Chuseok 2026 (Sept 24-26): What Closes, What Gets Crowded, and a Muslim Traveller's Checklist
Chuseok 2026 at a Glance
Chuseok 2026 falls on Friday, September 25, with the official holiday running Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26. There is no substitute holiday attached this year, so the public holiday block is three days, stretching into Sunday for most people. Chuseok is Korea's harvest thanksgiving and the single largest domestic travel week of the year: millions of Koreans leave the cities for their hometowns, which changes what is open, how long journeys take, and how easy it is to book a train or a driver. If your trip overlaps these dates, the difference between a smooth week and a frustrating one comes down to decisions you make in early September, not on the day.
Date | Day | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
Sept 23 (Wed) | Day before the holiday | Departure traffic builds from late afternoon; trains already full |
Sept 24 (Thu) | Holiday 1 | Heaviest outbound roads; palaces and parks quiet in the morning |
Sept 25 (Fri) | Chuseok Day | Most small businesses closed; Jumu'ah falls on the busiest day |
Sept 26 (Sat) | Holiday 3 | Return traffic begins; city attractions refill |
Sept 27 (Sun) | Weekend | Peak return congestion; airport transfers run late |
For Muslim travellers there is one detail worth circling immediately: Chuseok Day is a Friday. Jumu'ah, the holiday crowd, and the day when the most shops are shut all land on the same afternoon.
What Closes, What Stays Open
The common assumption that "Korea shuts down for Chuseok" is only half right. Large, staffed attractions stay open and often add programming, while small owner-run businesses close so families can travel. In recent years the four royal palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung — plus Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon Royal Tombs have offered free admission during the Chuseok holiday, which makes the holiday one of the cheapest weeks to see them. Confirm the current year's programme on Visit Korea before you plan around it.
Usually open
Royal palaces and heritage sites, often free, with guard-changing ceremonies and evening tours
Theme parks such as Lotte World and Everland, plus N Seoul Tower and Namsangol Hanok Village
Department stores, large malls and franchise cafés, though with shortened hours on Chuseok Day
Convenience stores, which run around the clock and are your reliable fallback for snacks and SIM top-ups
Airports, subways and city buses, on holiday timetables
Often closed
Small independent restaurants, including many family-run halal kitchens
Traditional market stalls — Gwangjang and similar markets thin out sharply on Chuseok Day
Some national museums on Chuseok Day itself, including the National Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum
Clinics, pharmacies and banks, apart from emergency rooms and airport branches
Anything run by one family is likely to close for at least Chuseok Day. Anything run by a company is likely to stay open. That single rule predicts most of what you will find.
Friday Prayer on Chuseok Day
Plan Jumu'ah on September 25 before you plan anything else that afternoon. Seoul Central Masjid in Itaewon is the main mosque in the capital area; it opens daily from around 09:00 to 21:00 and holds Jumu'ah at approximately 13:00, drawing several hundred worshippers on an ordinary Friday. On a public holiday, with more residents and visitors free at midday, expect the prayer hall and the surrounding streets to be busier than usual.
Practical steps that make the day work:
Arrive 30–45 minutes early rather than the usual 15, and expect the upper floors to fill first
Do not schedule a tour, a KTX departure or an airport transfer between 12:00 and 15:00 on that Friday
Have a second option nearby — the Itaewon area has several prayer spaces attached to restaurants and shops, and department stores in Myeongdong and Gangnam maintain quiet rooms
Check opening hours the day before, since holiday schedules are sometimes posted late
If you are outside Seoul that week, locate your prayer space in advance rather than on the day. The KoreHalal Trip app maps mosques and musalla across the country, including prayer rooms inside malls and highway rest stops, which is exactly the information that becomes hard to find when local staff are on holiday.
Getting Around: The Two Days to Avoid the Road
Trains: your booking day depends on which station you leave from
Holiday train tickets are not sold on the usual rolling schedule, and this is where most visitors lose their seats. Korail has published the Chuseok 2026 schedule and the first window opens on Monday 7 September. The detail that catches people out is that KTX sales are split by departure station, not by destination. A Seoul-to-Busan trip and a Yongsan-to-Mokpo trip open on different days. Every general-public window runs 07:00 to 13:00, and sales are through the Korail+ app and website only — not station counters.
Booking day (2026) | Trains | Lines / departure stations |
|---|---|---|
Mon, Sept 7 | Conventional trains (ITX, Mugunghwa) | All lines |
Tue, Sept 8 | KTX from Seoul / Cheongnyangni | Gyeongjeon, Gangneung, Donghae, Jungang, Jungbu-naeryuk |
Wed, Sept 9 | KTX from Yongsan | Honam (Gwangju-Songjeong, Mokpo), Jeolla (Jeonju, Yeosu-EXPO) |
Thu, Sept 10 | KTX from Suseo | Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon, Donghae, Honam, Jeolla |
Fri, Sept 11 | KTX from Seoul | Gyeongbu (Daejeon, Dongdaegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan, Busan) |
Travellers with a disability, senior travellers, pregnant travellers and registered national-merit recipients book earlier, on September 3–4 (09:00–15:00), and can also use the customer centre at 1544-8545.
Two things to do with this table: check which Seoul station your train actually leaves from before September 7 — Seoul, Yongsan, Cheongnyangni and Suseo are four separate stations — and be logged in to Korail+ with your passenger details saved several minutes before 07:00. Popular corridors sell out quickly. Details and the original notice are on the Korail announcement page. Booking is only half of it: general-sale reservations must be paid for by 15 September (18 September for the priority sale) or they are cancelled automatically and released to the waiting list. If you miss the window, express buses and domestic flights release inventory later, and a private vehicle becomes the practical alternative.
Expressways: leave early or leave late
Holiday congestion follows a predictable daily shape. Return traffic builds from mid-morning, peaks between 16:00 and 17:00, and eases after 22:00. In recent years a Busan-to-Seoul drive that normally takes about four hours has stretched to nearly seven when starting at 9 a.m. on a peak day. If you must cover distance during the holiday, travel before 08:00 or after 21:00, and treat any intercity estimate you see on a map app as optimistic. The Korea Expressway Corporation publishes forecast maps at roadplus.co.kr a few days ahead.
Halal Food During the Holiday
Holiday closures hit small restaurants hardest, and many halal-certified and Muslim-friendly kitchens in Korea are small, family-run businesses. Assume reduced availability on September 25 in particular, and build in redundancy:
Call ahead on the 23rd or 24th. Holiday hours are often decided late and rarely posted online.
Stock a day of backup food. Convenience stores and large supermarkets stay open; instant noodles, fruit, bread and packaged snacks with readable ingredient lists cover a day comfortably.
Use the barcode scanner in the KoreHalal Trip app to check ingredients on packaged products when no one is available to ask.
Favour restaurant clusters over single destinations. Itaewon and university districts have enough density that something will be open, whereas a single suburban restaurant may not be.
Book hotel breakfast if it is offered, since hotel dining runs through the holiday when neighbourhood options do not.
Where a restaurant describes itself as Muslim-friendly rather than certified, ask directly about alcohol in cooking and shared fryers — holiday staffing sometimes means a substitute cook and different practices.
Your Pre-Trip Checklist
Mark your train booking day — September 7 for conventional trains, September 8, 9, 10 or 11 for KTX depending on your departure station — and set an alarm for 07:00. Then pay for the reservation by 15 September, or it is cancelled and passed to the waiting list. This is the single decision most likely to determine how your holiday week goes.
Block 12:00–15:00 on Friday, September 25 for Jumu'ah and nothing else.
Confirm your accommodation's holiday policy, including breakfast service, reception hours and luggage storage.
Save the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline — free, 24 hours, multilingual — for the days when other services are closed.
Verify your entry paperwork before you leave home. See our notes on Korea's 2026 entry requirements for K-ETA and the arrival card.
Travelling through Chuseok is not a problem to avoid; it is a week when palaces are free, cities are unusually calm on the holiday morning, and traditional performances appear in places that are ordinarily just tourist stops. It simply rewards planning done three weeks out rather than three days out.
If you would rather not manage the train lottery and the closure map yourself, our team plans Muslim-friendly itineraries with prayer times and halal meals built into the schedule, and runs private vehicles on the days when public transport is at its worst. Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what is realistic for that week.
FAQ
Q: When exactly is Chuseok in 2026?
A: Chuseok Day is Friday, September 25, 2026, and the public holiday runs Thursday September 24 to Saturday September 26. No substitute holiday is attached, so the block is three days, with heavy return travel continuing into Sunday the 27th.
Q: Will shops and restaurants be closed?
A: Large businesses mostly stay open with shorter hours - department stores, malls, franchise cafes, convenience stores and major attractions. Small family-run restaurants and traditional market stalls often close, especially on Chuseok Day itself. Many halal kitchens in Korea are small and family-run, so call ahead on September 23 or 24.
Q: Can I still attend Friday prayer during Chuseok?
A: Yes. Seoul Central Masjid in Itaewon holds Jumu'ah at approximately 13:00 and is open daily from about 09:00 to 21:00. Because Chuseok Day falls on a Friday in 2026, expect it to be busier than usual - arrive 30 to 45 minutes early and keep that afternoon free of tours or transfers.
Q: When do Chuseok train tickets go on sale?
A: General sales run 07:00-13:00 through the Korail+ app and website: September 7 for conventional trains, then KTX by departure station - September 8 for Seoul and Cheongnyangni, September 9 for Yongsan, September 10 for Suseo, and September 11 for Seoul Gyeongbu-line services to Busan. Check which station your train leaves from before booking day.
Q: Is it a bad idea to visit Korea during Chuseok?
A: Not at all - the royal palaces have offered free admission during the holiday in recent years, cities are unusually quiet on Chuseok morning, and traditional performances appear at heritage sites. The trade-off is transport: book trains on the release date and avoid the roads between about 16:00 and 17:00 on return days.
Q: What should I do if I cannot find halal food on Chuseok Day?
A: Keep a day of backup supplies from a convenience store or large supermarket, both of which stay open, and use a barcode scanner to check ingredients on packaged products. Restaurant clusters such as Itaewon are safer bets than a single suburban restaurant, and hotel breakfast usually runs through the holiday.