Changdeokgung Secret Garden (Huwon): How to Book the Guided Tour
The Secret Garden (Huwon, also called Biwon) is the wooded royal garden behind Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul. Unlike the palace buildings, you cannot wander it on your own: entry is only with a guided tour at fixed times, with a capped number of people per session. That makes it one of the few sights in Seoul where you really should plan a few days ahead.
This guide covers the tour system, how online booking works, what is sold at the gate, fees and fallback options. The booking website's screens change from time to time, so we focus on the rules rather than button names. Always confirm on the official site before you go.
How the Secret Garden tour works
- Guided tours only. Individual viewing is not allowed; you enter at a set time with a guide.
- Capacity: 100 people per session — 50 sold online in advance and 50 sold at the ticket office on the day.
- Separate ticket. The Secret Garden ticket does not include palace admission. You need a Changdeokgung Palace ticket as well (see fees below).
- Closed Mondays. If Monday is a public holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday weekday instead.
- Be early. The official booking guide asks you to be inside by at least 15 minutes before your session starts. The garden entrance is inside the palace, a walk from the main gate (Donhwamun), so allow time to get there. Late arrivals are not admitted and are not refunded.
Tour times by language
Times published by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (checked August 2026). Korean-language sessions run roughly hourly; foreign-language sessions are fewer.
| Language | Season | Start times |
|---|---|---|
| English | Mar–Nov | 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30 |
| English | Dec–Feb | 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 |
| Japanese | All year | 13:30 (Wed, Fri, Sun only) |
| Chinese | All year | 12:30 (Tue, Thu, Sat only) |
| Korean | Mar–Oct | 10:00–16:00, on the hour |
| Korean | Nov–Feb | 10:00–15:00, on the hour |
Two rules to know: foreign-language sessions are for foreign visitors — Korean nationals may only join if accompanying foreigners (up to two Koreans per group). And the schedule can be adjusted for weather, heat or repair work, so check the booking site for the exact date you want.
Booking online: the rules that matter
Online tickets for the Secret Garden are sold through the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center's integrated reservation service, which hands you over to an external ticketing platform. The interface changes, but these rules have been stable:
- When sales open: at 10:00 Korea time, 6 days before the visit date (the visit date itself is not counted). Sales continue, subject to availability, until the day before the visit. Example: for a visit on the 10th, booking opens on the 4th at 10:00 KST.
- Limit: up to 10 tickets per person per day.
- Account: you create an account on the ticketing platform. Check the platform itself for how visitors without a Korean phone number sign up.
- Pay on time. Each reservation has a payment deadline shown when you book; if you have not paid by then, the reservation is cancelled automatically.
- Cancellation: free until 2 hours before the session start; a 10% fee from 2 hours before until the start time; no refund after the session has started.
- Entry: show the mobile ticket on your phone, or exchange your booking for a paper ticket at a kiosk or the ticket booth.
Popular slots — English sessions on weekends, and almost everything in autumn — can fill shortly after they open. Set a reminder for 10:00 KST on the day sales open.
On-site tickets (no reservation)
The other 50 seats per session are sold at the palace ticket office on the day. According to the official FAQ, on-site sales begin at 09:00 and all sessions of the day go on sale at the same time, first come first served, with a limit of 10 tickets per person. So if you could not book online, arriving before the palace opens at 09:00 is your best chance — and you may get a session later in the day rather than the first one.
Fees
| Ticket | Price (checked Aug 2026) |
|---|---|
| Changdeokgung Palace admission (adult) | 3,000 won |
| Secret Garden tour, age 19–64 | 5,000 won |
| Secret Garden tour, age 7–18 | 2,500 won |
- Free palace admission applies to foreigners aged 18 and under and everyone 65 and over, and to visitors wearing hanbok. The palace buildings are free on the last Wednesday of each month. Check the official fee page for how each category applies to the garden ticket — free and discounted categories must show ID at the gate.
- The Integrated Palace Pass does not include the Secret Garden. Since 20 May 2024 the pass costs 6,000 won, is valid 6 months, covers the four palaces and Jongmyo, and excludes the garden. Pass holders still need a separate Secret Garden ticket.
- Fee changes coming: the National Heritage Service has said palace and royal-tomb admission fees, unchanged since 2005, will be revised, with new rates to be announced in November 2026 and applied from 1 January 2027 (per Korean press, August 2026). The figures above are current at our check date; we will update this page.
For paying at the ticket office, cards and cash are standard; see /guide/money-and-payments for how cards work in Korea.
Route and time needed
The official course map for the Secret Garden passes Buyongji pond and Juhapru pavilion, Aeryeonji pond and Uiduhap, and the Yeongyeongdang residence before returning to the garden entrance. The official pages we checked do not state a fixed duration, and the schedule can be adjusted for weather, so confirm the session length for your date on the booking site. Expect real walking on paths with some slopes; wear comfortable shoes.
Allow a generous block of time for the whole visit: palace buildings, walking to the garden entrance, and the tour itself. The palace's last admission is 60 minutes before closing, and opening hours change by season (09:00–18:00 Feb–May and Sep–Oct; 09:00–18:30 Jun–Aug; 09:00–17:30 Nov–Jan).
Seasonal notes
- Autumn is the most popular season and the hardest to book. In 2023 the palace ran a pilot that expanded garden capacity during the foliage period; whether a similar programme runs in a given year is announced by the palace, so check its notices rather than assuming.
- Winter (Dec–Feb): fewer English sessions (three a day instead of four), and the schedule may be adjusted for weather.
- Spring: full schedule with four English sessions from March. For cherry blossom and foliage timing across Korea, see /guide/korea-cherry-blossom-autumn-foliage.
If you cannot get a ticket
- Try the gate at 09:00. Half of every session is held back for same-day sales.
- Pick a different language session. If English is full, Korean sessions are more numerous; you will miss the commentary but see the same garden.
- Keep checking. Unpaid reservations are cancelled automatically at their payment deadline, so seats sometimes reappear.
- Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour. A separate paid evening programme (30,000 won per person in 2026) run by the Korea Heritage Promotion Agency. The 2026 first-half run (16 April–31 May) was sold by a priority lottery followed by general sale. Dates, languages and sales rules are set for each run; check the official event page.
- See the rest of the palace. The palace buildings can be visited without a Secret Garden ticket; ask at the ticket office about guided tours of the palace grounds. Changgyeonggung Palace is next door.
For getting to Anguk Station and around the area, see /guide/getting-around and /guide/seoul-guide.
FAQ
Q. Can I visit the Secret Garden without a guided tour?
No. Individual viewing is not allowed. You enter only with a scheduled guided tour, capped at 100 people per session.
Q. When does online booking open?
At 10:00 Korea time, 6 days before your visit date (not counting the visit date), until the day before. A maximum of 10 tickets per person per day.
Q. Can I buy a Secret Garden ticket on the day?
Yes. 50 of the 100 seats per session are sold at the palace ticket office from 09:00, first come first served, all sessions at once. Arrive before opening in busy seasons.
Q. Does the palace ticket or the Integrated Palace Pass include the garden?
No. The Secret Garden tour is a separate ticket (5,000 won for ages 19–64). The 6,000-won Integrated Palace Pass covers the four palaces and Jongmyo but excludes the garden.
Q. How long is the tour?
The official pages we checked do not publish a fixed duration, and the schedule can be adjusted for weather. Check the session details on the booking site for your date, and arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Q. What if I booked but cannot go?
Cancel online: free until 2 hours before the session, 10% fee within 2 hours of the start, no refund once the session has begun. Unpaid reservations cancel automatically at their payment deadline.
Sources
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Secret Garden special viewing timetable and capacity (integrated reservation) — checked 2026-08-23
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Admission fees (Changdeokgung, Secret Garden, Integrated Palace Pass) — checked 2026-08-23
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Changdeokgung FAQ (booking window, on-site sales from 09:00, 10 per person, foreign-language session rule) — checked 2026-08-23
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Notice: Integrated Palace Pass changes from 20 May 2024 — checked 2026-08-23
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Changdeokgung viewing courses (Secret Garden route map) — checked 2026-08-23
- Official Secret Garden ticketing platform — Usage guide (payment deadline, cancellation fees, 15-minute arrival rule) — checked 2026-08-23
- Korea Heritage Service portal — Changdeokgung visitor information (seasonal hours, last admission, closed day) — checked 2026-08-23
- Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization) — Changdeokgung Secret Garden — checked 2026-08-23
- Visit Korea (KTO) — Changdeokgung Palace Complex — checked 2026-08-23
- Korea Heritage Promotion Agency — 2026 Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (first half) — checked 2026-08-23
- Korea.kr press release — 2023 pilot: free viewing and expanded Secret Garden capacity — checked 2026-08-23
- Insight (news) — Palace admission fees to be revised from 1 Jan 2027, rates announced Nov 2026 — checked 2026-08-23
Written and maintained by OPDADA · Last checked 2026-08-23 · Spotted an error? Let us know. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, prices and schedules change — confirm with the official source before you act.