Seoul Palace Admission: Gyeongbokgung Hours, Fees, Hanbok

How much does it cost to enter Seoul’s royal palaces?

A foreign adult pays ₩3,000 at Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, and ₩1,000 at Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung or Jongmyo shrine. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, which runs all five sites, counts foreign visitors aged 19 to 64 as adults. Foreigners aged 18 or under and 65 or over enter free.

Groups of 10 or more get a lower rate at most sites (₩2,400 instead of ₩3,000 at Gyeongbokgung).

Site	Adult ticket	Closed on	Hours in November
Gyeongbokgung	₩3,000	Tuesday	09:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:00)
Changdeokgung	₩3,000	Monday	09:00 to 17:30 (last entry 16:30)
Secret Garden (Huwon)	₩5,000 extra	Monday	Timed tours only
Changgyeonggung	₩1,000	Monday	09:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:00)
Deoksugung	₩1,000	Monday	09:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:00)
Jongmyo	₩1,000	Tuesday	09:00 to 17:30 (last entry 16:30)

Deoksugung’s art museum sells its own ticket on top of the palace ticket, per the fee page.

What are Gyeongbokgung’s opening hours?

Gyeongbokgung opens at 09:00 every day except Tuesday, and its closing time changes with the season. Last entry is always one hour before closing.

Months	Hours	Last entry
January, February, November, December	09:00 to 17:00	16:00
March to May, September, October	09:00 to 18:00	17:00
June to August	09:00 to 18:30	17:30

Changdeokgung and Jongmyo follow a similar pattern, closing at 17:30 from November to January, 18:00 from February to May and in September and October, and 18:30 from June to August. If you only have an evening free, go to Deoksugung or Changgyeonggung, which stay open until 21:00 all year.

How does free entry in hanbok work?

You enter free if you wear a full hanbok, and the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center confirms that foreign visitors qualify too. The rule covers both traditional hanbok and the modern everyday style.

The center’s guideline sets three conditions:

• Top: a jeogori with a collar that wraps and overlaps at the front. Ribbon ties are optional.
• Bottom: a skirt of any cut, or trousers shaped like traditional hanbok trousers. A zip waist and missing ankle ties are fine.
• Both together: a top and a bottom. A long durumagi coat worn over ordinary clothes does not count.

The guideline also asks for clothing that suits the palace, with no excessive exposure. If you pair a jeogori with a wrap skirt, the jeogori needs to reach your waist. Hanbok gets you into the main palace grounds, but not into the Secret Garden for free (see below).

Is there a cheaper ticket for visiting several palaces?

The integrated palace pass costs ₩6,000 and covers one entry each to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo. Bought one by one, the same five tickets cost ₩9,000.

The pass is valid for six months from the day you buy it, and every one of the five ticket booths sells it. The Secret Garden is not included. Refunds are possible only at the palace where you bought the pass, and only before any part of it has been used.

How do you book the Changdeokgung Secret Garden?

The Secret Garden (Huwon) is visited only in timed groups, and each slot takes 100 people: 50 booked online and 50 sold at the gate. Online booking opens at 10:00 six days before your visit (the visit day itself is not counted) and runs until the day before. Gate tickets go on sale at 09:00 on the day.

English tours start at 10:30, 11:30 and 14:30 from December to February, with an extra 15:30 tour from March to November. The Huwon ticket costs ₩5,000 for ages 19 and over and ₩2,500 for ages 7 to 18. You also need a Changdeokgung entry ticket, because the garden sits inside the palace.

The fee page warns that both online and gate tickets sell out very quickly in April, May, October and November.

What goes wrong for visitors, and how do you fix it?

You reach Gyeongbokgung on a Tuesday and the gates are shut. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close every Tuesday, while Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung close every Monday instead. On a Tuesday, switch to Changdeokgung or Deoksugung. On a Monday, Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo are open. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap to plan the walk or subway ride between them.

Staff at the ticket booth say your rental hanbok is not enough for free entry. The guideline turns away a jeogori worn with jeans, a hanbok skirt worn with a T-shirt, a one-piece hanbok dress with no jeogori, and modern tops cut like a T-shirt. Ask the rental shop for a set with a wrap collar jeogori and a separate skirt or trousers, and check the top reaches your waist.

At Jongmyo on a Thursday, you can’t simply walk in. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, Jongmyo admits visitors only on guided tours of about 50 minutes that start at set times. English tours leave at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. Visitors can walk around freely on Wednesdays, weekends and public holidays.

The Secret Garden is sold out when you arrive. Book online at 10:00 exactly six days before, or be in line before 09:00 for the gate sale. During foreign language tours, Korean visitors can join only when accompanying a foreign guest, and at most two of them, so a Korean friend should book the same English slot with you.

You expected a free Wednesday at Gyeongbokgung. The weekly Culture Day makes Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo free on Wednesdays, but Gyeongbokgung and the Secret Garden keep charging. Plan a Wednesday around the other sites if you want the free day.

When do these rules not apply?

Special viewings, such as guided tours of restricted halls, can change at short notice, and the center posts those changes in its notices. Groups of 10 or more pay group rates, and the Secret Garden has no group discount.

Holiday weeks can also change what is open. When a regular closing day falls on a public holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next weekday instead. Check Korea public holidays before you fix your dates, and look at the official hours page again on the morning you go.