A Day at Changgyeonggung Palace
No Reservation Needed! Come visit the palace at night for a new experience.
Missed out on the night lights for Gyeongbokgung this year? Fear not because you can see them anytime at Changgyeonggung! Welcome to another of the "Five Grand Palaces" of Seoul, Changgyeonggung! Located right next to Changdeokgung, you can easily see both in a day. Today, we'll introduce you to another one of Korea's national treasures!
Information
Location: 서울 종로구 창경궁로 185
185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul
Hours: 9am - 9pm (Mondays OFF)
Last Admission: 8pm
Price:
Adults (Foreigners 19 - 64, Koreans 25 - 64): 1,000 KRW
Youth (Foreigners 7 - 18): 500 KRW
Youth (Koreans up to 24): Free
Free Admission: Seniors (65 and up), Children (6 and under), people wearing hanbok, and on Culture Day (last Wednesday of each month), Royal Palace Pass buyers
The Royal Palace Pass allows visitors to visit all four palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeoggung, and Deoksugung) and Jongmyo Shrine during a three month period.
Royal Palace Pass
You can get combination tickets for palaces where you can access Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung, and Jongmyo Shrine which is valid for up to three months.
Type | Price (KRW) |
Adult (19 - 64) | 10,000 |
Youth (7 - 18) | 5,000 |
Free Tour Info
Language | Hours |
Korean | (Tuesday - Sunday) 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm |
English | (Tuesday - Sunday) 11:00am, 4:00pm |
Japanese | (Tuesday - Sunday) 10:00am, 2:00pm |
Chinese | (Tuesday - Sunday) 9:30am, 3:00pm |
*Tours are about 30mins
**Groups of 30 people or more require a reservation at least two days in advance.
Why We Recommend It
Changgyeonggung has the longest hours of all the palaces so you can easily put it at the end of your day.
Gyeongbokgung only does seasonal night view but Changgyeonggung is open all year round.
It's right next door to Changdeokgung so it's easy to see both back to back.
Our Visit
We arrived at Changgyeonggung early that day. We were excited to the see the palace, but disappointed we could not come later at night for the nighttime display but we made the best of our visit anyway.
Since we were not wearing hanbok, we bought our tickets at the ticket booth just to the right of the entrance. Once we had our tickets, we made our way to Honghwamun Gate, the main entrance of the palace. This area has been made famous due to a famous painting titled Honghwamun Samido which depicts King Jeongjo handing out rice to the poor in order to commemorate the 60th birthday of Queen Mother Hyegyeonggung.
The palaces are also a common place that schools go on field trips to so don't be surprised if you see students too!
Okcheongyo Bridge
When we walked in the gate, we immediately found ourselves at the Okcheongyo Bridge. It made us wonder what this bridge would like look if water actually flowed beneath it.
Myeongjeongjeon Hall
We moved on through Myeongjeongmun Gate to the hall located right beyond it. We were brought to Myeongjeongjeon Hall, the main hall of the palace where the official royal rituals and events took place such as the king's enthronement, congratulatory ceremonies, royal receptions and more.
Sungmundang Hall
We moved on to Sungmundang Hall. The name 'Sungmun' literally means 'revering a writing or literature,' so it's not suprising that this area used to be the king's study hall where the officials would give lectures on Confucian classics to the king.
Haminjeong Pavilion
In a nearby area, we saw Haminjeong Pavilion, another space the king used for academic purposes. It is also where King Yeongjo greeted the successful candidates for state literary and military examinations.
Hwangyeongjeon Hall
Once we finished taking in the king's study, we moved on through the Binyangmun Gate, which connects to the king's official space and private quarters. This is where we found the king's living quarters, Hwangyeongjeon Hall.
Tongmyeongjeon Hall
Continuing back, we came to see the Tongmyeongjeon Hall, the area that was used as the queen's living area. The area was very calm and peaceful so we enjoyed this area quite a bit. The deeper into the palace we went, the larger we realized it was. not only that, but after seeing the halls in the center of the palace, things started to get further away from each other.
Chundangji Pond
We started to make our way to further buildings on the other side of the palace. We passed by Yanghwdang Hall, Yeongchuneon House, and Jibokeon House, but we were really searching for an area we had been anticipating — Chundangji Pond. There is something about the ponds in these palaces that really take you out of present day Seoul and into your own little world.
One of the biggest things that we were looking forward to seeing in our our time at Changgyeonggung was the Grand Greenhouse. Since this was built later than other aspects of the palace, it had a much more western feel to it than other buildings in the palace. However, one interesting fact about this building in particular is that it was built together with a zoo by the Japanese colonial government as a way to console Emperor Sunjong who was living next door in Changdeokgung Palace.
The intricacies of the greenery along with the modern construction of the green was was really quite captivating. We really wished we had the opportunity to go inside.
Don't forget to stay for the night view when you visit! The palace feels completely different at night!
How to Get There
Since Changgyeonggung is located right next to Changdeokgung, we recommend that you go to both of them on the same day. Changdeokgung closes earlier so we recommend going there first and then coming to Changgyeonggung. While they are next to each other, it is still about a 20 minute walk from entrance to entrance so we recommend taking the following route FROM Changdeokgung.
By Bus From Changdeokgung:
Walk out of the main entrance of Changdeokgung and cross the street towards the right.
Continue walking straight on the sidewalk until you arrive at the bus stop.
Once you get to the Changdeokgung Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music (창덕궁.우리소리박물관 정류장) bus stop, ride the Blue Bus #171.
Get off at Changgyeonggung Seoul University Hospital (창경궁.서울대학교병원 정류장) bus stop.
Walk to your right and cross the street towards Changgyeonggung.
Enjoy!
Attractions
Explore the largest palace of them all! Enjoy the views that people from all over the world travel to come see.
Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden(창덕궁/후원)
Arguably the most beautiful of the palaces with it its Secret Garden. Explore the grounds and see the garden so beautiful, the royals kept it all to themselves.
Come and explore the past home of King Gojong, where you can see a unique combination of traditional Korean architecture and buildings with modern influence.
The smallest of the palaces but also the most affordable: FREE! Come take a quiet walk in the middle of Seoul to enjoy the secluded area of Gyeonghuigung.
Whether you visit during the day or at night, Cheonggyecheon provides a peaceful environment where you can enjoy the view, find a nice cafe, and take it all in.
Things to Do in the Area
Artee Pedicab
Get a view of the area with no effort on your part and get all the local secrets from the driver as you ride around!
Hanboknam | Changdeokgung Branch (한복남 창덕궁점)
Did you really experience the palace if you didn't dress up in hanbok? Enjoy the night lights and take amazing pictures dressed in your beautiful hanbok. Make your reservation easily with Creatrip!
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We hope you enjoyed coming along with us to Changgyeonggung. We definitely recommend visiting this palace if you want to experience one at night (especially if you coudln't get tickets to see Gyeongbokgung 🥲).
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at help@creatrip.com or join our Facebook group, the South Korea Travel Guide, where you can ask questions freely. Also make sure you're following us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to get all the latest Korea content.
