Visiting South Korea in September

September brings a welcome return to comfortable temperatures and clear skies, making it one of the best months to visit. Early autumn colours begin appearing in the mountains toward the end of the month, and Chuseok, Korea's harvest festival and biggest family holiday, often falls in September, bringing ancestral rites, traditional food and a nationwide travel rush as families head home. Gyeongju, as the ancient Silla capital, is a particularly special place to be for it. Late in the month, Andong hosts its lively International Mask Dance Festival, with UNESCO-listed mask dances, parades and performances running into early October. Outside the holidays and festivities, September is wonderfully mild and increasingly popular with visitors looking to beat the crowds of October.