If you are in Seoul between 24 and 27 September 2026, the four main royal palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon Royal Tombs cost nothing to enter. Not a hanbok discount, not a promotion for one site: a blanket waiver for four days, approved by the Korean cabinet on 1 September as part of its Chuseok package.
The same decision made a few other things free or cheaper over those dates. Here is the full list, what the catch is, and how to plan the four days so you do not turn up at a closed gate.
What is free from 24 to 27 September
| Place | Normal adult fee | 24–27 Sept |
|---|---|---|
| Gyeongbokgung | 3,000 won | Free |
| Changdeokgung | 3,000 won | Free |
| Changgyeonggung | 1,000 won | Free |
| Deoksugung | 1,000 won | Free |
| Jongmyo Shrine | 1,000 won | Free |
| Joseon Royal Tombs | 1,000 won | Free |
| National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art | varies by exhibition | Free |
| National recreation forests | 1,000 won entry | Free |
Two more items sit alongside the waiver: expressway tolls are waived nationwide on the same four days, and KTX fares have been 10 percent lower since 1 September under the KTX–SRT merger, a standing cut rather than a holiday-only discount. If you were planning a day trip out of Seoul by train, the rail side is covered in KTX Chuseok 2026 Tickets: Foreigners Book on a Separate Date; the lower fare applies to whatever you manage to book.
Why the palace fees are the real headline
The adult fees are small on paper. Add them up for one person doing all four palaces plus Jongmyo and it is 9,000 won, roughly seven dollars. The reason this matters is not the money. It is that the ticket queue at Gyeongbokgung on a holiday afternoon is the single slowest part of the visit, and with entry waived there is nothing to queue for. You walk in.
The closure-day check most guides skip
Each palace closes one day a week, and the closure days differ. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesdays; Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung close on Mondays. Now look at the four free days:
- Thursday 24 September
- Friday 25 September (Chuseok itself)
- Saturday 26 September
- Sunday 27 September
No Monday, no Tuesday. Every one of the six sites is on a regular opening day for the whole free window. That is unusual: in most years at least one closure day falls inside the holiday and catches people out. This year the calendar lines up.
What is not included
Two things to keep in mind. The Secret Garden at Changdeokgung, the Huwon, normally runs as a separate timed tour with its own ticket and a cap on numbers. Treat it as ticketed unless the gate tells you otherwise, and if you want it, book the slot in advance. And the Gyeongbokgung night opening is a separate reservation-only event with its own dates; being free to enter by day does not get you in after dark. The night booking process for non-Koreans is in Gyeongbokgung Night Opening 2026: The Foreigner Booking Line.
A four-day plan that uses the waiver properly
The sites cluster into two walkable groups, so two of the four days cover everything without a taxi.
Day A: the northern cluster. Gyeongbokgung first thing, when the guard-change crowd has not built yet. Walk east through Bukchon to Changdeokgung, then through the connecting gate into Changgyeonggung. Jongmyo is a ten-minute walk south from there. Four sites, one afternoon, all free.
Day B: Deoksugung and the city. Deoksugung sits opposite City Hall and takes an hour. Pair it with the stone wall walk behind it and the modern art museum branch next door. If you are going further afield, the royal tombs at Seonjeongneung in Gangnam are inside the city and reachable by subway.
For getting between them, the subway is the sensible choice on holiday traffic days. If you have not sorted a transit card yet, the limits worth knowing are in T-money Card Seoul: One Card, Several Silent Limits. Anyone with a spare day and the 10 percent KTX cut could do Suwon’s fortress as well: Suwon Hwaseong in One Day.
What the holiday changes on the ground
Chuseok is a family holiday, so the picture in Seoul is mixed. Palaces, national museums and the big commercial areas stay open and get busier with visitors. Small independent restaurants and shops often close for one to three days, especially on the 25th. Chains, hotel restaurants and convenience stores run as normal. Plan lunch near the palaces around that: the café rows in Bukchon and Insadong mostly stay open, back-street family places may not.
Traffic on the expressways out of the city peaks on the 24th and again on the 27th afternoon. Inside Seoul the roads are quieter than usual on the 25th, which makes it a good day for the northern cluster on foot.
Points people get wrong
Q. Do I need to be wearing hanbok to get in free?
A. No. Hanbok wearers get free entry year-round; over 24–27 September everyone does, hanbok or not.
Q. Is Monday 28 September a holiday too?
A. No. The 2026 Chuseok holidays are 24 to 26 September, and because the 26th is a Saturday no substitute holiday is added. The 28th is a normal working day, the palaces charge normally, and it is a Monday, so Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung are closed anyway.
Q. Do I need to book anything?
A. Not for daytime entry. You walk up to the gate. The Huwon tour at Changdeokgung and the Gyeongbokgung night opening are the exceptions and both need reservations.
Q. Are foreign visitors included?
A. Yes. The waiver applies to everyone at the gate, regardless of nationality.
Before you go
Three checks. Confirm your dates fall inside 24–27 September, because the 28th is neither free nor fully open. Decide whether you want the Huwon tour, and if so book it now rather than on the day. And carry a transit card, because the holiday is the one time the subway beats a taxi on every route in this plan.
Reference: Chuseok livelihood measures approved by the State Council on 1 September 2026 — Korea.kr policy briefing; palace hours and closure days from the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (checked 4 September 2026)
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