Deoksugung Palace: The Seoul Palace You Can Still Visit at Night

Open until 21:00, closed Mondays, KRW 1,000 - plus guard ceremony times, Seokjojeon booking and the stonewall walkway.

Deoksugung (덕수궁) sits behind a low stone wall in the middle of Seoul's office district, two minutes from City Hall Station. It is the smallest of the main palaces, the only one where a Korean throne hall and a neoclassical European building share the grounds, and the one you can still enter in the evening.

Quick facts

• Hours 09:00-21:00, last admission 20:00
• Closed Mondays
• Admission KRW 1,000; KRW 800 for groups of 10 or more
• Address 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul 04519
• Guard ceremony 11:00 and 14:00 at Daehanmun (대한문), not on Mondays

Opening hours, and why they are the point

The Korea Heritage Service lists Deoksugung as 09:00-21:00 with last admission at 20:00, and marks the night opening as a standing arrangement rather than a limited-run event. That is the reason to slot this palace into an evening rather than a morning.

At the seasonal palaces last admission falls an hour before closing. Seeing more than one in a day? Put Deoksugung last. Full set: /guide/seoul-palaces-guide.

The Monday problem

Deoksugung closes on Mondays, and so does most of what is inside it: the Seokjojeon (석조전) guided tours, the art museum, and the changing of the guard at the front gate. If Monday is your only free day, Gyeongbokgung stays open - it takes Tuesday off instead.

Tickets and who gets in free

The Korea Heritage Service lists these among the categories admitted free:

• Foreign nationals aged 18 and under, and aged 65 and over
• Korean nationals aged 24 and under, and aged 65 and over
• Visitors wearing hanbok
• Registered persons with disabilities, plus one carer where the disability is severe
• Anyone visiting on the last Wednesday of the month, designated Culture Day

The hanbok exemption is why so many rented outfits gather at the gate; see /guide/hanbok-rental. On cost in context, see /guide/korea-travel-budget.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony

The ceremony takes place in front of Daehanmun (대한문), the gate on the road, so you can watch without a ticket. The official ceremony site lists it twice a day, at 11:00 and 14:00, with Monday off.

• The published timetable runs from roughly 09:00 to 16:30 and also lists guard-duty shifts and a patrol ceremony, so there is often something at the gate in between.
• The organisers state the event may be cancelled because of public assemblies or weather, naming rain and fine dust.
• Cancellations go up at short notice, so check on the day. The ceremony office line is 02-6462-7402.

Seokjojeon and the Daehan Empire History Museum

Seokjojeon is the grey, colonnaded stone building that looks as though it wandered in from London. It houses the Daehan Empire History Museum, and it is the one part of Deoksugung you cannot simply walk into.

• Entry is by advance online reservation with a guide, through the Korea Heritage Service booking system.
• Sessions run between 09:30 and 16:30. The standard commentary tour takes 45 minutes; a longer in-depth tour, offered at 09:30 and 16:30, takes 65-70 minutes.
• 15 places per session go online, released at 10:00 one week before the visit date, with a maximum of five tickets per person. There is no general walk-up queue.
• The tour is free, but a Deoksugung admission ticket is needed separately.
• Closed on Mondays. Bookings can be cancelled or changed until 23:00 the day before.

Foreign visitors who did not book have one more way in: the official page lists on-site sign-up for the English tours at 11:50 and 14:50, at the Seokjojeon information desk, first come first served, up to 20 people per session, for foreign nationals and the people accompanying them. Online booking opens at 10:00 one week before the visit date, first come first served, with a maximum of five tickets per person; check the official reservation page for tour languages and current details. Two further exhibition halls stand on the grounds: Dondeokjeon (돈덕전) and Jungmyeongjeon (중명전).

MMCA Deoksugung, the art museum inside the walls

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art runs a branch on the grounds, entered through Daehanmun, so you need the palace ticket to reach its door.

• Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday 10:00-18:00; Wednesday and Saturday 10:00-21:00.
• Closed Mondays and 1 January.
• Admission varies by exhibition, and the museum states that the palace admission fee is not included.
• Entry is free during the Wednesday and Saturday late opening, 18:00-21:00, and on the last Wednesday of the month.
• Address 99 Sejong-daero (Jeong-dong), Jung-gu, Seoul 04519. Phone +82-2-2022-0600. No parking inside the walls.

Free guided tours in English

Free commentary tours meet at the general information board inside the grounds. English runs at 10:45 and 13:30, Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays; Chinese and Japanese run twice a day too. The Deoksugung office line is 02-751-0742.

Deoksugung Doldam-gil, the stonewall walkway

The path alongside the palace wall is Deoksugung Doldam-gil (덕수궁 돌담길), free and open year-round. Seoul's official tourism service describes a walkway bordered by a rustic stone wall, at its best in spring and autumn, and notes that it connects onward to Jeongdong-gil (정동길) and the Seoul Museum of Art. The listed address is 24 Sejong-daero 19-gil, Jung-gu, and the nearest exit is City Hall Station Exit 1, 168 metres away.

A local superstition holds that couples who walk the path break up; a Visit Seoul editors' pick article repeats it and traces it to the Supreme Court building, which housed the Family Court and stood at the end of the path until 1995. Since the walkway needs no ticket, it is also the fallback when you turn up on a Monday. For what to wear season by season, see /guide/seasons-and-packing.

Getting there

• Subway Lines 1 and 2, City Hall Station, Exit 2 - about a two-minute walk, per the Korea Heritage Service. Seoul's tourism service points to Exit 1 instead, measured at 72 metres. Either works.
• Subway Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 6 or Exit 2 - about a ten-minute walk.
• Bus, City Hall / Deoksugung stop - routes 103, 150, 401, 402, 406, 1711, 7016, 7022, 790, 799.
• Bus, Seoul Shinmun stop - routes 101, 150, 402, 501, 506, 708, 1711, 7016.

City Hall is a transfer station on two lines, so this is an easy sight to reach. For fare cards see /guide/getting-around; for mapping apps, /guide/korean-apps.

Before you go

• Not on a Monday. The palace, the museum, the Seokjojeon tours and the ceremony share the same closing day.
• Book Seokjojeon ahead. There is no general walk-up queue; the only on-the-day route is the English tour.
• Check the ceremony in bad weather - rain and fine dust are named cancellation reasons.
• Save it for the evening. Last admission 20:00, gates close 21:00.
• Times and prices change. These figures were read from the official sources below on the date shown; for the current year's special openings and exhibition fees, check those sites before you travel.

For the wider route see /guide/seoul-guide and /guide/korea-itinerary-guide; if you have just moved, /guide/first-week-in-korea.

FAQ

Q. Is Deoksugung Palace open at night?
Yes. The Korea Heritage Service lists Deoksugung as open 09:00-21:00 with last admission at 20:00, and marks the night opening as a standing arrangement rather than a limited seasonal event. Among the central palaces only Changgyeonggung keeps the same late hours; Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung close between 17:00 and 18:30 depending on the season.

Q. What day is Deoksugung Palace closed?
Mondays. The closure also covers the Seokjojeon guided tours and MMCA Deoksugung inside the grounds, and the changing of the guard at Daehanmun is not held that day either. If Monday is your only free day, Gyeongbokgung stays open and closes on Tuesdays instead. The stonewall walkway outside the wall is open year-round and free.

Q. What time is the changing of the guard at Deoksugung?
The official ceremony schedule lists it twice a day, at 11:00 and 14:00, in front of Daehanmun gate, with Monday off. It takes place outside the ticket gate, so no admission is needed to watch. The organisers say it may be cancelled because of public assemblies or weather conditions such as rain and fine dust, so check on the day if it is your main reason for going.

Q. Do I need a reservation to see Seokjojeon?
Yes. Seokjojeon and its Daehan Empire History Museum are entered by advance online reservation with a guide. Sessions run between 09:30 and 16:30, the standard tour lasts 45 minutes, and 15 places per session are released online. There is no general walk-up queue. The only on-the-day route is the English-language tour at 11:50 or 14:50, signed up for at the Seokjojeon information desk on a first come first served basis, up to 20 people per session, for foreign nationals and up to two accompanying Korean guests each. The tour is free but you still need a palace admission ticket.

Q. Is Deoksugung free if I wear hanbok?
Yes. The Korea Heritage Service lists visitors wearing hanbok among the categories admitted free of charge. Other free categories include foreign nationals aged 18 and under or 65 and over, Korean nationals aged 24 and under or 65 and over, and registered persons with disabilities with one carer where the disability is severe. Admission is also free on the last Wednesday of the month, Culture Day.

Q. Does the palace ticket include the art museum inside?
No. MMCA Deoksugung charges by exhibition and states that the palace admission fee is not included, so the two are bought separately. Museum entry is free during the Wednesday and Saturday late opening from 18:00 to 21:00 and on the last Wednesday of the month, but you still need the palace ticket to reach the building. The museum is closed on Mondays and 1 January.

Sources

• Korea Heritage Service, Royal Palaces and Tombs Center - Viewing hours by palace — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Admission fees and free-admission categories — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Directions to Deoksugung — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Deoksugung free guided tours by language — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Seokjojeon Daehan Empire History Museum visitor information — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Deoksugung reservations and cancellation policy — checked 2026-08-23
• Korea Heritage Service - Deoksugung exhibition halls (Seokjojeon, Dondeokjeon, Jungmyeongjeon) — checked 2026-08-23
• Royal Guard Changing Ceremony official site - Ceremony schedule — checked 2026-08-23
• MMCA Deoksugung - Visitor information — checked 2026-08-23
• Visit Seoul (Seoul Metropolitan Government) - Deoksugung Palace — checked 2026-08-23
• Visit Seoul (Seoul Metropolitan Government) - Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway — checked 2026-08-23
• Visit Seoul (Seoul Metropolitan Government), editors' pick - A Beautiful Autumn Stroll for the Perfect Breakup — 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.