Changgyeonggung Palace
창경궁
The cheapest of Seoul's ticketed palaces and the least crowded, with a garden layout that rewards an unhurried walk rather than a checklist.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 창경궁
- Address
- 185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Hyehwa Station (혜화역, Line 4) (Exit 4) · 12-min walk
- Opening hours
- 09:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Hours notes
- Two details are published separately and are not the palace's hours: the Yulgok-ro gate opens on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Culture Day with an earlier entry cut-off (17:00 to 18:00 depending on the month), and visitors are moved into the designated evening zone at 17:30 in November-February, 18:00 in March-May and September-October, and 18:30 in June-August.
- Admission
- ₩1,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩1,000Free for visitors in hanbok. |
|---|---|
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩800 |
History
The site began as Suganggung, built in 1418 for King Taejong after he handed the throne to Sejong. It became a palace in its own right in 1484, when King Seongjong greatly expanded the compound and gave it the name Changgyeonggung.
Together with Changdeokgung it formed the Eastern Palace, and after the Imjin War the two were rebuilt side by side under Gwanghaegun. From then until Gojong's reign the Eastern Palace, not Gyeongbokgung, was the working centre of the dynasty — which is why Changgyeonggung reads as a lived-in compound rather than a ceremonial showpiece.
1418
Suganggung
Built for King Taejong after he abdicates in favour of Sejong.
1484
Named Changgyeonggung
King Seongjong greatly expands the compound and gives it its own name.
After the Imjin War
Rebuilt
Reconstructed alongside Changdeokgung under Gwanghaegun.
To Gojong's reign
The working court
The Eastern Palace remains the centre of dynastic history for centuries.
1963
Designated
Registered as a Historic Site on 18 January.
Filmed here
Kingdom(킹덤)K-drama
Tongmyeongjeon Hall, where Crown Prince Lee Chang first appears and kneels.
What to see
Honghwamun Gate
Changgyeonggung's main gate, first built when the palace was founded, burned in the Imjin War and rebuilt in 1616. Where Donhwamun — the main gate of Changdeokgung, its neighbour in the same eastern palace complex — is five bays across, Honghwamun was built small, at three. In 1795 King Jeongjo is said to have distributed rice to the poor outside this gate to mark the sixtieth birthday of his mother, Lady Hyegyeong.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Okcheongyo Bridge
The auspicious water off Eungbongsan runs past Changdeokgung's Jondeokjeong, through Chundangji at the north of Changgyeonggung, reaches Okcheongyo and flows on south. Between the two arches under the bridge a goblin face is carved, there to drive off any spirit riding the watercourse in and so to guard the palace. Okcheongyo is among the best-preserved bridges left in any palace.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Photo 1 of 2
Myeongjeongjeon Hall
Changgyeonggung's throne hall, where the state held its important events: a king's enthronement, the officials' salutations, the civil service examination, court banquets. Built in 1484, burned in the Imjin War and rebuilt in 1616, it is the oldest throne hall standing in any palace. Gyeongbokgung's Geunjeongjeon and Changdeokgung's Injeongjeon are two-storey buildings; Myeongjeongjeon was built single-storey.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1) · Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Munjeongjeon Hall
Changgyeonggung's council hall — the office where the king met his officials, took their reports and settled important policy. It was also used at times as a spirit hall, holding a king's or queen's tablet until it went to Jongmyo. It burned in the Imjin War and was rebuilt under Gwanghaegun, was lost again under Japanese rule, and was restored in 1986.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Haminjeong Pavilion
Haminjeong has a wide open forecourt, and was used as a place for the king to meet his officials and hold the royal lectures. The building stands open on all four sides with no walls, though the Donggwoldo painting shows it closed on three. The broad yard in front appears in that painting too, which suggests performances were held here.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Gyeongchunjeon Hall
Built in 1483 by King Seongjong as sleeping quarters for his mother, Queen Insu. But Jeongjo and Heonjong were both born here, and Queen Inhyeon and Lady Hyegyeong both died here, which suggests it served not only the queen dowager but queens and crown princesses as living quarters.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Hwangyeongjeon Hall
Hwangyeongjeon appears to have been an inner-court building where a king or crown prince lived. It went up when Changgyeonggung was founded and was burned and rebuilt repeatedly — in the Imjin War, in Yi Gwal's rebellion, and in the great fire of King Sunjo's reign. The present building was rebuilt in 1834. Jungjong and Crown Prince Sohyeon both died here.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Tongmyeongjeon Hall
The queen's sleeping quarters, and the foremost building of the inner court. It stands on a base raised on a stone terrace, and its broad yard — wide enough for banquets and ceremonies — is paved with thin flat flagstones. West of it lie a round spring and a square pond, finely enclosed by a stone balustrade and crossed by a small stone bridge. It is the only building left at Changgyeonggung with no roof ridge beam.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Yanghwadang Hall
Yanghwadang served as part of the inner court alongside Tongmyeongjeon. Injo stayed here after returning from Namhansanseong at the end of the Manchu invasion, and Queen Cheorin, wife of the 25th king Cheoljong, died here. The present building is the 1834 rebuilding of the one destroyed by fire in 1830.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Yeongchunheon Hall
Yeongchunheon and Jipbokheon appear to have been used as living quarters at Changgyeonggung. Yeongchunheon, which faces south, is an inner-court building. Jeongjo stayed here often after taking the throne and used it as a reading room and office, and he died here in 1800.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jipbokheon Hall
Yeongchunheon and Jipbokheon appear to have been used as living quarters at Changgyeonggung. Jipbokheon is the five-bay west wing joined to Yeongchunheon on that side. It is where the posthumously honoured Crown Prince Sado and King Sunjo were born.
Daeonsil Greenhouse
Completed in 1909, the first Western glasshouse in Korea: a mixed steel and timber frame enclosed in glass. At its opening it displayed rare plants, including tropical ornamentals. Since Changgyeonggung's restoration in 1986 it has shown plants native to Korea.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Chundangji Pond
Chundangji is two ponds today, but the original — the one that existed through the Joseon period — is the small pond at the back. In 1909, while the Japanese were dismantling Changgyeonggung, a pond was dug on this spot to make a pleasure ground. At the 1986 restoration an island was raised in the middle and the whole was laid out again closer to Korean tradition.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Honghwamun Gate selected
Suggested routes
Photo spots
Myeongjeongjeon Hall — across the courtyardBest time · Morning
East-facing means the throne hall takes direct light early — the opposite of every other palace in the city.
Okcheongyo Bridge — from the gate sideBest time · Any time
The stone bridge just inside Honghwamun, with the hall framed beyond it.
Daeonsil Greenhouse — From across ChundangjiBest time · Late afternoon
The glasshouse across the water is the one frame here that looks like nowhere else in Seoul.
Myeongjeongjeon Hall — across the courtyard selected
Accessibility and facilities
Wheelchairs and strollers are lent free of charge and step-free routes are marked. There are information desks, ticket booths, audio-guide rental, lockers, a nursing room, restrooms, first-aid points, a wheelchair lift and automated external defibrillators, plus paid parking.
The grounds are large and gently sloping toward the pond, so allow more time than the size of the map suggests.
Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changgyeonggung route and halls ·
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, Changdeokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine
Nearby
Changdeokgung Palace
Choose it for palace architecture plus garden scenery, but confirm whether the Secret Garden requires a separate timed ticket.
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.
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.
Jongmyo Shrine
Plan around the admission system: weekday access may be limited to timed guided groups, while self-guided entry is offered on designated days.
Frequently asked questions
Can I walk between Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung?
They adjoin each other and were historically the Eastern Palace together, so pairing them in one visit is the usual plan. They are ticketed separately.
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.
- 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
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- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
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- 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
- Changdeokgung: The Palace Joseon's Kings Actually Lived In
- 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
Where these facts come from
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — visiting hours ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — admission ·
- Korea Tourism Organization ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Changgyeonggung route and halls ·
- Korea Heritage Service — heritage record ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Directions to Changgyeonggung ·
- Visit Seoul — 'Kingdom' filming locations ·