Changdeokgung Palace is one of the most popular things to do in Seoul because it’s home to the Huwon Secret Garden. It was the second royal palace built during the Joseon Dynasty and has since become a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring beautiful architecture and harmony with nature.
In this guide, we’re going to show you exactly what to see inside Changdeokgung Palace including how to take a free guided tour and how to get tickets for the famous secret garden.
Our Seoul Experience
We spent 14 days exploring Seoul in March 2023. During this trip, we personally visited Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon Secret Garden. This is one of the popular palaces in Seoul and it was extremely busy because it was the beginning of cherry blossom season.
Since this was one of more well known palaces, we decided to take the free guided tour through both Changdeokgung Palace and the Huwon Secret Garden. Our guide will show you what to expect and how to plan your day so you can see both attractions too. Read more about us.
Changdeokgung Palace History
Constructed in 1405, Changdeokgung Palace was created as a secondary palace during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1410). This is the second oldest palace in Seoul after Gyeongbokgung. Unfortunately like many other palaces, it was heavily destroyed during the Japanese invasion from 1592-1598, but it was rebuilt in 1610.
Changdeokgung Palace then served as the main palace in Seoul for 270 years. It was loved more than any other palace by the kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty because it was home to the Huwon Secret Garden.
This garden was essential because it provided an intimate space for the royal family to enjoy numerous outdoor activities such as military exercises, archery and parties. Changdeokgung was built in harmony with the surrounding mountains and landscape preserving original topography as much as possible.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Changdeokgung Palace complex is a must do activity in Seoul because visitors can walk the same paths as the previous kings and queens.
Visitor Information
Known as the eastern palace, Changdeokgung is the located on the eastern side of Seoul. It’s open every day of the week from 9:00-17:00 or 18:30 depending on time of year, but it’s closed Monday. Last admission is one hour before closing so make sure you give yourself enough time when visiting.
- Address: 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Location: Google Maps
- Best subway stop: Anguk Station (line 3, exit 3) or Jongno 3-ga Station (line 1/3/5, exit 6)
Admission tickets for Changdeokgung Palace cost 3,000 KRW for adults (US$ 2.26), and 2,400 KRW (US$ 1.81) with groups of 10 or more. Visitors over the age of 65 and children under the age of 19 will receive free entry into the palace. You can also visit for free on Culture Day, which is the last Wednesday of every month.
We think the easiest way to purchase tickets is on site, but if you plan to visit all 5 of Seoul’s royal palaces, you should consider the royal palace pass. This is what we used to visit Changdeokgung Palace.
The royal palace pass costs 10,000 KRW (US $7.53) and it’s valid for three months from the date of purchase. This pass can only be purchased from the sites listed below:
- Gyeongbokgung
- Changdeokgung
- Changgyeonggung
- Deoksugung
- Jongmyo Shrine
It’s a good opportunity for those who want to visit numerous palaces in the city because it will save you a little bit of money. Additionally, it also saved us some time by not having to wait in a long ticket line.
Huwon Secret Garden Tickets
While you can visit Changdeokgung Palace on you own, you can only visit the Huwon Secret Garden via tour by an official palace guide. Admission to the garden will be indicated by the tour time on your ticket and you won’t be allowed to enter at any other time.
You’ll have to pay an additional 5,000 KRW for adults (US$ 3.76), and 2,500 KRW for children (US$ 1.85) for children to enter the Huwon Secret Garden. If you have the royal palace pass, you won’t have to pay this additional fee, but you’re required to exchange your Secret Garden voucher for a valid ticket.
Admission to the Huwon Secret Garden is limited to 100 people per tour. You can book tickets on site or online via this website here. Half of the tickets can be reserved online and the other half are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis at the palace. When we visited, the ticketing website was not available so everyone had to book on site and it was extremely chaotic. We recommend you book online to secure your spot.
Here is the current tour schedule for the secret garden:
- Korean: 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 (Mar to Oct), 16:30 (Jun to Aug)
- English: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30 (Mar to Nov), 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 (Dec to Feb)
- Chinese: 12:30 (Tues, Thurs + Sat)
- Japanese: 13:30 (Wed, Fru + Sun)
All tours start at the entrance of Huwon Secret Garden. Our tour started right on time after everyone had their tickets verified. You can visit the official website for more information.
Hanbok Rentals
Admission to Changdeokgung Palace is free for anyone wearing a hanbok. This is traditional Korean clothing and it’s very common for people to have their hair done for the occasion as well.
When you visit the palace, you can expect to see numerous tourists dressed in hanboks. If you want to rent you own, this Hanbok rental is a very popular option. The pick up spot is located between both Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palace so you could visit both palaces in the same day if you planned well.
Travel Tip: If you want to visit the Huwon Secret Garden, you’ll have purchase an additional ticket even if you’re wearing a hanbok.
Changdeokgung Tours
There are many ways you can experience Changdeokgung Palace. You can use the free informational brochures provided in numerous languages to walk around the grounds and learn about the various buildings on your own. Or you can rent an audioguide at the main entrance.
When we visited, we took the 10:15 free guided english tour provided on site and it was well worth our time. You can expect a tour to last between 60 and 90 minutes. The tours begin at the large information board near the main entrance. Here are the guided tour times for the palace:
- Korean: 9:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 16:30 (Mar-Oct)
- English: 10:15, 13:15
- Chinese: 10:00 (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
- Japanese: 11:00 (Wed, Fri, Sun)
If you can’t visit during the free guided tour hours, you can book a tour with a third party company. Many of these tours include admission to the palace as well as some of the best things to do in Seoul.
Here are highly rated tours:
- UNESCO Palace + Shrine Tour – Four hour tour to Changdeokgung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine and Bukchon Hanok Village
- Royal Palace Afternoon Tour – A half day afternoon tour to Changdeokgung Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village and Namdaemnun Market
10 Best Things To Do In Changdeokgung Palace
The highlight of Changdeokgung Palace is without a doubt Huwon Secret Garden. However, access to this garden is limited and if you don’t get a ticket, you won’t be able to enter. We made the Huwon Secret Garden our priority when visiting because the garden extends to more than half of the complex.
But even if you don’t visit the secret garden, we recommend you try to take one of the free guided tours. Here is what to see at Changdeokgung Palace:
1. Huwon Secret Garden
The Huwon Secret Garden is located at the rear of Changdeokgung Palace. It spans an impressive 78 acres and takes up 60% of the entire palace grounds. It was primarily used by the royal family as a place of rest as it gave them much needed privacy.
Highlights of the garden include numerous pavilions, libraries, living quarters, beautiful Chinese juniper trees and so much more. We won’t get into much detail about the garden because we want to focus on the palace in this guide. But if you want to see a walk through of our tour, you can read our guide for the Huwon Secret Garden next.
2. Take A Tour
As we mentioned above, we took the free guided tour inside Changdeokgung Palace. There are a few small informational signs scattered around the palace, but overall we’re happy we took the tour because we learned much more than we would have without it.
Our tour lasted 90 minutes and we had an extremely knowledgeable guide who spoke great English. We stopped a handful of times at important points of interest throughout the complex. If your interested in learning about the history of the palace or Seoul in general, we highly recommend you consider a tour.
Travel Tip: Free guided tours are also available at other royal palaces with the exception of Gyeonghuigung.
3. Donhwamun Gate
Donhwamun Gate is the main gate of Changdeokgung Palace and the largest among all other palace gates in Seoul. This is the main entrance and you’ll walk directly beneath the gate to enter the complex.
Throughout history, Donhwamun Gate served as the king’s entrance, whereas the king’s subjects would use the west Geumhomun Gate. A bell and drum used to hang from the upper floor which signaled curfew time. It was also used for surveillance and has since been enlarged for automobiles.
We think Donhwamun Gate is one of the best gates in Seoul because it’s extremely intricate yet very simple. But it can be an incredibly busy photography spot with numerous visitors taking photos on the wide stone platform out front.
4. Geumcheongyo Bridge
Geumcheongyo Bridge is a must see in Changdeokgung Palace because it’s the oldest standing stone bridge within the Seoul royal palaces. Constructed in 1411 by King Taejong, Geumcheongyo Bridge is 12.9m long and 12.5m wide featuring two arches.
The Geumcheon Stream originally flowed between the main gate of Changdeokgung Palace and Jinseonmun Gate. Although the stream now runs dry, crossing the bridge symbolized cleansing. The bridge was believed to help palace visitors cleanse their worldly burdens before meeting with the king.
5. Injeongjeon Hall
Located in the center of the complex, Injeongjeon is the throne hall of Changdeokgung Palace. Important events such as the king’s accession to the throne, state official examinations, royal banquets and assembly of subjects were often held here.
Visitors are not allowed to enter Injeongjeon Hall, but you can peak inside to see gorgeous examples of Korean architecture. We loved the beautifully colored and innately carved ceiling. Only a few people can look inside at the same time so you might need to wait your turn, especially if you’re on a tour.
Travel Tip: As you walk up to the throne hall, you’ll notice several stone markers inscribed with the ranks of court officials. These were used during royal rituals and every official would stand by their corresponding marker with higher ranks closer to the king.
6. Seonjeongjeon Hall
Seonjeongjeon Hall is a one story building where the king would often work and it was built next to the king’s sleeping quarters. During meetings, the king would sit on his throne and his subjects were permitted to take their seats on both sides of him. A scribe would also record what was discussed during each meeting.
We learned during our tour, Seonjeongjeon Hall has the only existing blue tiled palace roof. Sections of this hall were closed during our visit, but we could still view the beautiful blue tiles. And if you look closely at our photo, you can clearly see the difference in color between the two roofs.
7. Huijeongdang Hall
Directly next to Seonjeongjeon Hall, you’ll find Huijeongdang Hall. This building was used as a women’s residence and then it was later converted into another office for the king. It was here the king would often meet with officials to discuss political issues.
The original building was destroyed by a fire in 1917, but it was rebuilt in 1920 with materials from Gangnyeongjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace. This building was closed during our visit, but our tour guide spoke about it extensively.
8. Daejojeon Hall
Located behind the king’s residence, you’ll find Daejojeon Hall, otherwise known as the queen’s residence and this is the only building to not have a crest of ridge on the roof. Sadly, Daejojeon Hall was lost several times by fire, but it was rebuilt every time.
Today, there are massive bronze mirrors at the edge of the base to help ward off fire. It was a common belief the god of fire was frightened at seeing his own shape reflected in the water. This hall was completely closed when we visited for a private event so we could not take a photo of it.
Travel Tip: Daejojeon Hall is where numerous kings and queens spent their remaining days as well as the birth place of Crown Prince Hyomyeong.
9. Seongjeonggak Hall
Seongjeonggak Hall is unique because it’s where the crown princes were educated. The building is located on the eastern section of the complex and it’s believed to have been built during King Sukjong’s reign (1674–1720).
In addition to serving as a learning space for the princes, Seongjeonggak Hall was also a popular place for the kings to read with various buildings such as Huiuru and Bochunjeong Pavilions nearby.
10. Nakseonjae Hall
Built by King Heonjong in 1847, this hall features unique architecture without dancheong (or multi-color painting) you’ll commonly see throughout the other sections of Changdeokgung. Next to Nakseonjae Hall, you can also find Seokbokheon House and Sugangjae Hall. These buildings were used for the king’s grandmother, the king’s consort and Empress Sunjeonghyo.
It’s located very close to the entrance of the Huwon Secret Garden and showcases a stunning stone terraced flowerbed with beautifully designed chimneys. The cherry blossoms were just starting to appear during our visit in March and this was an extremely beautiful spot.
The Morgan Conclusion
Visiting the Changdeokgung Palace is a great way to learn about Korean History. This is one of the best preserved palaces in Seoul and it’s a stunning complex featuring the Huwon Secret Garden. Visitors can also take advantage of the free guided tours offered in numerous languages.
So is Changdeokgung Palace worth visiting?
Yes, the Changdeokgung Palace is worth visiting because it’s the most unique palace in Seoul. It was built in harmony with the surrounding landscape and features a secret garden. The palace is also located directly next to Changgyeonggung Palace so you can easily visit both in one day like we did.
We think Changdeokgung is one of the most beautiful palaces because it served as the main palace for 270 years and it became very popular with the Korean royal family due to the accessibility of the Huwon Secret Garden. In addition, the complex showcases stunning architecture including a blue tiled roof and one of the oldest standing stone bridges.
However, it’s an expansive complex and you’ll need a few hours to visit with a very large amount of walking required. We spent about 4 hours inside Changdeokgung with a 90 minute guided tour of the garden and a 90 minute guided tour of the palace. But you can shorten this time frame by visiting on your own.
Our Changdeokgung Palace Photos
We enjoyed our visit to the palace and took many photos. Here are a few of our favorites so you know exactly what to expect:
More Seoul Palaces
- First time visitor guide to Gyeongbokgung Palace
- What to see inside Huwon Secret Garden
- How to visit Changgyeonggung Palace
- What to see inside Deoksugung Palace
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- Must see royal palaces in Seoul
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We hope this guide featuring best things to do at Changdeokgung Palace helps with planning your visit to Seoul!
Please let us know if you have any questions about visiting the palace or Seoul in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.