Jongmyo Shrine
종묘
Plan around the admission system: weekday access may be limited to timed guided groups, while self-guided entry is offered on designated days.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 종묘
- Address
- 157 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station (종로3가역, Lines 1, 3, 5) (Exit 11) · 5-min walk
- Opening hours
- Feb–May, Sep–Oct Sat·Sun·holidays 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) Jun–Aug Sat·Sun·holidays 09:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30) Jan, Nov–Dec Sat·Sun·holidays 09:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed
- Every Tue (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Hours notes
- Closed Tuesdays — the same day as Gyeongbokgung, not the Monday the other palaces keep. The hours above are the self-guided days: Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Culture Day, the last Wednesday of each month. Self-guided translates 자유관람 and means unescorted, not free of charge — the ordinary admission fee applies on every open day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the shrine is normally open only by timed guided tour, which departs at fixed times and takes about an hour. One dated exception is in force: because of extreme heat, self-guided entry is also being allowed on timed-tour days through July and August 2026, so recheck the format for September onward.
- Guided sessions
- Timed guided entry (Korean) 10·11·12·1·2 Mon·Wed·Thu·Fri 09:20 · 10:20 · 11:20 · 12:20 · 13:20 · 14:20 · 15:20 · 16:20 60 min On Mon, Wed, Thu and Fri this is the only way in — general admission is not available. Each language session admits 200 people: 100 booked online and 100 sold on the day. / Timed guided entry (Korean) 3·4·5·6·7·8·9 Mon·Wed·Thu·Fri 09:20 · 10:20 · 11:20 · 12:20 · 13:20 · 14:20 · 15:20 · 16:20 · 16:40 60 min From March to September a 16:40 session is added. On Mon, Wed, Thu and Fri this is the only way in. Each language session admits 200 people: 100 booked online and 100 sold on the day. / Timed guided entry (English) Mon·Wed·Thu·Fri 10:00 · 12:00 · 14:00 · 16:00 60 min Each language session admits 200 people: 100 booked online and 100 sold on the day. / Timed guided entry (Chinese) Mon·Wed·Thu·Fri 11:00 · 15:00 60 min Each language session admits 200 people: 100 booked online and 100 sold on the day. / Timed guided entry (Japanese) Mon·Wed·Thu·Fri 09:40 · 11:40 · 13:40 · 15:40 60 min Each language session admits 200 people: 100 booked online and 100 sold on the day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Admission
- ₩1,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩1,000The same fee applies on timed-tour days. Free for visitors in hanbok. |
|---|---|
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩1,000Unlike the palaces, Jongmyo has no group discount — the group rate equals the individual rate. |
| Admission(Korean nationals aged 24 and under or 65 and over) | Free |
| Admission(foreign visitors aged 18 and under or 65 and over) | Free |
| Admission(visitors wearing hanbok) | Free |
History
Jongmyo was founded in 1395, in the fourth year of King Taejo, at the same moment the dynasty was establishing its capital. It covers roughly 200,500 square metres and was designated a Historic Site on 18 January 1963.
The shrine was destroyed during the Imjin War and subsequently rebuilt. Its two halls grew out of a practical problem: the Main Hall held tablets in rotation, and when it ran out of room a separate shrine was built beside it and named Yeongnyeongjeon, to which tablets from four generations back were moved. The system eventually produced a Main Hall of 19 bays and a Yeongnyeongjeon of 16.
1395
Founded
Established in the fourth year of King Taejo as the royal ancestral shrine of the new dynasty.
1592–1598
Destroyed and rebuilt
Lost during the Imjin War and subsequently reconstructed.
1963
Designated
Registered as a Historic Site on 18 January.
1964
Jeryeak protected
The ritual music is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Heritage.
1945 → 1971
The rite interrupted
Jongmyo Jerye is abolished in 1945 and resumed in 1969 on 1 October each year, moving in 1971 to the first Sunday in May.
1975
Jerye protected
The rite itself is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Heritage.
1995
UNESCO World Heritage
The shrine is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
2001
UNESCO Intangible Heritage
The royal ancestral ritual and its music are listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Jongmyo introduction and history ·
Filmed here
Kingdom(킹덤)K-drama
Jeongjeon Hall, where the young king takes the throne.
What to see
Hyangdaecheong
Where the incense and the written prayers were kept.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jaegung
Where the king and the crown prince prepared for the rite.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jeonsacheong
Where the food for the rite was prepared.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jeongjeon (Main Hall)
The main hall, holding the spirit tablets of the kings and queens. Founded in 1395 with seven bays and enlarged repeatedly, it now runs to nineteen under a single roof.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Yeongnyeongjeon
The separate shrine built beside Jeongjeon in Sejong's reign, to which tablets were moved once a reign had passed four generations. Built with eight bays in 1421 and enlarged to sixteen.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Mangmyoru
Where the officials of the shrine bureau handled the business of the rite.
Jongmyo Jerye (the royal ancestral rite)
The royal ancestral rite. Abolished in 1945, resumed in 1969 on 1 October each year, and moved in 1971 to the first Sunday in May. Designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1975 and inscribed by UNESCO in 2001 together with its music.
Jongmyo Jeryeak (the rite's music)
The music written for the rite. Designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1964 and inscribed by UNESCO in 2001 alongside the rite itself.
Hyangdaecheong selected
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, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace
One rule, several places
Closed on Tuesdays, the same day as Gyeongbokgung — not the Monday that Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung keep.
Applies to: Gyeongbokgung Palace
Nearby
Sewoon Sangga
A mixed-use arcade, floors of electronics and lighting shops, with an elevated walkway running to its neighbours.
Gwangjang Market
Go with several small dishes in mind and compare posted prices before ordering; individual stalls keep their own hours and closing days.
Gwangjang Market Food Alley
The alley inside Gwangjang Market that trades five hours later than the market does, and stays open on the Sunday the general stalls take off.
Woo Lae Oak
A Pyongyang-style naengmyeon house open since 1946, known for a clear, light broth.
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.
- Jongmyo: The Shrine That Outranked the Palace
Joseon's founder chose this ground in 1394 and began building before the palace was finished. What a royal ancestral shrine actually was, why the main hall is so long and so plain, and what the rite performed here still does.
- Seven Historic Sites in Seoul: Hanyangdoseong, Two Gates and Four Places Inside the Wall
Seoul's old city wall, two of its gates and four places inside it, set out by how each relates to the wall, whether you can go in, and whether it is worth its own slot. Three of the seven are places you enter, and two of those three are free.
- 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.
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
- Gyeongbokgung: The Main Palace of Joseon
- Seoul's Five Palaces, Compared: Price, Closing Day, Hours — and How There Came to Be Five
- 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 ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Jongmyo visiting course ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — Jongmyo introduction and history ·
- Korea Heritage Service — heritage record ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — English guide ·
- Korea Tourism Organization ·
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Directions to Jongmyo ·
- Visit Seoul — 'Kingdom' filming locations ·