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Palaces · Korea Heritage Service

Royal Palaces and Tombs Center

Seoul's five palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs — one authority, one ticket system, two different closing days

Integrated reservation (night openings, Secret Garden)Official site02-6450-3800

Five Joseon palaces survive in central Seoul, along with Jongmyo Shrine and forty royal tombs scattered around the capital, and all of them are run by a single body under the Korea Heritage Service. That matters in practice: they share one ticketing and reservation system, one set of concessions, and one rule about hanbok. Wear hanbok and general admission to the palaces is free, which is why the rental shops cluster around Gyeongbokgung's gates.

The trap for a visitor is the closing days, because they are not the same across the five. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesdays; Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung close on Mondays. Plan a Tuesday around Changdeokgung and a Monday around Gyeongbokgung and you will never find a locked gate. Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung also stay open until 9pm all year, which makes them the two to keep for an evening.

Visiting

Hours
Gyeongbokgung 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (Nov–Feb), 6:00 pm (Mar–May and Sep–Oct), 6:30 pm (Jun–Aug); last admission one hour before closing Changdeokgung 9:00 am – 5:30 pm (Nov–Jan), 6:00 pm (Feb–May and Sep–Oct), 6:30 pm (Jun–Aug) Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung 9:00 am – 9:00 pm all year (last admission 8:00 pm) Jongmyo: walk round freely on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; timed guided entry on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Closed
Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesdays; Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung close on Mondays. When a closing day falls on a public holiday the site opens, and closes instead on the next day that is not a holiday
Admission
KRW 3,000 at Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung; KRW 1,000 at Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo (ages 25 to 64). Changdeokgung's Secret Garden is a separate KRW 5,000. Free if you are 24 or under, 65 or over, or wearing hanbok
Address
Gyeongbokgung: 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu · Changdeokgung: 99 Yulgok-ro · Changgyeonggung: 185 Changgyeonggung-ro · Deoksugung: 99 Sejong-daero · Jongmyo: 157 Jong-ro, all Seoul
Getting there
Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) for Gyeongbokgung; Anguk Station (Line 3) for Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo; City Hall (Lines 1 and 2) for Deoksugung
From the airport
From Incheon (ICN): AREX to Seoul Station, then Line 1 or 2 to City Hall for Deoksugung, or Line 4 to Chungmuro and Line 3 to Anguk or Gyeongbokgung for the others — 80 to 95 minutes. From Gimpo (GMP): Line 5 to Jongno 3-ga, then Line 3 one stop to Anguk
  • Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung share a connecting gate, so the two can be walked as a single visit on one afternoon.
  • Deoksugung's stone-wall road and its 9pm closing make it the best of the five after dark.
  • Night openings at Gyeongbokgung and the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung are seasonal and go through the integrated reservation site, not the ticket window.

Checked against the official pages on 2026-09-21. Hours and fees change — confirm before you travel. Official site

How much English you will find

  • Free guided tours in English, Japanese and Chinese run at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo. They need no reservation and start from the information point inside each gate; the current timetable is on each palace's page.
  • Changdeokgung's Secret Garden is visited on a guided tour, and English-language departures are scheduled separately from the Korean ones — check which slot you are booking.
  • Jongmyo on weekdays can only be entered with a guide at set times, and English is one of the languages offered; at weekends and on public holidays you can walk round on your own.
  • The English admission and hanbok pages on royal.khs.go.kr are kept current and are the ones to trust for prices and concessions.

Exhibitions and events

Full schedule

How to visit

  1. 1

    Pick the palace by the day of the week

    Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo shut on Tuesdays and the other three palaces shut on Mondays, so there is no day of the week on which everything is closed. If your Monday is free, make it Gyeongbokgung; if it is Tuesday, make it Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, which share a wall and can be done as one visit.

  2. 2

    Book the Secret Garden separately, and early

    Changdeokgung's rear garden is not covered by the palace ticket or by the hanbok exemption. It costs extra, runs as timed guided entry with a capped number of places, and is released through the integrated reservation site in advance. It is the one thing here that genuinely sells out.

  3. 3

    Wear hanbok if you were going to anyway

    Hanbok gets you into the palaces free — not a discount, free — and the rental shops around Gyeongbokgung station exist for exactly this. The exemption covers general palace admission and not the Secret Garden, and the official page sets out what counts as properly worn hanbok.

Frequently asked questions

Is it true that hanbok gets you in free?

Yes, and it is free entry rather than a discount. It applies to general admission at the palaces, which is why hanbok rental shops cluster around Gyeongbokgung Station. It does not cover Changdeokgung's Secret Garden, and the Korea Heritage Service publishes what it counts as properly worn hanbok on its English page.

Which palace should I choose if I only have time for one?

Gyeongbokgung if you want scale, the changing of the guard and the two museums on the grounds; Changdeokgung if you want the better-preserved buildings and the garden. Whichever you pick, check the day first — Gyeongbokgung is shut on Tuesdays and Changdeokgung on Mondays.

Can I book the Secret Garden from abroad?

It is released through the integrated reservation site a set number of days ahead and the places are capped, so it needs planning rather than luck. If the online slots have gone, a limited number of same-day tickets are usually sold at Changdeokgung itself — worth asking at the ticket window early in the day.

Are the royal tombs worth a trip?

They are quiet, green and almost entirely free of crowds, which is exactly their appeal if you have been fighting through Gyeongbokgung. They are spread around the edges of Seoul and into Gyeonggi-do rather than in the centre, so treat one as a half-day rather than an add-on.

Buildings and branches

  • Gyeongbokgung Palace

    Night openings are booked through the integrated reservation site

    Hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (Nov–Feb), 6:00 pm (Mar–May, Sep–Oct), 6:30 pm (Jun–Aug); last admission one hour before closing

    Closed: Tuesdays

    Admission: KRW 3,000; free if 24 or under, 65 or over, or in hanbok

  • Changdeokgung Palace

    The Secret Garden is capped and booked ahead; the Moonlight Tour is seasonal

    Hours: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm (Nov–Jan), 6:00 pm (Feb–May, Sep–Oct), 6:30 pm (Jun–Aug)

    Closed: Mondays

    Admission: KRW 3,000, plus KRW 5,000 for the Secret Garden on a timed booking

  • Deoksugung Palace

    Beside City Hall; the Seokjojeon building is visited on a separate booking

    Hours: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm all year (last admission 8:00 pm)

    Closed: Mondays

    Admission: KRW 1,000

  • Changgyeonggung Palace

    Connected to Changdeokgung by a gate in the shared wall

    Hours: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm all year (last admission 8:00 pm)

    Closed: Mondays

    Admission: KRW 1,000

  • Jongmyo Shrine

    Ritual ceremony dates are announced on the notices page

    Hours: Free-flow on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; timed guided entry Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

    Closed: Tuesdays

    Admission: KRW 1,000

  • Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

    Forty tombs across four regional offices — east, central, west and Sejong

    Hours: Varies by tomb, generally 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and shorter in winter

    Closed: Mondays

    Admission: Mostly KRW 1,000; some are free

Official channels

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