Gyeongbokgung Palace
경복궁
Best for a first palace visit in Seoul; allow time for the central halls and check the official schedule before adding a guard ceremony.
Language
— Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
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Place information
- Korean name
- 경복궁
- Address
- 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Gyeongbokgung Station (경복궁역, Line 3) (Exit 5) · 2-min walk
- Opening hours
- Jan–Feb, Nov–Dec 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00) Mar–May, Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30)
- Closed
- Every Tue (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Admission
- ₩3,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩3,000Free for visitors in hanbok. |
|---|---|
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩2,400 |
History
Gyeongbokgung was founded in 1395, three years into the reign of King Taejo, as the first and principal palace of the new Joseon dynasty. The name means that the new dynasty would enjoy great fortune and prosper.
What stands today is largely a nineteenth-century palace on a fourteenth-century plan. The original burned during the Imjin War and the site lay unrestored for more than 270 years — longer than the palace had stood.
1395
Founded
Built under King Taejo as the principal palace of the Joseon dynasty.
1592
Destroyed
Burned during the Imjin War, in the 25th year of King Seonjo. The site stayed in ruins for over 270 years.
1865–1867
Rebuilt
Reconstruction completed in the fourth year of King Gojong's reign.
1915
Demolished
Most of the palace buildings were torn down for a colonial industrial exhibition.
1926
Built over
The Japanese Government-General building was erected on the grounds, cutting the palace off from the city.
1990s
Restoration
Long-term restoration begins; the colonial building is removed between 1995 and 1997.
What to see
Heungnyemun Gate
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
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Geunjeongjeon Hall
The throne hall of Gyeongbokgung, where the state held its most important events: a king's enthronement, the officials' salutations, audiences with foreign envoys and court banquets. It is the largest and most formal building in the palace and takes up the widest ground. Its forecourt is paved with the flagstones every throne-hall court has, with the three-lane processional way down the middle and the rank stones set along the sides.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1) · Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Sajeongjeon Hall
The king's official day-to-day office, where the morning reports, the council meetings and the royal lectures were held. Manchunjeon and Cheonchujeon, the annexes to either side, carry the underfloor heating Sajeongjeon itself lacks, which is thought to be how the court kept working through the cold months.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Sujeongjeon Hall
A hall used as King Gojong's council chamber. It was not part of the original palace but was built during Gojong's reconstruction. In 1894 it housed the Deliberative Council of the Gabo Reform, and later served as the cabinet office when the State Council was reorganised into a cabinet. This is also the ground where the Hall of Worthies stood in the early Joseon period, the office in which King Sejong's scholars created the Korean alphabet.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
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Gyeonghoeru Pavilion
A pavilion built inside a pond west of the royal living quarters, where the king held large banquets with his officials and received foreign envoys. Its ground floor is nothing but forty-eight tall stone pillars - twenty-four round and twenty-four square - while the floor above was boarded and used as the banqueting hall. Its hip rafters carry eleven roof figurines, more than any other building in Korea.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1) · Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Gangnyeongjeon Hall
The king's sleeping quarters, and with Gyotaejeon one of the two halls where the king and queen lived day to day. He read and rested here, and also took confidential business with his officials. A wide stone terrace fronts the building and the roof carries no ridge beam. What stands today was rebuilt in 1995. Gyeongseongjeon, Yeonsaengjeon, Eungjidang and Yeongildang stand around it as annexes.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Gyotaejeon Hall
The queen's quarters, and the other half of the royal living pair with Gangnyeongjeon. It sits at the very centre of the palace and, as the queen's residence, is also called the central palace hall. Like Gangnyeongjeon its roof carries no ridge beam and its interior is much the same, but no stone terrace fronts it. What stands today was rebuilt in 1995. Behind it lies Amisan, a garden laid out for the queen.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Donggung (Crown Prince's Quarter)
The quarter where the crown prince and his consort were schooled and lived. It stands on the east side of the palace, which is what its name says. Three buildings stand here now: Jaseondang, the couple's living quarters; Bihyeongak, where the prince studied and handled business; and Gyejodang, the quarter's main hall. Jaseondang and Bihyeongak were rebuilt in 1999, Gyejodang in 2023.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Sojubang (Royal Kitchens)
The palace kitchens, where the king's meals and the court's banquet food were prepared. They are divided into three yards: the inner kitchen that cooked the king's own meals, the outer kitchen that laid out banquet and ritual food, and the still room for snacks, porridge, fruit and rice cakes. What stands today was rebuilt in 2015.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jagyeongjeon Hall
Built in 1867, during Gojong's reconstruction, for Queen Sinjeong of the Jo clan - mother of the 24th king Heonjong, adoptive mother of the 26th king Gojong, and posthumously raised to empress after the Korean Empire was declared. It burned down not long after and was rebuilt in 1888; that building is the one still standing. Bogandang, Cheongyeonnu and Hyeopgyeongdang stand around it as separate annexes, all joined to the hall.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Heungbokjeon Hall
First built during Gojong's reconstruction of the palace. The records have him receiving German, Japanese, Italian and French envoys here, and it is also where Queen Sinjeong of the Jo clan died. It was demolished under Japanese rule and rebuilt in 2020.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
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Hyangwonjeong Pavilion
Built in 1873, when Gojong raised Geoncheonggung: a pond was dug in front of it, an island made at its centre, and this two-storey hexagonal pavilion set on the island. The bridge built to reach it was named Chwihyanggyo, from the phrase for being intoxicated by a fragrance. During the pavilion's repair between 2017 and 2020 the bridge was returned to its original position.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1) · Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Geoncheonggung Residence
A palace within the palace, built in 1873 as living quarters for the king and queen. Jangandang was the king's side and Gollyeonghap the queen's, and a corridor joins the two. Gojong and Empress Myeongseong lived here for about ten years. What stands today was rebuilt in 2007.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jipokjae Hall
Moved here in 1891 from Changdeokgung, where Jipokjae and Hyeopgildang had been annexes to Hamnyeongjeon, and re-erected west of Geoncheonggung as Gojong's library and a room for receiving foreign envoys. The octagonal Palujeong stands to its left and Hyeopgildang to its right. It is the only building in Gyeongbokgung whose name plaque hangs vertically.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Taewonjeon Hall
It housed the portrait of King Taejo, and later served as the funeral hall where a king's or queen's coffin lay between the death and the funeral procession. Mungyeongjeon, Gongmukjae and Yeongsajae stand around it as ritual annexes. What stands today was rebuilt in 2006.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
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Sumunjang Changing Ceremony
Held in front of Gwanghwamun at 10:00 and 14:00 for about 20 minutes. The largest of the three events staged there.
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Gwanghwamun Sentry Duty
Held at 11:00 and 13:00 for about 10 minutes.
Heungnyemun Gate selected
Suggested routes
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40-minute routeabout 40 min
- Yeongjegyo Bridge
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1) · 궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
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60-minute routeabout 60 min
- Yeongjegyo Bridge
Adds the royal living quarters to the ceremonial front.
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1) · 궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
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90-minute routeabout 90 min
- Yeongjegyo Bridge
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1) · 궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
40-minute route selected
Photo spots
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Gyeonghoeru Pavilion — from the south-east corner of the pondBest time · Still, windless mornings
The pavilion and its reflection only line up when the water is flat, so wind matters more than light here.
Korea Travel List (AI 생성, CC0 1.0)
Geunjeongjeon Hall — from the courtyardBest time · Right after the 09:00 opening
The stone-paved forecourt gives you the whole hall head-on. It is the busiest frame in the palace by mid-morning.
Korea Travel List (AI 생성, CC0 1.0)
Hyangwonjeong Pavilion — in the rear gardenBest time · On the 90-minute route
The hexagonal pavilion sits at the centre of the pond. It is the furthest point from the entrance, so visitors on the shorter routes never reach it.
Korea Travel List (AI 생성, CC0 1.0)
Gwanghwamun Sentry Duty — during the changing ceremonyBest time · 10:00 or 14:00
Twenty minutes is enough time to move once — take the wide view from the square first, then close in.
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion — from the south-east corner of the pond selected
Accessibility and facilities
The palace lends wheelchairs and strollers free of charge and marks step-free routes through the grounds. On site there are information desks, ticket booths, audio-guide rental, lockers, a nursing room, restrooms, first-aid points and automated external defibrillators, plus paid parking for cars and coaches.
The grounds are large and mostly open, with gravel and stone underfoot on the ceremonial axis — worth knowing before choosing the 90-minute route.
When to go
Autumn
A different palace after dark
On an autumn night Gyeongbokgung becomes a different place. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center describes its Starlight Night Tour — a night programme that first ran in 2016 and has run steadily since — as following a court lady from Gyejodang, where a guide talks, to the outer kitchens for court music and a doseuk surasang, the royal table reinterpreted as a lunchbox, then past Jagyeongjeon and its ten-longevity chimney, Jibokjae, Geoncheonggung and Hyangwonjeong, and over the Chwihyanggyo bridge. The night view settling on Hyangwonji pond is where it parts most from the daytime palace. 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: Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine
Nearby
National Palace Museum of Korea
A national museum inside Gyeongbokgung's walls, at the south-west corner. It holds what the buildings alone cannot show — royal seals, the court protocol records, palanquins, the water clock. Saturdays and the last Wednesday of each month are the only nights it stays open to 21:00.
National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
Across from Gwanghwamun Square, covering Korea since the ports opened in 1876. Where the Seoul Museum of History takes the city, this takes the country, so the two do not overlap. Wednesday and Saturday are the only days it runs to 21:00.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
The city-run performing arts centre across from Gwanghwamun Square, running several halls beside its main theatre. It sits where a day spent between Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun already ends.
Tosokchon Samgyetang
A samgyetang house west of Gyeongbokgung, worked into a remodelled hanok in Chebu-dong; its menu also runs to black-bone chicken and lacquer-tree chicken.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book tickets online?
General admission is sold at the gate, not online. Online reservation exists for guided-tour programmes, which can be booked in advance through the official Royal Palaces site.
Stories about this place
- Gyeongbokgung: The Main Palace of Joseon
About 390 bays when founded, 7,225 and a half after reconstruction. Why it stood empty for 270 years, when 4,000 bays were pulled down and sold, and what used to stand where you now walk through Heungnyemun.
- 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.
- First Time in Seoul: 5 Places to Start
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Myeongdong, N Seoul Tower and the Han River parks, compared on what you'll see, when to go and who each suits. Two of the five charge admission; the other three have no opening hours, and something else to check instead.
- Seoul in a Day: Gyeongbokgung to Dongdaemun, 4.1 km on Foot
The day of the week decides this one — Tuesday shuts Gyeongbokgung, Sunday shuts half of Gwangjang Market. Six stops, 4.1 km west to east.
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
- Changdeokgung: The Palace Joseon's Kings Actually Lived In
- Jongmyo: The Shrine That Outranked the Palace
- Squid Game Filming Locations in Seoul — a Subway Platform, a Bus Terminal and a Convenience Store
- Kingdom Seoul Palace Filming Route — Three Palaces and a Shrine on Foot
- 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 — opening hours ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — admission ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — history ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — walking routes ·
- Korea Tourism Organization ·
- Korea Heritage Service Foundation — guard ceremony ·
- National Heritage Portal — Gyeonghoeru ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Directions to Gyeongbokgung ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — press release on the Gyeongbokgung Starlight Night Tour ·