Changdeokgung vs Gyeongbokgung
Gyeongbokgung is the largest palace, with the guard ceremony; Changdeokgung has the Secret Garden, by guided tour only (₩5,000 extra). Which to pick, closing days, and how to do both.
If you have time for one palace, make it Gyeongbokgung: it is the largest of Seoul’s five palaces, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty and the one with the guard ceremony. Add Changdeokgung if you can get a place in its Secret Garden, the wooded garden you can enter only on a guided tour. The two are about 1.2 km apart with Bukchon Hanok Village between them, so one day covers both. VIP Travel’s Bukchon, Gyeongbokgung and Gwangjang Market tour walks that ground in three and a half hours and switches to Changdeokgung on Tuesdays, when Gyeongbokgung is closed, from US$30 a person (checked October 2026).
The two palaces side by side
| Gyeongbokgung | Changdeokgung | |
|---|---|---|
| Closed | Tuesdays | Mondays |
| Ticket (October 2026) | ₩3,000 | ₩3,000 |
| Extra ticket | None | Secret Garden, ₩5,000 for adults |
| Free in hanbok | Yes | Yes |
| What it is known for | The main palace of the Joseon dynasty; the guard ceremony | A UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Secret Garden |
Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395 as the dynasty’s main palace, burned during the Imjin War of 1592 to 1598 and rebuilt in King Gojong’s reign. It is the grand, ceremonial one: wide granite courtyards, the throne hall and the pavilion on its pond. Changdeokgung is smaller, and its draw is the garden.
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden, Huwon, can be visited only with a guide. The ticket is ₩5,000 for adults (19 and over) and ₩2,500 for ages 7 to 18, on top of the palace ticket. Each tour takes up to 100 people, 50 booked online and 50 sold on the day at the palace. Tours in English start at 10:30am, 11:30am and 2:30pm, with a 3:30pm tour from March to November, and online booking opens on the 15th of the month before; with only 50 online places a tour, book on the 15th if your dates are fixed.
Doing both in one day
The closing days decide it. On a Monday only Gyeongbokgung is open; on a Tuesday only Changdeokgung; from Wednesday to Sunday you can do both. Start at Gyeongbokgung for the 10am guard ceremony, walk east through Bukchon, roughly 20 minutes without stopping, and take an afternoon Secret Garden tour. Two notes on Bukchon: it is a lived-in neighbourhood, and its busiest lane is closed to tourists from 5pm to 10am, with fines from ₩100,000.
VIP Travel’s tours make the same switch for you. The Bukchon tour visits Gyeongbokgung six days a week and Changdeokgung with Insadong on Tuesdays, and the Seoul Highlights tour swaps in Changdeokgung and Bukchon on Tuesdays. Neither lists the Secret Garden.
Which one for which visitor
- A first visit to Seoul: Gyeongbokgung, ideally with the guard ceremony.
- You like gardens, or want fewer people: Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden.
- You are in Seoul on a Tuesday: Changdeokgung, since Gyeongbokgung is shut.
- You want photos in hanbok: either, both are free in hanbok.
A private guide lets you set your own order; Honey Trail’s private palace, temple and Bukchon tour covers Gyeongbokgung, Jogyesa and Bukchon in three hours.
Pick the way in:
Bukchon, Palace and Market
3.5 hours: Bukchon, the guard change, the palace and Gwangjang Market.
Check dates →Private Palace Tour
Private guide for 3 hours: Jogyesa, Gwanghwamun Square, the palace and Bukchon.
See the private tour →Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
Check dates and book
Bukchon, the Palace and the Market
VIP Travel's 3.5-hour tour from Myeongdong walks Bukchon Hanok Village, watches the changing of the guard and spends an hour in Gyeongbokgung, then ends at Gwangjang Market; on Tuesdays it visits Changdeokgung instead. Rated 5.0 from 86 reviews, from US$30 a person as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Bukchon Tour Dates