Gyeongbokgung the right way: the hanbok trick, the guard ceremony and the pavilions

Gyeongbokgung is the largest of Seoul’s five royal palaces and the one every first visit should start with. Built in 1395 as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, it sits at the top of Seoul’s old central axis with Bugaksan mountain behind it and Gwanghwamun, the great south gate, in front.

Rent a hanbok and walk in free

Dozens of rental shops line the streets around the palace and Bukchon. For about ₩15,000–20,000 you get the full outfit for a few hours, and anyone wearing a hanbok is admitted free to all the royal palaces. It is also the best photo you will take in Seoul. Go early; the shops get busy by 11.

Timing

• The palace is closed on Tuesdays. The other palaces close on Mondays, so plan the week accordingly.
• The changing of the royal guard is held at Gwanghwamun gate twice a day (currently mid-morning and early afternoon; the times are posted at the gate and on the palace website). It takes about 20 minutes and you watch for free from the square outside the ticket gate.
• Arrive when the gates open (9 a.m.) or after 3 p.m. to avoid tour groups. Late afternoon light on the roofs is the best for photos.
• In spring and autumn the palace opens for night viewing on selected dates; tickets sell out online within minutes, so check the schedule before your trip.

What to see inside

Walk straight up the axis: Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, with its two-tier stone terrace and the rank stones in the courtyard where officials stood in order. Then bear left to Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion standing on 48 stone pillars in a lotus pond — the picture on this post. Keep going north to Hyangwonjeong, the small hexagonal pavilion on an island, prettiest in October when the maples turn. The National Folk Museum and the National Palace Museum are inside the grounds and both are free with your ticket.

After the palace

Exit east into Bukchon Hanok Village for the lanes of traditional houses (it is a residential neighborhood — keep voices down), or west into Seochon for small cafés and the Tongin market. A combined ticket (about ₩10,000) covers all four palaces plus Jongmyo shrine for three months and is the best deal if you will see two or more.