Short version: with one day in Seoul, start at Gyeongbokgung 경복궁. With two, add Changdeokgung 창덕궁 and reserve its Huwon 후원 garden tour separately, because that ticket is not the palace ticket.
Check the closing day before you leave the hotel. They do not all close on the same weekday, and turning up on the wrong morning is how a palace day falls apart.
Which of the five palaces to visit first
There are five, not one. All sit in central Seoul, close enough that two in a day is realistic.
| Palace | Good for | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Gyeongbokgung 경복궁 | The main palace. Wide courtyards, the guard ceremony, mountains behind the roofline | Tuesday |
| Changdeokgung 창덕궁 | The prettiest. Buildings follow the hillside instead of flattening it, and Huwon is behind it | Monday |
| Changgyeonggung 창경궁 | Quiet, and joined to Changdeokgung on foot | Mon |
| Deoksugung 덕수궁 | The odd one, with Western stone buildings mixed in. Open late | Mon |
| Gyeonghuigung 경희궁 | The smallest and emptiest. No admission fee | Mon |
If you only have one morning
Go to Gyeongbokgung at opening. Catch the Changing of the Royal Guard Ceremony, held at 10:00 and 14:00 KST and running about twenty minutes, then walk out the east gate toward Bukchon.
Who should skip it: if crowds ruin things for you, swap in Changdeokgung. Chasing a drama scene? Check the location first, because much of what looks like a palace on screen is not one, and we sorted the real ones in K-drama filming locations you can actually visit.
The closing day trap, and the holiday exception
Four of the five close on Mondays. Gyeongbokgung is the odd one out and closes on Tuesdays. So a Monday means Gyeongbokgung only, and a Tuesday means everything except Gyeongbokgung.
Useful exception: when the regular closing day lands on a public holiday, the palace opens anyway and the closure shifts to the next ordinary weekday.
Hours move with the season. From June to August, Gyeongbokgung runs 09:00 to 18:30 KST, last entry one hour earlier. In January it shuts at 17:00 KST.
One line to remember: decide the day first, then the palace. If a closure frees an afternoon, an air conditioned study cafe is a fine place to lose two hours, and we explained why they exist in Korean cafe culture explained.
Hanbok gets you in for free
Wear hanbok 한복, the traditional Korean outfit, and admission to all five palaces is waived. Seoul’s official travel guide states the fee is waived for hanbok wearers even on holidays and special event days.
For scale, a foreign adult aged 19 to 64 pays KRW 3,000 at Gyeongbokgung, and a rental usually costs more than the ticket you save. Treat free entry as a bonus, not the reason.
Is it appropriate for visitors?
Yes. Renting hanbok at the palaces is normal and encouraged, and locals do it too.
The catch is heat. A summer afternoon in a full layered outfit is punishing, so book a morning slot. Afterwards the correct move is shaved ice, covered in bingsu explained.
Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government official travel guide, Wear Hanbok and Visit Palaces
Huwon needs its own ticket
Huwon 후원 means rear garden, and it is why Changdeokgung is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is also the most misunderstood ticket in Seoul.
You cannot wander in. Entry is by guided tour on a fixed schedule, capped at 100 people per session, which the Korea Heritage Service splits in half: fifty seats online, fifty on site. The Huwon ticket is separate from palace admission, so you buy both.
Before you go
- Gyeongbokgung closes Tuesdays, the other four Mondays
- A public holiday overrides the closure, which moves to the next ordinary weekday
- June to August, Gyeongbokgung runs 09:00 to 18:30 KST
- Hanbok means free entry at all five
- Huwon is a separate ticket, guided tour only
Hours and fees change by season. Confirm on the Korea Heritage Service page, Royal Palaces and Tombs Center admission information
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I see two palaces in one day?
A. Yes. The easiest pair is Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, because a gate connects them and you walk across without leaving the grounds. Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung also pair well, since both sit near Gwanghwamun. What does not work is pairing Gyeongbokgung with any of the others on a Monday or a Tuesday, because one of the two will be shut.
Q. Do I need to book palace tickets in advance?
A. For general admission, no, you buy at the window on the day. The exception is the Huwon garden tour at Changdeokgung, where half the seats in each session go online in advance and the rest are sold at the gate. In peak season the on site half can go early, so reserve online if the garden is your reason for visiting.
Q. Is the guard changing ceremony worth planning around?
A. Worth catching if you are already there, not worth rebuilding your morning around. It runs at 10:00 and 14:00 KST for roughly twenty minutes. Stand to the side rather than dead centre for a clearer view of the procession.
Pick the day, then the palace, then hanbok. That order fixes most of what goes wrong. When you come out hungry, the street food lanes near the gates are the next stop, broken down in Korean street food, what to try first.
You might also like
- K-drama filming locations you can actually visit
- Korean cafe culture explained, why study cafes exist
- Bingsu explained, Korea’s summer shaved ice
- Korean convenience store food, what to try first
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