Gyeongbokgung Changing of the Guard
The guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbokgung runs at 10am and 2pm, about 20 minutes, free, not on Tuesdays (October 2026). The rain rule, where to stand, and tours that include it.
The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at Gyeongbokgung takes place at 10am and 2pm every day except Tuesday, lasts about 20 minutes and is free to watch in front of Gwanghwamun, the palace’s main gate. A shorter guard-on-duty ceremony at the gate follows at 11am and 1pm. Most city tours build their morning around the 10am change: VIP Travel’s Gyeongbok Palace, N Tower and Local Market tour meets in Myeongdong at 8:50am and includes it, from US$26 a person (checked October 2026).
The schedule
| Ceremony | Times | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Guard Changing Ceremony | 10am and 2pm | About 20 minutes |
| Guard-on-duty ceremony at Gwanghwamun | 11am and 1pm | About 10 minutes |
| Public guard training | Around 9:35am and 1:35pm | About 15 minutes |
None of them runs on Tuesdays, when the palace is closed. Visit Seoul lists the training at 9:30am and 1:30pm, so be there by 9:30 if you want to see it. The guards wear Joseon-era uniforms and carry banners and drums, and the ceremony is run by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.
Rain, cold and heat
The ceremony is cancelled in rain. In very cold weather, around minus 10°C in December to February, or very hot weather, 30°C and above in July and August, it may go ahead with fewer guards, and in the August 2026 heat wave the scheduled ceremonies were stopped altogether. If the weather looks doubtful, the 2pm ceremony is a second chance on the same day; one guest on a rainy April morning lost the ceremony but still had the palace tour.
Where to watch
The ceremony takes place around Gwanghwamun, the main gate, and is free to watch. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for a place at the front: the 10am change is when the morning tour groups arrive, and one hanbok renter warns that the crowd makes it easy to miss. After the change, the way into the palace is through Gwanghwamun and on to Heungnyemun Gate, where free-entry visitors show their ID.
Tours that build it in
The city tours time their mornings around it, and they change their plan on Tuesdays.
- VIP Travel’s palace, N Tower and market tour goes from Jogyesa Temple to the ceremony and then into the palace and the National Folk Museum, with the Namsan cable car later in the day. On Tuesdays it visits Changdeokgung and Bukchon instead.
- VIP Travel’s Bukchon, Gyeongbokgung and Gwangjang Market tour walks Bukchon Hanok Village first, then the ceremony and an hour in the palace, in three and a half hours from Myeongdong. Tuesdays switch to Changdeokgung and Insadong.
- The Seoul Highlights tour follows the same morning as the first and is the most reviewed of the three.
Pick your morning:
Palace, N Tower and Market
From Myeongdong at 8:50am: temple, guard change, palace, folk museum, cable car.
Check dates →Bukchon, Palace and Market
3.5 hours: Bukchon lanes, the guard change, the palace and Gwangjang Market.
See the Bukchon tour →Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
Check dates and book
The Guard Change, the Palace and Namsan
VIP Travel's city tour meets in Myeongdong at 8:50am and takes in Jogyesa Temple, the changing of the guard, Gyeongbokgung with a guide, the National Folk Museum and the Namsan cable car. Rated 4.9 from 125 reviews, from US$26 a person as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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