Changgyeonggung Palace

Changgyeonggung is the palace Seoul locals choose for a walk, and once you have been you will understand why. Built by King Seongjong in 1483 to house the queens and dowagers of earlier reigns, it was the residential sister of neighboring Changdeokgung, and its layout is softer and more garden-like than the ceremonial palaces. Most of its buildings burned during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and were rebuilt in the following decades, and Myeongjeongjeon, its main hall, is the oldest surviving main hall of any palace in Seoul — a modest, beautifully proportioned building facing east rather than south, unusually for a throne hall. The palace's twentieth-century history is the more startling part of its story. During the Japanese occupation the grounds were turned into a zoo and botanical garden and renamed Changgyeongwon, demoted from palace to pleasure park; cherry trees were planted, animals were caged where queens once lived, and many halls were removed. The zoo was only moved out in the 1980s, and restoration has continued since. One relic of that era was kept and is now one of the most photographed buildings in Seoul: the Grand Greenhouse, a white timber-and-glass conservatory from 1909, among the earliest Western-style glasshouses in Korea, filled with plants and framed by a formal garden. Below it, Chundangji, a large pond with a small island and stone pagoda, reflects the trees and is especially lovely in autumn. The overall effect is restful: open lawns, stands of old pines and maples, few tour groups and plenty of benches. It is the palace to come to when you want history at a slower pace.

Changgyeonggung is open from 9am to 9pm, with ticketing until 8pm, and closes on Mondays. Admission is a token fee, and visitors in qualifying hanbok enter free. Because of the late hours it is a favorite evening walk, and the lit halls and greenhouse are atmospheric after dark; note that the greenhouse interior can close earlier in winter and that parts of the pond area occasionally close for maintenance, so check the notices if a particular corner matters to you. The palace takes an hour to walk at a relaxed pace, and longer if you sit by the pond.

The palace connects to Changdeokgung through an internal gate, so the two can be visited together, and Jongmyo Shrine lies directly south across the road, linked by a restored green corridor along the old royal wall. A loop from Jongmyo through Changgyeonggung to Changdeokgung, with or without the Secret Garden tour, is one of the most rewarding history half-days in Seoul and much calmer than Gyeongbokgung. Daehak-ro, the university theater district, and the hillside streets of Ihwa Mural Village and Naksan Park are a short walk east.

The nearest subway is Hyehwa Station on Line 4, about ten minutes' walk, though many visitors arrive on foot from Changdeokgung or Jongmyo. Spring brings blossoms and autumn some of the finest foliage in central Seoul; in summer the shady paths make it cooler than the open courtyards of the bigger palaces. Families will appreciate the space: children can run on the paths and lawns in a way that feels unthinkable at Gyeongbokgung.