OPDADA · Korea Guide

Changgyeonggung Palace: A Complete Visitor Guide

Seoul's 1,000-won palace, open until 21:00 year round, with a 1909 glass greenhouse and a gate through to Changdeokgung.

Changgyeonggung (창경궁) is one of the four Joseon palaces in central Seoul and one of the cheapest to enter, at 1,000 won. It also has the strangest recent history: the palace where queens, dowagers and royal children lived became a public park with a zoo and botanical garden inside the walls under Japanese rule. The name came back in 1983. For how the four compare, see our Seoul palaces guide.

Hours, closing day and tickets

ItemDetail
Opening hours09:00–21:00 (January to December)
Last admission20:00
ClosedMondays
Address185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (03072)
Phone+82-2-762-4868

The Monday closure has an exception written into the visiting rules: if it falls on a public holiday or substitute holiday, the palace opens that day and the first non-holiday afterwards becomes the closing day. Around Lunar New Year and Chuseok this moves, so check before you go.

TicketIndividualGroup of 10 or more
Adult, foreign visitors aged 19–641,000 won800 won
Integrated Palace Ticket6,000 wongroup rate not applied

Foreign visitors aged 18 and under and 65 and over enter free, as do visitors wearing hanbok (한복). The group rate needs 10 or more paying visitors entering together.

The Integrated Palace Ticket at 6,000 won covers one visit to each of the four palaces and Jongmyo (종묘) within six months of purchase, sold at those five ticket offices. Changdeokgung's Huwon, the Secret Garden, is not included and needs its own timed ticket — see our Secret Garden guide.

Getting there

Take Seoul Subway Line 4 to Hyehwa Station (혜화역), Exit 4. The official directions give it as about 12 minutes on foot: roughly 300 m towards Sungkyunkwan University, then about 300 m towards Changgyeonggung and Jongno. The main gate, Honghwamun (홍화문), is on Changgyeonggung-ro. The nearest bus stops are Seoul National University Hospital and Changgyeonggung·Seoul National University Hospital, on routes including 151, 171, 172 and 272.

Do not drive: the palace office runs no visitor car park, and the lot is closed for restoration work — check the official notice for the current status. See getting around Korea.

Palace, then zoo, then palace again

King Seongjong built Changgyeonggung in 1483 on the site of Suganggung, a palace King Sejong had built in 1418 for his abdicated father, and expanded it for the king's grandmother, mother and aunt. It served mainly as living quarters rather than a stage for state business. There was originally no wall between it and Changdeokgung (창덕궁); together they were called Donggwol, the East Palace. The buildings burned in the invasion of 1592, were rebuilt in 1616, largely lost to a great fire in 1830, and rebuilt again in 1834.

Then in 1909, under Japanese direction, a zoo and a botanical garden were laid out inside the walls. In 1911 the site was demoted to a park and renamed Changgyeongwon (창경원). The palace name was reinstated in 1983 and the restoration project began.

The Great Greenhouse (Daeonsil)

The Great Greenhouse, or Daeonsil (대온실), is why many people come. Completed in 1909, it is what the palace authority calls the first Western-style greenhouse in Korea. It went up in the same period as the zoo, ostensibly to console Emperor Sunjong, who lived at Changdeokgung. The frame is steel and wood under glass, designed by a Japanese architect and built by a French company. It opened with rare plants including tropical ornamentals; since the 1986 restoration it has shown native Korean plants, and it was listed as registered cultural heritage in 2004.

Chundangji Pond

Chundangji (춘당지) is now two ponds. The smaller one at the back is the original Joseon-era pond. The larger one in front is the site of Naenongpo, a rice paddy where the king took the plough himself to pray for a good harvest. When the palace was broken up in 1909 the paddy became a Japanese-style pond; in 1986 an island was added so that it reads as a Korean pond again. Beside it stands an octagonal seven-storey stone pagoda dated by its inscription to 1470.

A caveat: a palace notice restricts part of the Chundangji route between 18:00 and 21:00 during lighting work, and restoration limits access to part of the Gwollaegaksa (궐내각사) area. Both are open-ended — read the notice board at the ticket office.

Walking through to Changdeokgung: Hamyangmun

Because the two palaces were once one compound, there is a gate in the shared wall: Hamyangmun (함양문). Enter at Honghwamun, leave through Hamyangmun, and you are inside Changdeokgung. Two things to know. The ticket is separate: the Korea Heritage Service visitor page puts the ticket point for the linked visit at Hamyangmun, inside the Changgyeonggung grounds, and an Integrated Palace Ticket covers both. Second, the gate closes earlier than the palace:

PeriodHamyangmun ticket window
February–May, September–October09:00–17:00
June–August09:00–17:30
November–January09:00–16:30

A palace notice repeats the February–May figure and adds that after the cut-off the linked visit is not possible, so confirm on the day. On Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Culture Day (the last Wednesday of each month) a second route runs through the Yulgok-ro exit towards Jongmyo, with its own earlier cut-off.

Visiting after dark

Changgyeonggung needs no special night-opening ticket: it is open until 21:00 from January to December with last admission at 20:00, so an evening visit on an ordinary open day is simply a visit. Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung are the two palaces open until 21:00 all year without a special night ticket.

The open area narrows in the evening. After a set time, visitors in the daytime-only zones are asked to move into the night zone — the Honghwamun, Myeongjeongjeon, Tongmyeongjeon (통명전), Chundangji and Great Greenhouse areas. The greenhouse interior is limited at night to protect the plants.

PeriodMove to the night zone byGreat Greenhouse interior
November–January17:30Open in November; closed from 18:00 in December and January
February17:30Closed from 18:00
March–May, September–October18:00Open
June–August18:30Open

These times shift with the season and get revised, so check the official visiting-hours page before a winter evening trip, and dress for it — see seasons and packing.

Free guided tours

Free guided tours start beside Okcheongyo Bridge (옥천교) and run about an hour.

LanguageDaysTimes
EnglishTuesday–Sunday11:00, 15:00
JapaneseTuesday–Sunday10:00
ChineseTuesday–Sunday14:00

Korean-language tours run roughly hourly. Times and routes can change or be cancelled for weather or operational reasons.

Free entry in hanbok, and the rules

Wearing hanbok gets you in free, and the standard is written down rather than left to the ticket seller. Traditional and modernised hanbok both qualify: an upper garment (jeogori) with a skirt or trousers; an overcoat (durumagi) alone does not count, ribbons and buttons should be fastened, and mixed outfits such as a jeogori with jeans do not. See hanbok rental.

The rules also restrict what comes in: alcohol, camping gear, cooking equipment, sports equipment, musical instruments and loudspeakers. Pets are not admitted, except registered assistance dogs. The grounds are a no-smoking area, and packed meals are eaten only in designated spots. See our Korea etiquette guide.

A half-day plan

Start with Myeongjeongjeon (명정전) — first built in 1484, burnt in 1592 and rebuilt in 1616, the oldest surviving throne hall in Korea — then loop through the residential halls, then walk north to Chundangji and the Great Greenhouse. Budget two hours, or half a day if you cross into Changdeokgung — see our Korea itinerary guide.

FAQ

Q. How much does it cost to enter Changgyeonggung Palace?
A standard adult ticket is 1,000 won for foreign visitors aged 19 to 64, or 800 won each for a group of 10 or more paying visitors entering together. Foreign visitors aged 18 and under and 65 and over enter free, as do visitors wearing hanbok. If you plan to see more palaces, the Integrated Palace Ticket costs 6,000 won and covers one visit to each of the four palaces and Jongmyo within six months of purchase.

Q. Is Changgyeonggung open at night?
Yes, and it needs no special night-opening ticket. The palace is open 09:00-21:00 from January to December with last admission at 20:00, so an evening visit on an ordinary open day is just a normal visit. After a set time that shifts with the season (17:30 in November to February, 18:00 in March to May and September to October, 18:30 in June to August), visitors are asked to move into the night zone: the Honghwamun, Myeongjeongjeon, Tongmyeongjeon, Chundangji and Great Greenhouse areas.

Q. What day is Changgyeonggung closed?
Mondays. There is an exception written into the visiting rules: if the Monday falls on a public holiday or a substitute holiday, the palace opens that day and the first non-holiday afterwards becomes the closing day instead. Around Lunar New Year and Chuseok the closed day can move, so check the official notice before you go.

Q. Can I walk from Changgyeonggung to Changdeokgung?
Yes, through Hamyangmun, a gate in the wall the two palaces once shared. The ticket is separate: the Korea Heritage Service visitor page puts the ticket point for the linked visit at Hamyangmun, inside the Changgyeonggung grounds, and an Integrated Palace Ticket covers both. The gate closes earlier than the palace - the published ticket window is 09:00-17:00 from February to May and September to October, 09:00-17:30 from June to August, and 09:00-16:30 from November to January. Confirm on the day.

Q. Is the Great Greenhouse open to go inside?
Yes, during normal opening hours, but the interior is limited at night to protect the plants. It is open at night in March to May, June to August, September to October and November; in December, January and February the interior closes from 18:00. The greenhouse was completed in 1909, is described by the palace authority as the first Western-style greenhouse in Korea, and was listed as registered cultural heritage in 2004.

Q. How do I get to Changgyeonggung by subway?
Take Seoul Subway Line 4 to Hyehwa Station and use Exit 4. The official directions give it as about 12 minutes on foot: roughly 300 m towards Sungkyunkwan University, then about 300 m towards Changgyeonggung and Jongno. The address is 185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. There is no visitor car park, so use public transport.

Sources

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.