message someone about a last-minute change, check if a nearby restaurant was actually still open, or translate a sign when the app just guessed wrong on the Korean, which happened more than I expected.
If You Somehow Get Invited to a Family Gathering
This happened to me once, kind of by accident through a friend of a friend, and I genuinely panicked a little about what I was supposed to bring. It’s simpler than I made it out to be in my head. A small gift works fine, or fruit or traditional snacks. Bow slightly when you meet the elders. Actually eat what you’re offered, even just a bite, don’t just push it around your plate. Keep your voice down during the ancestral rituals; they’re quiet, pretty solemn moments.
Nobody’s expecting you to get it perfectly right. Just making the effort seems to mean something to people.
Final Thoughts
Chuseok is genuinely one of the better times to experience South Korea, family, tradition, incredible food, a decent amount of travel chaos thrown in for good measure. Trains get packed, some shops shut, and the cities go quieter than you’d expect walking in with zero context, as I did.
Book early, pack for autumn weather that seems to change its mind hourly, and set up a Commbitz eSIM before you fly. Then you can just deal with the songpyeon and the surprisingly quiet palace walks instead of worrying about whether you’ve got signal.
FAQs
When is Chuseok in 2026? September 25, 2026, with the holiday period running from September 24 to 26.
Do I need a visa to visit South Korea during Chuseok? Depends on your home country. Plenty of travelers can enter visa-free for short stays, but check before you book anything.
Is South Korea really that crowded during Chuseok? Trains, highways, airports, yes, without question. Seoul itself often feels calmer, oddly enough, since so many locals travel out to see family.
What’s the best eSIM for Chuseok travel in Korea? Something with nationwide coverage, a quick setup, and enough data to handle maps, translation, and messaging for the whole trip.
Can I set up an eSIM before I even land in South Korea? Yes, I bought mine through Commbitz before my flight and was connected the second I touched down at Incheon.
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