Changdeokgung Palace Guide: Secret Garden Tickets, Reservations, and What to See

Changdeokgung (창덕궁) is Seoul's east-side Joseon palace, entered from Donhwamun on Yulgok-ro. Palace grounds are a walk-up visit, while the Secret Garden (Huwon, 후원) is a separate timed ticket.

The regular closed day is Monday. If Monday is a public holiday or a substitute holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday instead.

Adults aged 19 to 64 pay ₩3,000 for the palace buildings. Huwon is another ₩5,000, and qualifying hanbok does not waive that second ticket.

Hours, fees, and Huwon rules come from the Korea Heritage Service Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, last checked 28 September 2026. Confirm before you go.

Quick answer

How to get to Changdeokgung

Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 3 is the first-timer choice. Visit Seoul lists it as 389 meters from the palace.

Walk toward the two-story wooden gate on Yulgok-ro. That gate is Donhwamun, the historic main entrance. Ticket booths sit on this front.

Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3, and 5) is a second subway option. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap for the live walk and the current exit, rather than guessing in the station.

The palace office's Huwon walking time is measured from the visitor entrance listed as Geumhomun, beside this front. You still start at Donhwamun on the street.

From Bukchon: walk east toward the palace. That article treats this as the shorter palace-to-lane connection. Tourist walks on Bukchon-ro 11-gil are 10:00 to 17:00.

From Gyeongbokgung: Line 3 toward Anguk, or walk east through Bukchon after 10:00. Gyeongbokgung is typically closed Tuesdays.

From Insadong: walk north toward Anguk, then to Exit 3 / Yulgok-ro. There is no dedicated Tripkopia Insadong page yet.

Use the Korea travel apps guide for live walking directions.

Opening hours and closed days

Palace hours and Huwon hours are not the same list. Last palace admission is one hour before closing.

Closed Mondays. If that Monday is a public holiday or a substitute holiday, the palace opens and takes the next non-holiday as its closed day.

Huwon uses timed slots, not the palace closing clock. The last Korean slot is 16:00 from March to October and 15:00 from November to February. The last English slot is 15:30 from March to November and 14:30 from December to February. The palace office notes that the last Huwon time can move with sunset.

Temporary closures happen for safety checks and events. Check the palace notice for your date.

Tickets and free admission

Ordinary palace entry is a walk-up ticket. You do not need an online reservation for the buildings. Huwon is different: see the Secret Garden section below.

Huwon has no group discount. Ages 65 and over still pay ₩5,000 for Huwon.

Palace free-entry (not Huwon):

• Foreign visitors 18 and under and 65+ with ID
• Korean visitors 24 and under and 65+ with ID
• Qualifying hanbok
• Culture Day (last Wednesday of the month)

Huwon free-entry is a shorter list: ages 6 and under, plus listed Korean veterans and registered disabled visitors. Culture Day does not make Huwon free. Hanbok does not make Huwon free.

If the palace part is free, you still show ID or a pass at the gate, then buy or reserve Huwon separately. You need both a palace-grounds right and a Huwon ticket to reach the garden. A palace ticket from a previous day does not reuse: you buy palace admission again.

Older English pages still show a ₩10,000 combination ticket that includes Huwon. Use the current Royal Palaces fee page, not archived palace sites.

Hanbok free entry

The rule is published by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, not by rental shops. Koreans and foreigners both qualify for the palace buildings.

What counts: traditional hanbok and living hanbok (생활한복). The set is a jeogori (top) with a closing collar, plus a skirt or trousers. Goreum ties are not required if the collar form is correct.

What is refused:

• Jeogori with jeans, or a hanbok skirt with a T-shirt
• A durumagi (overcoat) alone
• A T-shirt-style top marketed as living hanbok
• A one-piece hanbok-style dress without a separate jeogori
• Excessive exposure

Hanbok does not cover Huwon, night programs, or other ticketed events. You still pay the Huwon fee if you enter the garden.

Shops cluster near Anguk. Details, including what the gate usually accepts, are in the Seoul hanbok rental guide.

What to see

Korea Tourism Organization — Photo Korea

Stay on public paths. You do not need every named hall.

Donhwamun. The two-story wooden main gate on Yulgok-ro. Photograph from the street, then go in for tickets.

Injeongjeon. The throne hall. This is the building most visitors come to see. State ceremonies were held here. View it from the courtyard.

Seonjeongjeon. The king's work hall, just beyond the throne court.

Huijeongdang and Daejojeon. The royal living quarters farther in. Walk through. Do not treat side rooms as dressing rooms.

Nakseonjae. The later residential compound on the palace-grounds route. A separate reserved "deeper look" session runs on some Friday to Sunday afternoons. Treat that as an extra program, not the ordinary walk.

Hamyangmun. A connecting gate to Changgyeonggung. You can move between the two palaces with the right ticket at that booth. You cannot enter Huwon from Changgyeonggung.

Huwon (Secret Garden). Buyongji, Juhamnu, Aeryeonjeong, and Yeongyeongdang are the usual garden names. They are not on the palace-only ticket. Okryucheon is closed until a further official notice, so do not plan that stretch.

Changdeokgung was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 because the layout follows the hillside instead of a straight north-south axis. That is the visit, not a history lecture: halls sit on the south, and the garden occupies the north slope.

How to visit the Secret Garden (Huwon)

Korea Tourism Organization — Photo Korea

Huwon is a restricted, timed visit. It is not included in general palace admission.

You enter at a listed clock time, in a group of up to 100 people. At the Huwon gate you may follow the commentary or walk the open zones on your own. You cannot wander in at a random hour.

The palace office measures 15 minutes or more on foot from the palace entrance to the Huwon gate. Late arrivals are not admitted and are not refunded.

Tickets and cost

Reservations and same-day entry

Advance booking is one of two official paths, not the only path.

April, May, October, and November are the months the fee page flags as selling very quickly on both the online and same-day piles. That is not the same as "always sold out."

How reservation holders enter:

1. Paper ticket from a kiosk or booth, or the mobile ticket button (it appears 30 minutes before your slot).
2. Kiosks stop printing Huwon tickets 20 minutes before the slot.
3. Be inside the palace entrance at least 20 minutes before your Huwon time, because of the walk.
4. In busy seasons the palace office suggests arriving about 1 hour early because of queues.

Free and discount visitors still bring ID to the staffed booth.

Languages, duration, and weather

English Huwon slots (Tue to Sun, not closed Mondays):

• March to November: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30
• December to February: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30

Japanese: 13:30 on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, year-round.

Chinese: 12:30 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, year-round.

Korean: hourly 10:00 to 16:00 (March to October) or 10:00 to 15:00 (November to February).

On foreign-language Huwon slots, Koreans cannot join unless they are accompanying a foreign visitor, up to 2 Koreans.

The live commentary page lists Huwon as about 70 minutes. Okryucheon is closed until a further notice, which is why that figure is shorter than older "90-minute" blog write-ups.

The route can change for weather, temperature, sunset, or repairs. The palace does not publish an automatic rain-cancel rule. If the course is shortened, follow staff.

Meeting point: the Huwon entrance, not Donhwamun. Budget the 15-minute-plus walk.

Palace-building English tours are a separate optional walk: 10:15 and 13:15, about 50 minutes, from the map opposite Injeongmun. No reservation. They do not replace a Huwon ticket.

The Moonlight Tour is a seasonal night program, not daytime Huwon. Details sit in the palace night viewing guide.

Suggested palace-only route

Use this if you skip Huwon, or if Huwon is sold out.

Short route (about 60 to 90 minutes): Donhwamun → tickets → Injeongjeon courtyard → back to Exit 3.

Normal first visit (about 1.5 to 2.5 hours):

1. Donhwamun and tickets.
2. Injeongjeon courtyard. Time this for 10:15 if you want the optional English palace tour.
3. Seonjeongjeon.
4. Huijeongdang and Daejojeon.
5. Nakseonjae from the public path.
6. Exit west toward Bukchon after 10:00, or back to Anguk Exit 3.

Do not reverse that order if you also want Bukchon's Red Zone. The palace opens at 09:00. Bukchon-ro 11-gil is a tourist walk only 10:00 to 17:00.

Suggested palace plus Huwon route

Anchor the day on your Huwon clock time. Missing the slot means no entry and no refund.

Example for a 10:30 English Huwon slot:

1. Reach Donhwamun with time to spare. In peak months, treat 09:00 to 09:30 as a sensible arrival, not 10:15.
2. Collect or open your Huwon ticket, plus palace admission if you still need it.
3. See Injeongjeon only if it does not eat the walk to Huwon.
4. Be at the Huwon gate before 10:30.
5. Huwon, about 70 minutes.
6. If energy remains, finish Huijeongdang / Nakseonjae, then walk west into Bukchon before 17:00.

For a 14:30 slot, reverse it: palace halls first, then Huwon, then exit. Leave a 15-minute-plus buffer plus queue time. Do not start a long Nakseonjae loop at 14:10.

How long to spend

Treat these as ranges, not a timetable.

Huwon itself is about 70 minutes on the current official commentary page, plus the walk in and out.

Best time to visit

Weekday opening at 09:00 is the calmest palace window, and it is also when same-day Huwon tickets go on sale.

Weekends thicken both the palace front and the 09:00 Huwon line. If Huwon is the point of the day, book the language slot online in the 6-day window.

Spring and autumn are the usual photography seasons. The fee page singles out April, May, October, and November as the fast-selling Huwon months. Blossom and foliage weeks move every year, so do not plan a specific date from a blog.

Summer is hot on gravel and on Huwon hills. Winter is cold, icy, and uses the shorter Huwon timetable. Culture Day is free for the palace and more crowded. Huwon stays paid that day.

Accessibility

Palace buildings: the office says most of this zone is level, with ramps on some stretches. Heritage halls themselves often have no ramp, so a stone platform (woldae) can block a close view.

Huwon: mixed flats and hills. Steep stretches can be unsafe for strollers and wheelchairs. Unpaved earth can turn muddy after rain. Do not treat Huwon as the same walk as the throne courtyard.

Visit Seoul lists accessible restrooms and wheelchair rental at the palace. Confirm the current ramp map at the desk just inside the entrance.

Changdeokgung vs Gyeongbokgung

Neither palace is "the better one." They solve different visits.

If you only have time for one: pick Gyeongbokgung for the main-palace courtyards and a free ceremony (when it runs). Pick Changdeokgung if the garden and a terrain-fitted layout are the reason you came, and you can hit a Huwon slot.

Both in one day: possible as highlights, not as two full walks plus Huwon. Closed days do not overlap, so a Monday Gyeongbokgung morning and a Tuesday Changdeokgung morning is the usual split. Same-day both palaces plus Huwon is a rush.

Changdeokgung and Bukchon

The efficient half day is palace first, Bukchon second, with Huwon timed in the middle if you booked it.

1. Enter Changdeokgung at 09:00 (skip Mondays).
2. Do Huwon at your clock time, or skip it and stay on the halls.
3. Exit west after 10:00.
4. Walk Bukchon on public streets only.
5. Leave Bukchon's Red Zone (Bukchon-ro 11-gil) before 17:00.

Bukchon is a residential neighborhood. Tourist visits in the Red Zone outside 10:00 to 17:00 can draw a fine. Do not go there at dawn or after dark for empty photos. The full rule set lives on that page, not here.

Hanbok works on this route if you rent near Anguk first. Huwon remains a paid ticket in hanbok.

For lunch nearby, see the Jongno restaurant guide. For a base in this part of Seoul, see where to stay in Jongno, Insadong, and Gwanghwamun.

Practical tips

• Gravel, steps, and Huwon hills. The throne courts are easier than the garden. Shoes with grip beat palace slippers on wet earth.
• Toilets are at the palace. Do not count on Bukchon's lanes.
• Photos of architecture from public paths are normal. Do not climb halls or walls.
• Rain does not automatically close the palace. Huwon's route can change.
• Food: follow posted signs. Do not picnic on halls.
• Monday backup: Gyeongbokgung is the usual Tuesday-closed palace, so Monday is when it is open.

Common mistakes

• Showing up on a Monday
• Assuming Huwon is inside the ₩3,000 ticket
• Assuming hanbok or the Royal Palace Pass covers Huwon
• Booking Huwon and arriving at Donhwamun at the slot time
• Treating same-day Huwon as guaranteed
• Walking into Bukchon for photos before 10:00 or after 17:00
• Using an old ₩10,000 combo page that includes Huwon

FAQ

Is Changdeokgung free?

Not for most foreign adults. The palace ticket is ₩3,000. Free palace categories include qualifying hanbok, ages 65 and over, and foreign visitors 18 and under. Huwon is extra.

Does hanbok give free entry?

Yes, for the palace buildings, if the outfit meets the official set rule. No, for Huwon.

Is the Secret Garden included?

No. It is a separate ₩5,000 timed visit, and you still need palace-grounds admission.

Do I need a Huwon reservation?

No, not as the only option. You can book online in the 6-day window, or try the 09:00 same-day pile (50 places per slot). Online is the more reliable path in April, May, October, and November.

Can I buy same-day Huwon tickets?

Yes, from 09:00, first-come, until that slot's 50 on-site tickets are gone. There is no same-day online booking.

Can I enter Huwon without a guide?

You still enter at the ticket time with that slot's group. Inside, the official FAQ says you may join commentary or walk the open zones yourself. You cannot arrive at a random hour.

How long should I spend?

About 1.5 to 2.5 hours for the palace, 3 to 4 hours if you add Huwon.

Which subway station is best?

Anguk (Line 3), Exit 3. Visit Seoul lists 389 m.

Changdeokgung or Gyeongbokgung?

Gyeongbokgung for the main-palace axis and ceremony. Changdeokgung for UNESCO layout plus Huwon. See the comparison above.

Can I visit both in one day?

Yes, as highlights, if one palace is short and Huwon is already timed. Do not stack two full walks, Huwon, and Bukchon without watching last admission and 17:00.

Can I walk from Bukchon?

Yes. Walk east from the lanes, inside Bukchon's 10:00 to 17:00 Red Zone rule. Details are in the Bukchon guide.

Is Secret Garden wheelchair or stroller friendly?

Not in the same way as the throne courts. Huwon mixes hills and unpaved paths. The palace office warns that steep stretches can be unsafe for strollers and wheelchairs.

What happens if it rains?

The grounds usually stay open. Huwon's course can be shortened or rerouted. There is no published automatic rain cancellation for daytime Huwon. Wear shoes that can handle wet earth.

Changdeokgung rewards a simple plan: Exit 3, a Monday check, a palace ticket, and a Huwon clock time you can actually walk to. The garden is the extra, not a surprise inside the gate. The houses in Bukchon are still homes.

Last verified on September 28, 2026

Related guides

Things to Do

Seoul Hanbok Rental Guide: Gyeongbokgung, Palace Free Entry, Photo Routes, and What to Check

Renting a hanbok (한복) near Seoul's old palaces is among the easier and most rewarding cultural experiences for first-time visitors: choose an outfit, wear it for a few hours, and walk into the major palaces for free while you have it on. This guide focuses on areas, checklists, and the official rules: where to rent, exactly what qualifies for free entry (and what gets refused), photo routes, seasonal and etiquette notes, and what to confirm before you book. Prices, rental times, and shop rules vary, so check with the shop and the official palace sources before you go.

Seoul

Destination

Gyeongbokgung Palace Guide: Hours, Tickets, Hanbok, and What to See

Gyeongbokgung is Seoul's main Joseon palace, entered from Gwanghwamun after a short walk from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5. It is closed Tuesdays, with a holiday exception. Adults 19 to 64 pay ₩3,000. Qualifying hanbok is free for Koreans and foreigners. The guard-changing ceremony is free at Heungnyemun at 10:00 and 14:00, except closed days, and can be cancelled in rain. Night opening is seasonal, not year-round.

Seoul