Changdeokgung Palace
창덕궁
Choose it for palace architecture plus garden scenery, but confirm whether the Secret Garden requires a separate timed ticket.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 창덕궁
- Address
- 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Anguk Station (안국역, Line 3) (Exit 3) · 5-min walk, Jongno 3-ga Station (종로3가역, Lines 1, 3 and 5) (Exit 7) · 10-min walk
- Opening hours
- Feb–May, Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30) Jan, Nov–Dec 09:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Hours notes
- The rear garden (Huwon) is separate timed-entry admission, capped at 100 people per slot per language — 50 online and 50 on the door — so it is not covered by these hours.
- Guided sessions
- Huwon garden tour (Korean) 11·12·1·2 10:00 · 11:00 · 12:00 · 13:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 / Huwon garden tour (Korean) 3·4·5·6·7·8·9·10 10:00 · 11:00 · 12:00 · 13:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 16:00 / Huwon garden tour (English) 12·1·2 10:30 · 11:30 · 14:30 / Huwon garden tour (English) 3·4·5·6·7·8·9·10·11 10:30 · 11:30 · 14:30 · 15:30 / Huwon garden tour (Japanese) Wed·Fri·Sun 13:30 / Huwon garden tour (Chinese) Tue·Thu·Sat 12:30
- Admission
- ₩3,000–₩5,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩3,000Main-buildings ticket. Free for visitors in hanbok. |
|---|---|
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩2,400The group rate on the main-buildings ticket. The rear garden has no group rate. |
| Rear Garden (Huwon) ticket · Adult(ages 19-64) | ₩5,000A main-buildings ticket must be bought alongside it. |
| Rear Garden (Huwon) ticket · Senior(65 and over) | ₩5,000Over-65s enter the main buildings free, but pay the full adult rate for the rear garden. |
| Rear Garden (Huwon) ticket · Youth(ages 7-18) | ₩2,500 |
History
Changdeokgung was built in 1405, in the fifth year of King Taejong, as the second royal palace after Gyeongbokgung. It was intended as a secondary residence and ended up as the principal one for many Joseon kings.
It burned in 1592, when the royal family fled the capital during the Imjin War, and was restored in 1611 under Gwanghaegun. The rear garden dates to Taejong's reign, built as a retreat for the royal family, and was later called Biwon — the Secret Garden — under Gojong.
In December 1997 the palace was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognised for the way its buildings and gardens are laid out to follow the natural terrain rather than impose a formal axis on it. It covers roughly 556,000 square metres.
1405
Built
Founded in the fifth year of King Taejong as the second palace after Gyeongbokgung.
Taejong's reign
The rear garden
Huwon is laid out as a retreat for the royal family.
1592
Burned
Destroyed when the royal family fled the capital during the Imjin War.
1611
Restored
Rebuilt under Gwanghaegun, after which it served as the principal palace for long periods.
Under Gojong
Renamed Biwon
The rear garden acquires the name by which it is still widely known.
1963
Designated
Registered as a Historic Site on 18 January.
December 1997
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed for its adaptation to the natural terrain.
Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changdeokgung introduction and history ·
Filmed here
Kingdom(킹덤)K-drama
Gwallamji, the pond where the bodies were hidden.
What to see
Donhwamun Gate
Changdeokgung's main gate, first built in 1412. Jongmyo stood directly in front of the palace at the time, so the approach was set at the south-west corner instead. It burned in the Imjin War and was rebuilt in 1609 as a two-storey gatehouse — the largest of any palace gate. Donhwamun was used for ceremonial passage such as a royal procession; officials normally came and went through Geumhomun to the west.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Geumcheongyo Bridge
The stone bridge just inside the gate.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Injeongjeon Hall
The throne hall of Changdeokgung, where the state held its most important events: a king's enthronement, the officials' salutations, audiences with foreign envoys and court banquets. It is an imposing two-storey hall on a two-tiered stone terrace, though the terrace is low and has no balustrade, which makes it plainer than Gyeongbokgung's Geunjeongjeon. The floor, electric lights, curtains and glass windows inside were converted to a Western fitting-out in 1908.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Seonjeongjeon Hall
Rebuilt in 1647 alongside Daejojeon and Huijeongdang.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Huijeongdang Hall
The residential quarters burned with Daejojeon in the great fire of 1917, and were rebuilt in 1920 from Gyeongbokgung's Gangnyeongjeon and Gyotaejeon, moved here.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Daejojeon Hall
Heungbokheon, one of its outbuildings, is where the 1910 annexation was settled. It burned with Huijeongdang in 1917 and was rebuilt in 1920.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Seongjeonggak
Seongjeonggak was the crown prince's schoolroom, and under Japanese rule was also used as the royal clinic. The building is single-storey but has a two-storey pavilion attached at a right angle on its east side, which gives it an unusual shape; the pavilion carries the plaques Huiuru and Bochunjeong. Gwanmulheon, behind it, is where the king often stayed to read and receive people, and the plaque reading Jiphui survives there.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Gwollaegaksa
Gwollaegaksa means the government offices inside the palace — the ones deliberately placed within the walls so they could attend the king closely. Behind Geumcheongyo, west of Injeongjeon, the eastern side held the royal pharmacy, the Office of Special Advisers and the Office of Royal Decrees, and the western side the royal library, Bongmodang and Geomseocheong. The buildings standing now were rebuilt between 2000 and 2004.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Old Seonwonjeon
Seonwonjeon is the sacred hall that housed the portraits of past kings and where the rites to them were held. Chunhwijeon, moved here from Gyeongdeokgung's Gyeonghwadang in 1656, was used as Seonwonjeon from King Sukjong's reign on. In 1921 a new Seonwonjeon was built deep in the rear garden and the portraits moved there, leaving this quarter derelict. The hall itself survives; its annexes were lost then and were rebuilt in 2005.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Nakseonjae
Built in 1847 on the site of Nakseondang. After liberation the last members of the Korean imperial family lived out their lives here.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Huwon (Rear Garden)
Laid out north of the palace in 1406 and enlarged in 1463, it burned in the Imjin War. Ongnyucheon, Gyujanggak, Juhamnu, Aeryeonji, Uiduhap and Yeongyeongdang were added between the reigns of Injo and Sunjo.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Rear Garden Entrance
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Buyongji Pond
Juhamnu and Gyujanggak were built around this pond in 1776.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Juhamnu Pavilion
Built in 1776 by Buyongji pond, together with Gyujanggak.
Aeryeonji Pond
Aeryeonji is the second garden of Changdeokgung's rear grounds. In 1692 King Sukjong is said to have raised an island in the middle of the pond and built a pavilion on it; the island is gone today and the pavilion sits over the pond's northern edge. Sukjong, who loved lotus flowers, named it Aeryeon — "loving the lotus" — so the pavilion became Aeryeonjeong and the pond Aeryeonji.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Uiduhap
In 1827 Crown Prince Hyomyeong is said to have built Uiduhap and several other buildings near Aeryeonji and walled them off from it. Only two now remain: Uiduhap, which carries the plaque reading Gioheon, and Ungyeonggeo. Both are very plain buildings, left without dancheong painting.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Yeongyeongdang
Built by Aeryeonji pond in 1827, and built to the form of a scholar-official's house rather than a palace.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Gwallamji Pond
One of the ponds strung along the garden's wooded path.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jondeokjeong Pavilion
The Jondeokjeong area appears to be the last part of Changdeokgung's rear garden to be laid out. Pavilions of several different shapes stand around its pond: the double-roofed hexagonal Jondeokjeong, the fan-shaped Gwallamjeong, the long gable-roofed Pyeomusa on the western slope, and Seungjaejeong facing Gwallamjeong. Jondeokjeong is the oldest of them.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Ongnyucheon Stream
Ongnyucheon lies at the northernmost point of Changdeokgung's rear garden, running through its deepest valley. According to the Palace Register, the three characters 玉流川 carved into the rock are in King Injo's own hand, and the five-syllable quatrain beside them is King Sukjong's poem on the scenery here. Small pavilions were built around it — Soyojeong, Taegeukjeong, Nongsanjeong, Chwihanjeong and Cheonguijeong.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Donhwamun Gate selected
Suggested routes
Photo 1 of 7
Palace buildings route
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Photo 1 of 6
Rear Garden route
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Palace buildings route selected
Photo spots
Injeongjeon Hall — from the courtyardBest time · Morning, before the garden sessions start
The throne hall is the one frame here everyone recognises, and it is emptiest before the first Huwon group forms.
Juhamnu Pavilion — From BuyongjiBest time · On your garden session
The square pond with the pavilion above it. You are on a guided walk, so plan the shot rather than wandering back for it.
NakseonjaeBest time · Late afternoon
The eastern residence, plainer than the ceremonial halls and correspondingly quiet.
Injeongjeon Hall — from the courtyard selected
Accessibility and facilities
Wheelchairs and strollers are lent free of charge and accessible pathways are marked. There are ticket booths, audio-guide rental, lockers, restrooms, first-aid points, automated external defibrillators, a gift shop and parking.
The palace halls are on relatively level ground. The rear garden is not — it follows wooded slopes, which is the point of it, and that should factor into whether you book the session.
Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changdeokgung visiting course ·
When to go
Autumn
The garden by lantern
On an autumn night Changdeokgung becomes a place you walk through by lantern light. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center describes its Moonlight Tour — a palace night programme running since 2010 — as passing Geumcheongyo bridge, designated a treasure in 2012, then the lit Injeongjeon, Nakseonjae and Yeongyeongdang with a guide. A daegeum is played at Sangnyangjeong in Nakseonjae, the cast of a reenacted royal procession is met at Buyongji pond in the rear garden, and it closes at Yeongyeongdang with a court music ensemble and traditional refreshments. It is a paid programme that must be booked, and its dates are announced separately each year.
Shared with other places
One ticket, several places
The 6,000-won combined palace ticket admits you to the four palaces and Jongmyo. It is valid for six months, one visit each, and is sold at those ticket offices. Changdeokgung's Huwon garden is not included.
Applies to: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine
Nearby
Unhyeongung
Not one of the grand palaces and not trying to be — a compact residential compound three minutes from Anguk Station that fills the gap between two bigger stops.
Ikseon-dong Hanok Village
The alleys are public streets, so there is no gate, no ticket and no closing time — but almost everything worth walking in for is a business with its own hours, and most of them do not open early. It is also smaller than Bukchon on purpose: these are 30-pyeong houses, not aristocratic compounds.
Changgyeonggung Palace
The cheapest of Seoul's ticketed palaces and the least crowded, with a garden layout that rewards an unhurried walk rather than a checklist.
Gaeseong Mandu Koong
An Insadong house that has served Gaeseong-style dumplings for more than thirty years, best known for its dumpling hot pot.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I allow?
Budget an hour for the palace halls and add the garden session on top, plus the wait before it starts. This is not a palace to fit into a spare hour.
Stories about this place
- Kingdom Filming Locations in Korea — Four Seoul Palaces, and One Set 131 km Away
Where Netflix's Kingdom shot its Joseon palace, scene by scene. The drama's single palace was really four separate sites in Seoul, all walkable from one another — plus the Mungyeongsaejae open set, which is not.
- Kingdom Seoul Palace Filming Route — Three Palaces and a Shrine on Foot
A one-day route through the Kingdom locations in Seoul, from Gyeonghuigung across to Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo. The last three share walls, so you board the subway only once — the hard part is choosing the day.
- Changdeokgung: The Palace Joseon's Kings Actually Lived In
Built in 1405 as a secondary palace, it ended up serving as the main one for most of the dynasty. Why the kings preferred it, why it was rebuilt first after 1592, and why parts of Gyeongbokgung are standing inside it today.
- Four Places to Visit in Ikseon-dong: The Hanok Village, Unhyeongung, Jongmyo and Changdeokgung
Four sites within a short walk of Jongno 3-ga, compared on what you see, how you get in and how long each takes. They close on three different days and only one of them limits how you enter, so the day of the week decides the list.
- Seoul's Five Palaces, Compared: Price, Closing Day, Hours — and How There Came to Be Five
Seoul's five palaces compared on what you see, what kind of palace each is and how long it takes, with price, closing day and hours alongside.
Nearby Food
- Five Seoul Korean Barbecue Restaurants: Hanwoo, Galbi, Bulgogi and Pork Belly
- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
Related articles
- Jongmyo: The Shrine That Outranked the Palace
- Gyeongbokgung: The Main Palace of Joseon
- Squid Game Filming Locations in Seoul — a Subway Platform, a Bus Terminal and a Convenience Store
- Parasite Filming Locations — a Half-Day Seoul Route, North to South
- Parasite Filming Locations in Seoul — Four Places, Three of Them Staircases
- Deoksugung: The Palace With Four Names
Where these facts come from
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — visiting hours ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — admission ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changdeokgung visiting course ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changdeokgung introduction and history ·
- Korea Heritage Service — heritage record ·
- Korea Tourism Organization ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Directions to Changdeokgung ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — press release on the Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour ·
- Visit Seoul — 'Kingdom' filming locations ·