Gyeongbokgung
Seoul's grandest royal palace
- Must-see: Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, on its double stone terrace.
- Time it right: the changing of the guard at the Gwanghwamun gate.
- Dress the part: rent a hanbok nearby and walk in free.
- Best moment: early morning, before the crowds, with Bugaksan rising behind.
You come in under the great triple-arched gate of Gwanghwamun and the city drops away: ahead lies a widening sequence of stone courtyards, each more formal than the last, rising to a throne hall on a double terrace and closing on the wooded ridge of Bugaksan. Gyeongbokgung is the grandest of Seoul's five royal palaces and the natural first stop in the city — the place that makes sense of everywhere else you'll go.
- Best forHistory & a grand first sight
- Time needed2–3 hours
- Admission₩3,000 (free in hanbok)
- Nearest stationGyeongbokgung (Line 3), exit 5
- ClosedTuesdays
Why it matters
Gyeongbokgung — the "Palace of Shining Happiness" — was founded in 1395 by King Taejo as the main royal seat of the new Joseon dynasty, laid out on a north–south axis at the symbolic heart of the capital, with the guardian mountain Bugaksan at its back. For two centuries it was the centre of the kingdom.
Then history fell heavily on it. The palace was burned to the ground during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and left in ruins for nearly 270 years, until the regent Heungseon Daewongun rebuilt it on a lavish scale in 1867. It suffered again under Japanese colonial rule, when many of its halls were removed and a colonial government building planted in front of the throne hall. What you walk through today is the result of a decades-long restoration — still ongoing — that has returned the palace, gate by gate, to something close to its 19th-century grandeur. Knowing that arc is part of the visit: this is a national symbol deliberately rebuilt.
Getting there
The simplest approach is Gyeongbokgung station on subway Line 3: exit 5 surfaces directly beside the palace. Alternatively, Gwanghwamun station on Line 5 (exit 2) brings you out at the far end of Gwanghwamun Plaza for the ceremonial walk up to the main gate. The palace sits at the head of the historic core, a short walk from Bukchon and Insadong.
Gyeongbokgung occupies the northern head of Gwanghwamun Plaza and Sejong-daero, with the National Palace Museum on its south-west corner and Bukchon Hanok Village a few minutes east.
What to see
Gwanghwamun & the changing of the guard. The palace's great southern gate, and the stage for the changing-of-the-guard ceremony — sentries in Joseon costume with drums, banners and halberds, several times a day (typically mid-morning and early afternoon, not on Tuesdays). Worth timing your arrival around.
Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall. The ceremonial heart: a great double-roofed hall on a two-tier stone terrace, ringed by rank-stones that marked where officials stood and by carved stone guardians. Stand at the foot of the terrace for the full effect of the axis running back to the mountain.
Gyeonghoeru pavilion. A vast banqueting hall raised on 48 granite pillars and seeming to float on its own lotus pond — built for state receptions, and one of the loveliest set-pieces in Seoul, especially in reflection.
Hyangwonjeong. The small hexagonal pavilion on a little island in the quieter rear garden — a gentler, more intimate counterpoint to the parade-ground formality of the front courts.
The two museums. The National Palace Museum (south-west corner) and the National Folk Museum (inside the grounds) are both free and give useful context — handy for a hot afternoon or a rainy hour.
Hanbok. Rental shops cluster by the gates; putting on a hanbok is worn by many visitors, Korean and foreign alike — it photographs beautifully against the courtyards, and it gets you in for free.
Come at opening, before the courtyards fill, and walk the long central spine slowly — from the great gate, across the widening stone squares, to the throne hall on its terrace with the mountain rising behind. Feel how the whole plan pulls your eye north, ordering the world around the king. Then hold two things at once. The first: almost none of this is old. Gyeongbokgung was burned to ash in the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and lay ruined for nearly three centuries; rebuilt in the 1860s; gutted again under colonial rule, its halls sold off and a government building planted in front of the throne; and only pieced back together, gate by gate, within living memory. You are walking through a nation's stubborn insistence on itself. The second is quieter, and greater. Somewhere in these halls in the 1440s, King Sejong did a thing almost no ruler in history has done — he gave writing away. Troubled that his people could not read the borrowed Chinese characters, he devised a new alphabet, Hangul, simple enough that 'a wise man can master it in a morning, and a fool in ten days,' and handed the written word to everyone. The script on every sign around you was born here, as an act of royal kindness. Stand in the throne court and notice both: a palace resurrected against erasure, and, invisible in the same walls, the most generous thing a king ever made.
Cost, hours & how to visit
Standard admission is ₩3,000 for adults, and free for anyone wearing a hanbok, for under-25s, for over-65s, and for everyone on Culture Day (the last Wednesday of each month). If you plan to see more than one palace, the integrated ticket (around ₩10,000) covers the four grand palaces and Jongmyo Shrine and quickly pays for itself.
The palace opens at 09:00, with last admission in the late afternoon (it varies by season), and is closed every Tuesday. Free guided tours in English run daily. The grounds are broad and largely step-free, though the courtyards are gravel underfoot, which is tiring over a couple of hours; allow two to three hours for the palace, more if you fold in the museums.
Fees, opening hours and guard-ceremony times last reviewed July 2026 and change seasonally — confirm on the official tourism site before you go.
Making the most of it
Come at opening or in the late afternoon to sidestep both the crowds and the midday heat; the low light is also kinder to the courtyards. Check the guard-change times before you arrive and plan around one. If you'd like the free entry and the photographs, pick up a hanbok from a shop near the gate first. And treat the palace as the start of a half-day in old Seoul rather than a single tick — the museums, Bukchon and Insadong are all within a short walk.
Nearby
Gyeongbokgung anchors the walkable historic core: the hanok lanes of Bukchon lie just east, between it and Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden, with the tea houses and craft shops of Insadong a short stroll south. The four make an easy day together.
Gyeongbokgung: FAQs
How much is entry, and is it free in hanbok?
Adult admission is ₩3,000, but entry is free for anyone wearing a hanbok (rental shops cluster by the gates), and for under-25s and over-65s. It's also free for everyone on Culture Day, the last Wednesday of each month. Reviewed July 2026.
What day is Gyeongbokgung closed?
Tuesdays. It otherwise opens from 09:00 with last entry in the late afternoon; if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday it opens that day and closes the next instead.
When is the changing of the guard?
At the Gwanghwamun gate, several times daily — usually mid-morning and early afternoon — on every day except Tuesday. Times shift seasonally, so check before you go and arrive a few minutes early.
- Read King Sejong's invention of Hangul at the palace — the Hunminjeongeum (1446).
- Watch The Throne (Lee Joon-ik, 2015) — the court tragedy of Prince Sado.
- Watch Forbidden Dream (Hur Jin-ho, 2019) — Sejong and the scientist Jang Yeong-sil.
- Official Royal Palaces of Korea — hours, tickets and the guard ceremony.
Last updated 25 July 2026