In this guide
💡 The Short Version: General palace admission is ₩3,000 on royal.khs.go.kr (visitors under 19 and over 65 enter free), bought at the gate. The Huwon Secret Garden requires a separate ₩5,000 timed ticket (total ₩8,000 for adults) and can only be entered on a guided tour. Book Secret Garden tickets online at 10:00 KST exactly 6 days before your visit date via royal.khs.go.kr; tickets sell out quickly during spring blossoms and autumn foliage. If online tickets are sold out, arrive at the ticket booth at 08:30 to buy one of roughly 50 same-day walk-up tickets per slot released at 09:00. Changdeokgung is closed on Mondays; visit Gyeongbokgung Palace on Mondays instead. Or book a guided tour: the Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon Hanok Walking Tourad starts from ₩120,014 on GetYourGuide.
Changdeokgung admission pricing structure
Changdeokgung operates a two-tiered ticket system: general admission to the outer palace buildings, and restricted admission to the rear woodland park known as Huwon (the Secret Garden or Biwon).
| Ticket type | Standard adult (19–64) | Under 19 | Seniors (65+) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Palace Entry | ₩3,000 | Free | Free | Self-guided access to outer courtyards, Donhwamun Gate, Injeongjeon Throne Hall, and royal living quarters |
| Huwon Secret Garden | ₩5,000 | Shown at booking | Shown at booking | Timed guided walking tour through Buyongji Pond, Juhamnu Pavilion, Bullomun Gate, and forest pavilions |
| Combined Full Entry | ₩8,000 | Shown at booking | Shown at booking | Full access to both the general palace complex and the timed Secret Garden tour |
| Integrated Palace Ticket | ₩10,000 | Free | Free | Covers Changdeokgung (excluding Huwon), Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo Shrine; valid for 3 months |
[!IMPORTANT] The traditional Hanbok costume exemption waives the ₩3,000 general palace admission, but does not grant free access to the Secret Garden. Hanbok wearers must still purchase the ₩5,000 Huwon tour ticket.
Tours and guided palace walks
The official ticket without a guide is cheaper than any of these. Guided tours make sense when official Secret Garden (Huwon) quotas are booked up, or when you want an expert historian to explain how the Joseon dynasty integrated palace architecture into surrounding topography.
Seoul: City Highlights Palace Tour and Optional Hanbok
From ₩87,283 · 4.9 stars from 1,100 reviews · 4 hours · guided royal palace walk
Seoul: Half-Day City Highlights & Palace Tour with Hanbokad: An English-speaking licensed guide walks you through the UNESCO-listed palace grounds, decoding the wooden joinery of Injeongjeon Throne Hall and the residential quarters of Nakseonjae.
Seoul: Small Group History Walking Tour to Palaces & More
From ₩120,014 · 4.8 stars from 198 reviews · 3 hours · licensed historian
Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon Hanok Walking Tourad: A 3-hour walking seminar led by an English-speaking historian, contrasting the formal Chinese-influenced layout of Gyeongbokgung with the organic Korean landscape integration of Changdeokgung.
Seoul: Traditional Hanbok Experience near Changdeokgung
From ₩10,000 · 4.6 stars from 1,030 reviews · 1 hour - 1 day · costume hire & styling
Seoul: Hanbok Rental with Gyeongbokgung Palace Entryad: Rent traditional Joseon clothing near Anguk Station before visiting Changdeokgung Palace. Note that while Hanbok waives regular palace admission, the Secret Garden requires a separate ₩5,000 ticket.
Official ticket or tour: the prices side by side
Independent entry versus guided historical tours.
| Option | Official admission | Tour cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official palace grounds ticket | ₩3,000 | — | General palace grounds, Injeongjeon, Nakseonjae |
| Official palace + Secret Garden ticket | ₩3,000 + ₩5,000 = ₩8,000 | — | Full grounds plus 90-minute guided Huwon tour |
| Four Palaces & Jongmyo combination ticket | ₩10,000 | — | Valid 3 months across Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Jongmyo |
| Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon walking tour | Admissions separate | From ₩120,014 | 3-hour guided walk covering royal Joseon history and palace architecture |
| Full-day city highlights tour | Included in tour | From ₩80,464 | Palace, Jogyesa Temple, Insadong, coach transport, lunch |
How to book Huwon Secret Garden tickets
Securing a slot for the Secret Garden requires strict timing due to capped tour capacities.
Method 1: Advance online booking (Recommended)
- Visit the official portal: Head to the Korea Heritage Service royal palace booking site (royal.khs.go.kr) and navigate to Changdeokgung Palace > Huwon Reservation.
- The 6-day booking rule: Ticket reservations open online exactly 6 days prior to your target visit date at 10:00 KST (Korean Standard Time). For example, to book a tour for Sunday, you must log on at 10:00 KST on the preceding Monday.
- Select your language and slot: Choose English and select your preferred tour time (10:30, 11:30, 14:30, or 15:30). Each account can reserve up to 10 tickets.
- Payment: Complete payment using an international credit card. You will receive an electronic mobile ticket with a QR code. On the day, scan this QR code directly at the Huwon gate inside the palace grounds without queuing at the front ticket office.
Method 2: Same-day walk-up tickets
If advance online slots are fully booked, 50 walk-up tickets per tour time are held back for purchase on the day:
- Opening time: Same-day tickets go on sale at the main palace ticket office outside Donhwamun Gate at 09:00 KST.
- Strategy: During peak autumn foliage (October and November) and cherry blossom season (April), queues begin forming outside the ticket windows between 08:15 and 08:30. Arriving by 08:45 generally secures morning English tour slots.
Or book a tour: when official Secret Garden slots are booked up or you want an expert historian to decode royal court architecture, the Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon Hanok Walking Tourad (from ₩120,014, 4.8 stars from 198 reviews) covers royal Joseon heritage.
Injeongjeon, the main hall of Changdeokgung Palace, lit at night. Photo: adam nicholson from Seoul, Korea, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
UNESCO World Heritage architecture
Constructed in 1405 under King Taejong as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung served as the primary seat of royal power for 270 years while Gyeongbokgung lay ruined following the 1592 Imjin War.
In 1997, UNESCO designated Changdeokgung a World Heritage site. Unlike Gyeongbokgung’s rigid, symmetrical north-south axis modeled on classical Chinese palace architecture, Changdeokgung was built to harmonise with the undulating topography of Mount Maebongsan. Its wooden halls, granite courtyards, and garden pavilions curve naturally along the contours of the hill without levelling the forest landscape.
Key sights within the general palace
- Donhwamun Gate: The two-storey main entrance gate, constructed in 1412 and restored in 1609. It is the oldest remaining palace gate in Seoul.
- Geumcheongyo Bridge: Carved stone bridge dating to 1411, spanning the palace purification stream. Carved stone mythical creatures (Hetae) guard against evil spirits.
- Injeongjeon (Throne Hall): National Treasure No. 225. The grand hall where state coronations, royal weddings, and foreign envoy receptions took place. The interior ceiling features ornate wooden chandeliers installed in 1908 during the Korean Empire period, blending classical Joseon timber architecture with early 20th-century electrification.
- Seonjeongjeon Hall: The king’s private executive council chamber, notable as the only remaining palace pavilion in South Korea featuring blue-glazed ceramic roof tiles (Cheonggiwa).
- Huijeongdang and Daejojeon: The king’s and queen’s private bedchambers and domestic residences, rebuilt in 1920 with materials dismantled from Gyeongbokgung.
Key sights inside the Secret Garden (Huwon)
The Secret Garden encompasses 32 hectares of landscaped woodland behind the palace, representing 60% of Changdeokgung’s total land area:
- Buyongji Pond and Juhamnu Pavilion: A rectangular lotus pond representing the earth features a round central islet representing heaven. Overlooking the water sits Juhamnu, a two-storey pavilion that housed the royal library (Gyujanggak) founded by King Jeongjo in 1776. On the southern bank stands Buyongjeong, a cruciform roof pavilion with two wooden pillars resting directly in the pond water.
- Bullomun (Gate of Everlasting Youth): A single slab of granite carved into a rectangular archway. According to court tradition, passing through Bullomun bestows health and youth on the traveller.
- Aeryeonji Pond: A square lotus pond built in 1692, framed by the unpainted timber pavilion of Aeryeonjeong.
- Yeongyeongdang Residence: Built in 1828 in the architectural style of a high-ranking nobleman’s residence (Yangban house) using unpainted Korean pine timber. King Sunjo commissioned this complex to experience commoner life and hold intimate theatrical performances away from court protocol.
- Jondeokjeong and Gwallamjeong: Pavilions featuring fan-shaped and hexagonal roofs positioned over cascading terraced streams.
Operating hours and seasonal schedule
| Season | Opening time | General palace closes | Secret Garden last tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| February to May | 09:00 | 18:00 | 16:00 |
| June to August | 09:00 | 18:30 | 16:30 |
| September to October | 09:00 | 18:00 | 16:00 |
| November to January | 09:00 | 17:30 | 15:00 |
- Closed day: Closed every Monday. If a national public holiday occurs on a Monday, the palace opens and closes on the subsequent Tuesday instead.
- Tour duration: The Secret Garden guided tour covers 2.5 kilometres of paved and unpaved forest paths with moderate uphill gradients. The tour takes 70 to 90 minutes; comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
How to get to Changdeokgung Palace
- Subway: Take Subway Line 3 (Orange Line) to Anguk Station and exit via Exit 3. Walk straight ahead along Yulgok-ro for 300 metres (approximately 5 minutes); Donhwamun Gate is directly on your left. Alternatively, take Lines 1, 3, or 5 to Jongno 3-ga Station (Exit 6) and walk 8 minutes north.
- Connecting to other sights:
- Walk 5 minutes west from Changdeokgung to explore the tea houses and handicraft boutiques of Insadong.
- The eastern boundary of Changdeokgung connects directly to Changgyeonggung Palace via an internal gate (Hamyangmun, separate ₩1,000 entry ticket).
- Walk 15 minutes west along Yulgok-ro to reach Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Common questions
How much are tickets to Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden?
General palace admission is ₩3,000 for adults; visitors under 19 and over 65 enter free. Entering the Huwon Secret Garden requires a separate ₩5,000 ticket and a mandatory timed guided tour, making total adult entry ₩8,000.
How far in advance can I book Huwon Secret Garden tickets?
Online reservations open exactly 6 days before your visit date at 10:00 KST on the official Royal Palaces ticketing website (royal.khs.go.kr). Slots for English tours in spring and autumn sell out quickly.
Can I buy Secret Garden tickets on the day without booking?
Yes. Approximately 50 walk-up tickets per tour slot are released each morning when the ticket office opens at 09:00 KST. During peak autumn and spring seasons, queues form outside Donhwamun Gate by 08:30.
Does wearing a Hanbok grant free entry to the Secret Garden?
No. Wearing a full traditional Hanbok grants free entry to the general palace grounds of Changdeokgung (saving ₩3,000), but you must still purchase the ₩5,000 Huwon Secret Garden tour ticket.
Which days are Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden closed?
Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden are closed every Monday. If a public holiday falls on a Monday, the complex opens on Monday and closes on the subsequent Tuesday.
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