Seoul Travel Forum

I am going to Mongolia and Seuol is on the way. I have never been to Korea, and plan to go there to visit one day. I hear July has monsoons and maybe typhoons - how bad do they get? Is it best to stay only say 2 days, and come back another time to see it properly>

Hmmm...I don't know where you heard that, but the only thing about July to be aware of is the heat. It can get pretty hot and humid. As far as monsoons, it can get rainy with some periods of heavy rain towards the end of July and the middle of August, but nothing like the rest of the Pacific...Korea is too far north for that. Typhoons? Well, typhoon season runs from May to November in the Pacific and yes...occasionally (very occasionally), Korea may experience the affects of a typhoon (usually down in the Busan area), but I wouldn't really worry about that too much. You would have a greater chance of that on the east coast of China and Taiwan than in Korea.

2 days? That will be up to you. Once you see it, you may not want to leave and skip your trip to Mongolia. 2 days is not nearly enough in my opinion.

Hi there,

I have travelled in Mongolia and also visited Seoul several times and enjoyed both places for very different reasons. As the previous poster has said you shouldn't worry about typhoons as it is unlikely this will affect your stay in Seoul. If you are able to stay 2 days you could see a few things, like Namdaemon and maybe some palaces but you wouldn't be able to do very much. Even if it is 2 days I wouldn't not go just because you won't see much as it is enough to at least get a taste for the place and if you find you really like it then you can plan another trip :)
My Seoul page and my Mongolia page should have some useful information for your trip.

Cheers,
Rhianon

Since you didn't fill-out your profile I don't know where you're coming from but if you have trouble with heat and humidity, you really shouldn't spend too much time in Seoul in July. As mentioned above, the biggest problem(s) you will face is the scorching heat and - very likely - rain (I think around 50% of the yearly rainfall pours down in July).

Anyway, coming back to Korea is always worth the trip! ;-)

Cheers,
Robert

Monsoons, typhoons, not likely. Like old dude said further south is where you'll encounter that.
But it DOES rain in july.
rainy season varies, but it can start at the beginning of july, the middle, or the end. but when it rains, it pours.
check the week-ahead forecast, if you can cut it that close.
2 days?
well, the airport is 2 hours from the city, and i'd spend most of my time centrally to maximize sight-seeing and time management.
if you like climbing, there are lots of trekking trails within spitting distance of most anywhere. avoid sundays, as there's a traffic jam going up and down, but then again, you'd get to see koreans up close, and it's really not THAT bad.
your best bet is to see the palaces, or take a seoul city bus tour.
having said that, perhaps beijing (if you haven't already been there, might be worth considering, although i imagine that 2 days in seoul is better than 2 days in beijing. you might wish to spend more than that in beijing).