Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung was raised in 1405 as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, and the garden on the slope behind it was laid out the following year. It was burned in the Japanese invasion of 1592 and rebuilt in 1610, before any of the other Seoul palaces, and that early rebuilding decided the next two and a half centuries: kings lived here for roughly 270 years, until Gyeongbokgung was reconstructed in 1867. Court usage called it Donggwol, the East Palace, and it shared open ground with Changgyeonggung next door rather than standing behind a dividing wall. Its later history is heavier than its setting suggests.

The operator sets out two routes, and they are ticketed separately. The palace route runs from Donhwamun, the main gate, over the Geumcheongyo bridge to Injeongjeon, the throne hall; then Seonjeongjeon, Huijeongdang and Daejojeon, the working and sleeping quarters; then Nakseonjae, the plainer 1847 residential compound at the eastern edge where the last royal family lived. Off to the west sit Gwollaegaksa, the palace's own government offices, and the old Seonwonjeon shrine. Daejojeon and Huijeongdang are not the originals: they burned in the great fire of 1917 and were rebuilt in 1920 out of Gyeongbokgung's Gangnyeongjeon and Gyotaejeon halls, dismantled and carried across the city. The second route is the garden, and it is a walk rather than a set of buildings.

Allow three hours for the whole site. The operator publishes two of the three components: its palace-buildings commentary runs about 50 minutes, and its Secret Garden walk runs about 70 minutes. The third is the part visitors misjudge — the garden entrance is more than a fifteen-minute walk uphill from the palace gate, and that walk is inside the ticketed grounds, on top of the garden tour itself. Add the ticket queue and the way back and three hours is realistic rather than generous. If the garden slot is sold out or the legs will not take the climb, the palace buildings alone are a comfortable 60 to 90 minutes: Donhwamun to Injeongjeon to Nakseonjae and out.

February–May and September–October: 09:00–18:00, last admission 17:00. June–August: 09:00–18:30, last admission 17:30. November–January: 09:00–17:30, last admission 16:30. Closed Mondays. When Monday is a public or substitute holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday instead. The checked date is a regular Monday closure. Changdeokgung closes every Monday. The exception matters in a country with many public holidays: if that Monday is a public holiday or a substitute holiday the palace opens, and the first non-holiday day after it becomes the closed day instead. Hours move three times a year.

General palace admission: KRW 3,000 per adult (Korean visitors aged 25–64; foreign visitors aged 19–64). Secret Garden admission costs an additional KRW 5,000 per adult, and a general palace ticket is also required, making the adult total KRW 8,000. Two tickets, and the second does not replace the first. The palace grounds cost 3,000 won for an adult, or 2,400 won each for a group of ten or more; the adult band is 25 to 64 for Korean nationals and 19 to 64 for foreign visitors.

From Anguk Station on Seoul Subway Line 3, use Exit 3 and walk about 5 minutes. Alternatively, use Jongno 3-ga Station on Lines 1, 3 or 5, Exit 7, and walk about 10 minutes. Buses 109, 151, 162, 171, 172, 272, 710 and 7025 stop at Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater. The palace has no parking; the operator recommends public transport. This is the named approach for an independent visit. The address is 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03072, and the office number is 02-3668-2300. No car is needed and the operator would rather visitors did not bring one: it states that there are no parking facilities and asks people to travel by public transport.

The main palace-building area is mostly level, and ramps allow wheelchair and pushchair movement along some sections. Historic buildings themselves do not have ramps, so buildings raised on stone platforms may not be approachable at close range. The Secret Garden combines level ground with steep hills; wheelchair and pushchair use can be hazardous on the steeper sections. Some Secret Garden paths are unpaved and can become muddy in wet weather. An accessible-route information board stands beside the general map on the left after entering the palace. The access description applies to the documented visitor route. The garden is a capped, timed entry, not a stroll.

Ordinary visitor photography needs no permission — the visiting regulations treat a souvenir photograph as already permitted, with no permit and no fee. Three limits sit around that. Photography using non-everyday costume or props, which the rules spell out as character costumes, mascot heads, inflatable suits and their equivalents, does need a permit from the site director, because it obstructs other visitors and cuts against the character of the place. The director may also close specific areas to cameras when crowding demands it, so a posted sign outranks the general rule. Filming a heritage guide's commentary, on video or audio, requires that guide's prior consent.