Gyeongbokgung Palace
경복궁 · Palace · Seoul
Royal guard-changing ceremony at 10:00 and 14:00 (not Tuesdays). Weekday mornings are the quietest.
Check how busy it is right now →Live crowd levels for Seoul, 14-day forecast elsewhere. No sign-up.
- Admission
- ₩3,000Free in hanbok · Free last Wednesday of the month
- Opening hours
- 09:00 – 18:00Nov–Feb closes 17:00 · Last entry 1 h before closing
- Closed
- Tuesdays
- Quietest day
- Thursday — about 2% fewer foreign visitors than an average dayBusiest: Saturday. Based on Korea Tourism Data Lab foreign-visitor counts for Jongno-gu, Seoul.
- Payment
- Cards accepted
- English
- Signs and staff in English
- Nearest subway
- Gyeongbokgung Station (경복궁역) · Line 3About 2 minutes on foot
- Parking
- AvailableKorea Tourism Organization
- Fee checked
- 2026-09
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When to go
Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed on Tuesdays. Arriving on a closing day is the most common way to lose a morning in Korea, and the gate will not make an exception for a visitor who has come a long way.
Counting foreign visitors to Jongno-gu, Seoul over twelve weeks, Thursday is the quietest day you can actually go and Saturday the busiest — a difference of about 11%. Tuesday is quieter still, but that is a closing day. These are district-wide figures rather than a headcount at the gate, so treat them as a tendency.
Opening hours are 09:00 to 18:00. Nov–Feb closes 17:00 · Last entry 1 h before closing. Tour groups tend to arrive mid-morning and again after lunch; the first hour after opening is normally the quietest stretch of any day.
What it costs, and what to bring
Adult admission is ₩3,000 — Free in hanbok · Free last Wednesday of the month. By the standards of most countries this is very cheap, and it is charged at the gate rather than online, so there is no need to book ahead.
Cards are accepted. Foreign Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere in Korea, and contactless is normal.
Getting there
The nearest subway stop is Gyeongbokgung (경복궁역) on Line 3, about 2 minutes on foot. Seoul's subway signs and announcements are in English, and a T-money card bought at any convenience store works on every line and bus.
Google Maps · Naver Map · Kakao Map
Google Maps shows public transport in Korea but not walking routes. Naver or Kakao Map gives walking directions.
Eat nearby
Seochon Village is 391 m away. Tongin Market, at the edge of Seochon, is where office workers and locals buy lunch one spoonful at a time.
- Coin lunchbox 엽전 도시락 ₩5,000–10,000
- Oil tteokbokki 기름떡볶이 ₩4,000–6,000
Myeong-dong is 1.9 km away. Street-food carts line the main streets from late afternoon. Easiest place to try many things in one walk.
- Tornado potato 회오리감자 ₩4,000–5,000
- Grilled cheese lobster 치즈랍스터 ₩15,000–20,000
- Egg bread 계란빵 ₩2,000–3,000
Prices are per person and were checked in September 2026. Market stalls are often cash-only even where restaurants take cards.
Near here
- National Folk Museum253 m
- MMCA Seoul (Contemporary Art)308 m
- Seochon Village391 m
- Bukchon Hanok Village633 m
- Jogyesa Temple808 m