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Guide · National Palace Museum of Korea · 9 min read

Seoul's Five Palaces and Jongmyo: Tickets, Closing Days, Tours

Admission, the 6,000-won combination ticket, the Monday-or-Tuesday closing day of each site, hanbok free entry, seasonal hours, English tour times and the Secret Garden booking rules, checked against Korea Heritage Service pages.

Kang Shin-wookUpdated 22 September 2026Editorial policy

Seoul's Joseon palaces are run by one agency, the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (궁능유적본부) of the Korea Heritage Service, so the rules are consistent, but the details that trip up visitors differ by site: two close on Tuesday, the rest on Monday, and only one part of one palace needs a timed reservation. Everything below was checked 22 September 2026 against the center's own pages, linked under Sources. The English portal carries history essays and the hanbok dress code; the fee, hours and tour tables live on the Korean pages, so those are the ones cited.

In short

  • Adult admission is 3,000 won at Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) and Changdeokgung (창덕궁), and 1,000 won at Changgyeonggung (창경궁), Deoksugung (덕수궁) and Jongmyo Shrine (종묘). Gyeonghuigung (경희궁), run by the city, is free.
  • The combination ticket costs 6,000 won, covers one visit to each of the four palaces plus Jongmyo within six months, and excludes Changdeokgung's Secret Garden.
  • Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesday; Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Gyeonghuigung close on Monday.
  • Foreign visitors aged 18 and under or 65 and over enter free, as does anyone in properly worn hanbok.
  • Every paid site runs free English tours on its open days; only the Secret Garden (후원) and Jongmyo on weekdays require entry at a fixed time with a guide.

How much does each site cost, and who gets in free?

Foreign visitors pay the adult rate from age 19 to 64; Korean nationals from 25 to 64. Outside those ages you enter free, so for a foreign family children up to 18 and grandparents from 65 pay nothing at any of the five paid sites.

Changdeokgung has two tickets. The palace buildings cost 3,000 won; the Secret Garden is a separate 5,000 won for adults and 2,500 won for ages 7 to 18, and it does not replace the palace ticket. The garden also drops most free categories: seniors pay the full 5,000 won and only children aged 6 and under go free.

The center's free list also covers hanbok wearers of any nationality, registered disabled visitors (plus one companion for severe disabilities) and pregnant women with one companion. The last Wednesday of each month is "Culture Day", with free entry to the palaces and Jongmyo, again excluding the garden. Groups of ten or more pay 2,400 won at Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung and 800 won at Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung; Jongmyo and the garden have no group rate.

The hanbok rule has a dress code. Traditional and modernised hanbok both qualify, but you must wear the top (jeogori) and a skirt or trousers together, with the ribbon tied. A jeogori over jeans, a hanbok skirt with a T-shirt, or an overcoat alone is not admitted free. The Korean Q&A states that foreigners in hanbok are covered.

Which palace is closed on which day?

SiteAdult admissionClosedEnglish tour
Gyeongbokgung3,000 wonTuesday11:00, 13:30, 15:30, every open day
Changdeokgung (palace)3,000 wonMonday10:15, 13:15, Tue–Sun
Changdeokgung Secret Garden5,000 won extraMonday10:30, 11:30, 14:30 all year; 15:30 Mar–Nov
Changgyeonggung1,000 wonMonday11:00, 15:00, Tue–Sun
Deoksugung1,000 wonMonday10:45, 13:30, Tue–Sun
Jongmyo Shrine1,000 wonTuesday10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 on Mon, Wed–Fri, Sun, Culture Day
GyeonghuigungFreeMonday, 1 JanuaryNone listed

If a closing day falls on a public holiday the site opens and takes the next non-holiday off instead. Plan around the split: on a Monday you can still do Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo; on a Tuesday the other four are open. Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung share a connecting gate, and Jongmyo sits just south of Changgyeonggung, so a Tuesday works well in that corner of Jongno.

What are the opening hours by season?

The two big palaces shorten their day in winter. Gyeongbokgung opens 09:00 to 17:00 from November to February, to 18:00 in March to May and September to October, and to 18:30 from June to August, with last entry an hour before closing. Changdeokgung runs 09:00 to 17:30 from November to January, to 18:00 from February to May and September to October, and to 18:30 from June to August.

Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung keep 09:00 to 21:00 all year with last entry at 20:00, which makes them the reliable evening option. Jongmyo's general-viewing days run 09:00 to 18:00 in spring and autumn, to 18:30 in summer and to 17:30 in winter. Gyeonghuigung is open 09:00 to 18:00. Staff start ushering visitors out 30 minutes before closing.

Gyeongbokgung night openings are a seasonal event, not a standing schedule. The current run, announced on 18 August 2026, covers 2 September to 2 October 2026, 19:00 to 21:30 with last entry at 20:30 and no sessions on Mondays or Tuesdays. Tickets are 3,000 won, sold through NOL Ticket (Interpark) up to the day before, with 300 same-day tickets per evening held for foreign visitors at the Gwanghwamun box office (two per person, passport required). Free categories need no booking. Each run is announced separately, so check the Gyeongbokgung notice board on the center's site before planning an evening around it.

How does the Secret Garden reservation work for foreigners?

The garden is a timed, guided visit of about 70 minutes capped at 100 people per slot: 50 tickets online and 50 at the palace on the day. Online sales open at 10:00 six days before the visit date (the visit day is not counted) and close the day before; the on-site half goes on sale from 09:00. The center warns that in April, May, October and November both halves sell out very quickly.

Slots are grouped by language. English runs Tuesday to Sunday at 10:30, 11:30 and 14:30, plus 15:30 from March to November. Korean nationals cannot join a foreign-language slot unless accompanying a foreign visitor, up to two per group. The meeting point is a 15-minute walk from the Geumhomun entrance, and a missed slot is neither admitted nor refunded. The Ongnyucheon area at the far end is closed for conservation until further notice. Bookings go through the ticketing platform linked from the center's fee page, which also handles Jongmyo's weekday slots. The combination ticket is not valid for the garden.

How much English do you actually get?

Each paid site posts a regular English tour by its own heritage interpreters, free with admission and needing no booking for groups under ten. Gyeongbokgung's three daily tours run on every open day including weekends. Changdeokgung's palace tour leaves from the guard post opposite Injeongmun and takes about 50 minutes. Changgyeonggung's starts beside the Okcheongyo bridge and lasts about an hour. Deoksugung's leaves from the information board past Daehanmun; the Seokjojeon hall inside has separate English sessions at 11:50 and 14:50, reserved at the desk on arrival.

Jongmyo works differently. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday you can only enter at a fixed time with a guide in your language group; each slot admits 200 people, 100 booked online 30 to 3 days ahead and 100 sold at the gate. On Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Culture Day the shrine switches to general viewing: you pay and walk in freely, and the English tour still runs on Sundays. Foreign-language tours everywhere are for foreign visitors; Koreans may join only as companions.

Where and how do you buy tickets?

Each site has a box office at its main gate, the only place the combination ticket is sold. Combination-ticket refunds are possible only at the palace where you bought it and only if none of its stubs has been torn. The center's regulations require computerised ticketing and allow card and mobile e-ticket issue alongside the counter; the night-opening notice describes mobile-ticket entry and self-service pickup machines at Gwanghwamun.

Online purchase is limited to the capped programmes: the Secret Garden and Jongmyo weekday slots, Gyeongbokgung night openings through NOL Ticket, and Deoksugung's Seokjojeon interior (15 online places per session, plus five on-site places per general session for visitors over 65 and foreigners). Ordinary daytime admission is not sold online; you simply turn up.

Frequently asked questions

Is the combination ticket worth it? If you will see all five sites it saves 3,000 won against 9,000 won in separate adult tickets and stays valid for six months. Skip it if you drop Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, and remember it never covers the Secret Garden.

Can I visit Jongmyo without a tour? Yes, on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the last Wednesday of the month. On other open weekdays you must join a timed guided slot; on Tuesdays it is closed.

Do my children need tickets? Foreign visitors aged 18 and under are free at every site run by the center. The exception is the Secret Garden, where only ages 6 and under are free and ages 7 to 18 pay 2,500 won.

Is Gyeongbokgung open at night? Only during announced runs. The 2026 autumn run ends on 2 October 2026 and skips Mondays and Tuesdays. Look for the newest night-viewing notice in the Gyeongbokgung section of the center's site before booking around it.

Does rented hanbok count? Yes, as long as it is a full outfit worn as the guideline describes. Nationality does not matter. Partial or T-shirt-style hanbok is turned away.

Sources

Last updated 2026-09-22