How much does the shuttle cost?

Nothing. It is a free service for museum visitors connecting the Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon buildings. You pay only for exhibition admission, which is charged separately at each building.

Which days does it run?

Tuesday to Friday only. It does not run on Mondays, at weekends or on public holidays, and it does not run on any day when either the Seoul or the Gwacheon building is closed — which rules Mondays out entirely, since Gwacheon closes weekly.

No booking procedure is published. That is not quite the same as a guaranteed seat, since no capacity figure is published either, so a group should call the Seoul building on 02-3701-9500 in advance.

Where do I catch it at Deoksugung?

At the rear entrance of The Plaza hotel, opposite City Hall — not inside the palace and not at Daehanmun gate. This is the single most common mistake with this service.

Does it run over the Chuseok holiday?

The rule is that it does not run on public holidays, and the Seoul building closes on Chuseok day itself, so it is very unlikely. The museum has not published a specific holiday notice, so ring 02-3701-9500 if you need to be certain.

Notice·National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

MMCA runs a free shuttle between its three buildings, Tuesday to Friday

Kang Shin-wookPublished 22 September 2026Updated 21 September 20267 sources checkedEditorial policy 이 글을 한국어로 읽기

Shuttle information (Seoul)

The essentials

Dates: Year-round, Tuesday to Friday (Year-round)
Where: MMCA Seoul, MMCA Deoksugung and MMCA Gwacheon
Admission: Free. Exhibition admission is separate
Booking: None announced, and no capacity is published
Who it is for: Museum visitors
Language: The shuttle information pages exist in Korean; the stops are not signed prominently in English. The route itself needs no language, but look at the photographs on the museum's accessibility pages before your first trip.
Route: Seoul to Deoksugung to Gwacheon, and back the other way
Days: Tuesday to Friday. Not Mondays, weekends or public holidays
Frequency: Four times a day in each direction
Seoul stop: The surface car park beside the administration building
Deoksugung stop: The rear entrance of The Plaza hotel, opposite City Hall — not inside the palace
Gwacheon stop: The stop beside Solbaram-tteul
Does not run: On any day either the Seoul or the Gwacheon building is closed

Written up from National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea's own announcement of 10 September 2026. Details change — check the official page before you travel.

A free art shuttle connects MMCA's Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon buildings four times a day in each direction, Tuesday to Friday only. It does not run at weekends, on Mondays or on public holidays, and none of the three stops is at the building's main entrance — the Deoksugung stop is not even inside the palace. No booking, no fare, and exhibition admission is separate.

In short

The shuttle is free and no booking procedure is published. You pay only for exhibitions.
It runs Tuesday to Friday, four times a day in each direction. Not Mondays, not weekends, not public holidays.
Departures are 10:00am, noon, 2:00pm and 4:00pm from Seoul and Gwacheon; from Deoksugung 10:15am, 12:15pm, 2:15pm and 4:15pm towards Gwacheon and 10:50am, 12:50pm, 2:50pm and 4:50pm towards Seoul.
None of the three stops is at a main entrance. The Deoksugung stop is across the road from the palace, behind a hotel.

The front and colonnade of the Seokjojeon west wing, which houses MMCA Deoksugung. — MMCA Deoksugung, in the west wing of Seokjojeon — one of the three buildings the shuttle links. Photo: Shene81 / Wikimedia Commons

MMCA is four buildings in four places, and the obvious problem with that is getting between them. The museum's answer is a free shuttle linking three of them — Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon — which means it is genuinely possible to see all three in a day without a taxi. Two conditions apply, and both catch people out.

The timetable

Only departure times are published. There is no arrival time and no journey duration, so read the table as when the bus leaves that stop, and do not build a tight schedule on the back of it.

Departures, four a day

From Seoul: 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm
From Deoksugung, towards Gwacheon: 10:15am, 12:15pm, 2:15pm, 4:15pm
From Deoksugung, towards Seoul: 10:50am, 12:50pm, 2:50pm, 4:50pm
From Gwacheon: 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm

Where you actually board

This is where most people go wrong. All three stops are away from the building entrance, and the Deoksugung one is not in the palace at all — it is behind a hotel on the far side of the road from Deoksugung, near City Hall. If you stand at Daehanmun gate waiting for a bus, it will not come.

The three stops

Seoul: The surface car park beside the administration building — a walk from the main entrance
Deoksugung: The rear entrance of The Plaza hotel, opposite City Hall. Not inside the palace
Gwacheon: The stop beside Solbaram-tteul

The shuttle bus stop at MMCA Seoul and the surface car park around it. — The MMCA Seoul shuttle stop — not at the main entrance, but in the surface car park beside the office wing. Photo: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea · Original

Seoul Plaza and the area around Seoul City Hall, where the Deoksugung shuttle stop is. — The Deoksugung shuttle stop is across Seoul Plaza from here, by the rear entrance of The Plaza hotel. Photo: Seoul Metropolitan Government, General Affairs Division / Wikimedia Commons

The museum's accessibility pages carry photographs of each stop and a map of the walk to it. Opening the page for whichever building you are starting from is five minutes well spent before a first trip.

The shuttle is free; the exhibitions are not

Each building sets its own hours and prices. Seoul runs a combined ticket when several special exhibitions are on; Gwacheon and Cheongju charge their own admissions; Deoksugung needs a palace ticket on top of the museum one. Under-25s and over-65s are free everywhere, and Culture Day, the last Wednesday of the month, is free for everyone — and falls on a shuttle day.

Gate guards in traditional dress on duty in front of Daehanmun at Deoksugung. — MMCA Deoksugung is inside Deoksugung, so the palace admission is charged on top of the museum's. Photo: revi / Wikimedia Commons

A three-building day

10:00am, leave Seoul from the car park beside the administration building.
Get off at Deoksugung for the museum and a walk in the palace.
12:15pm or 2:15pm, board at the rear of The Plaza hotel towards Gwacheon.
Gwacheon: the galleries and the outdoor sculpture park.
4:00pm from Gwacheon, 4:50pm from Deoksugung, back to Seoul.

The glass exhibition block, the hanok buildings and the hills behind, seen from the MMCA Seoul courtyard. — The MMCA Seoul courtyard — the glass exhibition block and the Jongchinbu hanok in one frame. Photo: jens kuu / Wikimedia Commons

Gyeongeundang of the Jongchinbu still standing in the MMCA Seoul grounds, city buildings behind it. — Gyeongeundang of the Jongchinbu in the MMCA Seoul grounds — where traditional architecture and the city overlap. Photo: Jjw / Wikimedia Commons

The exterior of MMCA Gwacheon at night, lit up. — MMCA Gwacheon after dark. Photo: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

The front of MMCA Deoksugung and the fountain plaza in front of it on a clear day. — MMCA Deoksugung and the fountain plaza. Photo: Wei-Te Wong / Wikimedia Commons

Gwacheon and Deoksugung both close at 6:00pm, so taking the last outbound service to either leaves almost no time inside. Seoul is open to 9:00pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which makes it the right building to end at.

The MMCA Deoksugung building and the fountain plaza in front of it in evening light. — The light at MMCA Deoksugung that you get if you take one of the afternoon departures, at 2:15pm or 4:15pm. Photo: Eunmi Park / Wikimedia Commons

Before you rely on it

Mondays are impossible: Gwacheon closes every Monday, and the shuttle does not run on any day either Seoul or Gwacheon is shut.
One-off closures count too — a temporary closure at either building can stop the service.
No capacity is published. The absence of a booking procedure does not guarantee a seat; if you are a group, ring ahead on 02-3701-9500.
The Deoksugung leg runs past City Hall and the museum notes that departure times can shift with traffic. Do not depend on the last service.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How much does the shuttle cost?: Nothing. It is a free service for museum visitors connecting the Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon buildings. You pay only for exhibition admission, which is charged separately at each building.
Q. Which days does it run?: Tuesday to Friday only. It does not run on Mondays, at weekends or on public holidays, and it does not run on any day when either the Seoul or the Gwacheon building is closed — which rules Mondays out entirely, since Gwacheon closes weekly.
Q. Do I need to book?: No booking procedure is published. That is not quite the same as a guaranteed seat, since no capacity figure is published either, so a group should call the Seoul building on 02-3701-9500 in advance.
Q. Where do I catch it at Deoksugung?: At the rear entrance of The Plaza hotel, opposite City Hall — not inside the palace and not at Daehanmun gate. This is the single most common mistake with this service.
Q. Does it run over the Chuseok holiday?: The rule is that it does not run on public holidays, and the Seoul building closes on Chuseok day itself, so it is very unlikely. The museum has not published a specific holiday notice, so ring 02-3701-9500 if you need to be certain.

Sources

Official notice (Korean)

Written in our own words from the sources above, never copied from them, and every date and price checked against at least two pages. The originals are in Korean. Spotted a mistake? Ask for a correction.