Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung is where every first visit to Seoul should begin. Built in 1395, three years after the founding of the Joseon dynasty, it was the main royal palace of a kingdom that lasted more than five centuries, and its name means the Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven. It has been burned and rebuilt more than once — most of it was lost in the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, rebuilt in the 1860s, then largely demolished during the colonial period — and a patient restoration program that began in the 1990s is still bringing halls back to life. What you see today is a vast walled complex set against the granite peak of Bugaksan, approached through Gwanghwamun, the main gate, on the boulevard of the same name. Beyond it, a sequence of gates and courtyards leads to Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, a double-roofed wooden masterpiece on a two-tier stone terrace where rank stones still mark where officials stood in order of seniority. Behind it lie the king's working hall, the royal living quarters, the queen's residence with its chimney walls of patterned brick, and two of the most photographed scenes in Korea: Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion that rises from an artificial lake on forty-eight stone pillars, and Hyangwonjeong, a small hexagonal pavilion reached by a bridge across a lotus pond. The National Folk Museum of Korea stands within the grounds and the National Palace Museum of Korea sits near the main gate, both well worth an hour. Adult entry has cost the same few thousand won for two decades, and visitors wearing hanbok enter free.

The hanbok tradition is half the fun. Rental shops crowd the streets around Anguk and Gyeongbokgung stations, renting traditional dress by the hour with hair accessories included, and on a fine weekend the courtyards are a sea of silk. Wearing hanbok has meant free admission to the royal palaces since 2013, and in 2026 the heritage authorities clarified what counts: a jeogori jacket with the traditional overlapping collar, worn with a separate skirt or trousers. Modern and fusion styles qualify, and wearing the hanbok of the other gender has been allowed since 2019, but one-piece dresses, robes thrown over everyday clothes and costumes judged out of keeping with the palace can be refused. The whole free-entry scheme is under review alongside a proposed fee rise that was planned for January 2027 and has been put on hold, so check the current rule before you rent.

Time your visit around the gates. The royal guard changing ceremony takes place in front of Gwanghwamun twice a day on opening days, with drums, banners and guards in vivid Joseon uniforms, and it is free to watch from the plaza; it is occasionally replaced or cancelled for special events and bad weather. The palace is closed every Tuesday, and opening hours shift with the seasons, closing earliest in winter, with last entry an hour before closing. Arrive at opening to have the throne hall courtyard nearly to yourself, or come in the late afternoon when the light turns the painted eaves gold. In spring and autumn the palace runs limited night openings with the halls lit up; tickets go fast through Korean ticketing sites, with a small allocation for foreign visitors. In late 2026 the palaces also staged a free-admission period into mid-November, a reminder that special events change the rules, so check the official calendar.

The palace sits at the heart of the old royal city, so it pairs naturally with everything around it. Gwanghwamun Square, in front, has statues of King Sejong, inventor of the Korean alphabet, and Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The galleries and cafes of Samcheong-dong run up the palace's east wall toward Bukchon Hanok Village; the hip lanes of Seochon, west of the palace, hide tiny restaurants and the Tongin Market lunchbox street. The link here is a guided royal palace tour, useful if you want the history explained; independent entry is simply bought at the gate. Allow two to three hours, more if you add the museums.