Buyongji, the square pond of the rear garden, with Juhamnu pavilion on the slope behind

Changdeokgung & Huwon

Changdeokgung Palace Complex · 창덕궁·후원

Today

Why go

The palace where Joseon kings actually lived for more than 270 years. Its buildings follow the lie of the hills, which made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, and to the north lies Huwon, the royal Secret Garden, which you enter at set times.

9.6%Share of foreign travellers in Seoul who visited at least one of Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung — 2025 Seoul Tourism Survey (foreign visitors), places visited, multiple answers allowed (three palaces combined)

Admission

₩3,000–₩8,000Adults — foreign visitors aged 19–64. Palace buildings ₩3,000; ₩8,000 including the Secret Garden (Huwon, +₩5,000)

Ways in free

Free entry to the palace buildings in hanbok — you need both a jeogori top and a bottom (a skirt or trousers). The Secret Garden (Huwon) ticket must be bought separately.
Free entry to the palace buildings for foreign visitors aged 18 and under (Huwon: ₩2,500 for ages 7–18)
Free entry to the palace buildings for foreign visitors aged 65 and over (Huwon: ₩5,000)
Huwon is free for children aged 6 and under

Combined ticket ₩6,000· The 4 palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung) + Jongmyo Shrine, excluding the Changdeokgung Secret Garden (Huwon) · valid for 6 months from the date of purchase

Buy at the gate — no booking needed.

Experiences

Secret Garden (Huwon) timed guided entry

Korean: 10:00 · 11:00 · 12:00 · 13:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 70 min each
Korean: 10:00 · 11:00 · 12:00 · 13:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 16:00 · 70 min each
English: 10:30 · 11:30 · 14:30 · 70 min each
English: 10:30 · 11:30 · 14:30 · 15:30 · 70 min each
Japanese: 13:30 · 70 min each
Chinese: 12:30 · 70 min each

The Secret Garden is a timed visit: you enter at a set time with a guide (about 70 minutes). Each session admits up to 100 people per language. A Secret Garden ticket costs ₩5,000 (ages 19–64), and you must also buy a ₩3,000 palace ticket separately. Ages 7–18 pay ₩2,500, and visitors aged 65 and over also pay ₩5,000. Tickets go on sale online from 10 a.m. 6 days before your visit until the day before, or at the ticket office from 9 a.m. on the day, first come, first served. The meeting point is the Secret Garden entrance, more than 15 minutes on foot from Geumhomun Gate. If you miss your time, you can neither enter nor get a refund.

Book

Palace guided tour in English, Japanese or Chinese

English: 10:15 · 13:15 · 50 min each
Japanese: 11:00 · 50 min each
Chinese: 10:00 · 50 min each
Korean: 09:30 · 11:30 · 13:30 · 15:30 · 50 min each
Korean: 16:30 · 50 min each

Meet in front of Howicheong, opposite Injeongmun Gate, for a tour of the palace buildings lasting about 50 minutes. No booking is needed. Tours leave in English Tuesday–Sunday at 10:15 and 13:15, in Japanese on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 11:00, and in Chinese on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10:00. To film or record the commentary, ask the guide for permission first.

Free palace entry in hanbok

No fixed time

If you wear hanbok, foreign visitors also enter the palace buildings free. Modern everyday hanbok counts too. You need to wear a jeogori top with a wrap collar together with a skirt or trousers. A jeogori thrown over jeans does not count. Even in hanbok, you must buy a separate Secret Garden ticket.

Highlights

History

Changdeokgung Palace Complex (昌德宮, Changdeokgung) was built in 1405 (the 5th year of King Taejong) as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace. The following year the Secret Garden (Huwon) was laid out to the north of the palace. It burned during the Imjin War in 1592, but in 1610 (the 2nd year of King Gwanghaegun) it became the first of the palaces to be rebuilt. After that, until Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt in 1867, it served for more than 270 years as the real main palace where the kings mostly lived. Together with neighbouring Changgyeonggung it was called the Eastern Palace (東闕).

In 1776 King Jeongjo built Juhamnu and the Gyujanggak royal library beside Buyongji Pond in the Secret Garden, and in 1847 King Heonjong built Nakseonjae. The decision that ended the nation’s sovereignty in 1910 was also made here, in the palace’s Heungbokheon. After liberation, the last members of the Korean Empire’s imperial family lived at Nakseonjae, and Princess Deokhye and Lady Yi Bangja died here in 1989. Rather than lining its buildings up in a straight row, the palace sets them to fit the hills, and in 1997 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The palace divides into Injeongjeon Hall, where great events such as coronations were held; Seonjeongjeon, where the king governed; Huijeongdang and Daejojeon, where the king and queen lived; and the Secret Garden. Huijeongdang and Daejojeon burned in 1917 and were rebuilt in 1920 with the Gangnyeongjeon and Gyotaejeon buildings moved from Gyeongbokgung. Restoration work has continued since 1990, and the Ongnyucheon area deep in the Secret Garden is currently closed for repairs.

Getting there

Line 3 Anguk Station · Exit 35 min walk
Lines 1/3/5 Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station · Exit 710 min walk

서울특별시 종로구 율곡로 99

Lot no. · 서울특별시 종로구 와룡동

Make a taxi card

Where next

Photos

A Changdeokgung hall and its walls beyond an earthen courtyard under an autumn sky

Tips

Changdeokgung is closed on Mondays. Gyeongbokgung closes on Tuesdays, so splitting the two across different days works well.
In April–May and October–November, Secret Garden tickets sell out very quickly, both online and on site.
The Ongnyucheon area of the Secret Garden is currently closed for repairs. Check the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center notices for the reopening date.
There is no parking, so come via Exit 3 of Anguk Station. It is a 5-minute walk.

Show details

Address: 서울특별시 종로구 율곡로 99
Hours: Jan · Nov–Dec 09:00–17:30Feb–May · Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30
Last entry: Jan · Nov–Dec 16:30Feb–May · Sep–Oct 17:00Jun–Aug 17:30
Closed: Closed Mon — if Mon is a public holiday it opens and closes the next weekday instead
Admission: ₩3,000–₩8,000