Seoul Palaces Closed Days: Which Palace Is Open Each Day

Gyeongbokgung is closed every Tuesday, while Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung are closed every Monday. So on either day at least one of the big palaces is open. That is the core of Seoul palace closed days and opening hours, and it makes planning easier than it first looks. The rest is small print. A holiday rule can move a closing day, hours shift with the season, and a few spots inside the gates need their own reservation. For a first trip, the plan is simple: know which day of the week you will be standing in front of the ticket window.

Gyeongbokgung rests on Tuesday, the other three on Monday

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Seoul's regular closing days come in only two flavors, Monday and Tuesday. Here is the whole week at a glance. Many itineraries pair it with them.

Read the table by your travel day, not by the palace you have your heart set on. If your flight lands on a Monday, your list is short and simple. If it is a Tuesday, you have three to choose from. From Wednesday through Sunday you can pick purely on taste.

Five palaces, but most first trips need only two

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Seoul has five official palaces. Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung draw most of the visitors. Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung are quieter. Gyeongbokgung is the largest of them and the one most people picture when they think of a Seoul palace.

Two things are worth knowing before you plan around all five. Most of the buildings are reconstructions, and to a first-timer many of the palaces can look alike. That is why the advice for short stays is to pick one or two rather than collect all five. Gyeonghuigung is the easiest to skip unless it happens to be nearby or you want something free to do. It keeps its own closing day, so look it up on the official hours page if you do plan to go.

A public holiday can move the closing day

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Here is why the weekday alone is not a safe guide. If a palace's regular closing day lands on a public holiday or a substitute holiday, the palace stays open that day. The closing day then moves to the next day that is not a holiday.

Gyeongbokgung follows exactly this rule, and so does Changgyeonggung. A rest day can also land on a day you would never expect, such as the day after a holiday weekend.

There is one more exception. Changgyeonggung has no closing day during the spring and autumn Royal Palace Culture Festival periods. Viewing hours can differ by program then.

Hours change by season, and two palaces stay open at night

The palaces generally open at 9 a.m. and close around 6 p.m., but the closing time moves with the season. Gyeongbokgung runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in January, February, November and December, with last entry at 4 p.m. In June through August it stays open until 6:30 p.m., with last entry at 5:30 p.m. Across the year its closing time is 5, 6 or 6:30 p.m.

Changdeokgung also opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5:30, 6 or 6:30 p.m. depending on the season. From November to January it closes at 5:30 p.m., with last entry at 4:30 p.m. Plan to be inside well before the last-entry time, not at it.

Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung are the exceptions. General viewing at both runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Deoksugung's last entry is 8 p.m. Changgyeonggung's last-entry time shifts by season, so don't count on strolling in at closing time. If you like seeing a palace after the day-trip crowds thin out, these two are the ones to pick. Deoksugung also holds its guard-changing ceremony at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. every day except Monday.

That is the place to look in the week before you fly.

Single tickets are cheap, and the combined pass needs four stops

Palace admission runs between 1,000 and 3,000 won, roughly 1 to 3 dollars. Gyeongbokgung costs 3,000 won for adults, and it is free for visitors 18 and under. Wearing a hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, also gets you in free. If that sounds fun, look up what a rental set costs before you go.

The combined ticket for all five palaces costs 10,000 won, about 8 dollars, and it stays valid for three months. It also covers Changdeokgung's rear garden. Whether it pays off is a quick sum. At the top of the single-ticket range, three palaces come to 9,000 won, which is still under the pass. Four palaces come to 12,000 won. So the pass is worth it only if you will see four or more, and it is a poor fit for a trip with two or three palaces.

One small thing helps if you pair two neighbors. Changgyeonggung is attached to Changdeokgung, and you can walk between them. Entering the second one costs a separate 1,000 won.

Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung if you can only pick one or two

With a short stay, one palace is enough, and a single visit still counts. If you only have time for one, put Gyeongbokgung first. It is the largest, and seeing it first gives you a yardstick for every other palace you visit afterward.

If you have time for two, add Changdeokgung and budget about half a day for each. Gyeongbokgung gives you scale, and Changdeokgung gives you the garden. Together they cover what most first-timers want from Seoul's palaces.

An open gate doesn't mean every area is open

The most common mistake is treating a palace's open day as a promise that you can see everything inside. Changdeokgung's Secret Garden, called Huwon or Biwon, has its own admission system. You need to reserve a slot in advance, separate from regular palace entry. English guided tours run only four times a day, with up to 100 people each. Tickets sell out fast in peak season, especially autumn.

The garden's hours also differ from the main palace. It starts at 10 a.m., and its closing time changes by month. A palace that is open tells you nothing about when the garden is.

Jongmyo works the same way. On most weekdays you can only enter on a timed guided tour. Evening viewing at Gyeongbokgung needs its own ticket, runs only in certain seasons, and sells out. Guided palace tours are canceled in bulk on weather warnings for heat, a typhoon, heavy rain or fine dust. The palace itself stays open, though.

Put it all on a calendar like this. On a Monday, go to Gyeongbokgung. On a Tuesday, pick Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung or Deoksugung. From Wednesday to Sunday all of them are open. Check current hours before you go, because they change by season.