Changdeokgung Palace Complex, South Korea

Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul

The Secret Garden (Huwon) behind Changdeokgung was created in the early 15th century as a private royal retreat and remains one of the finest examples of Korean garden design in existence. It covers 78 acres of forested hillside, with lotus ponds, pavilions set into cliff faces, and ancient trees (some over 300 years old) that were planted and maintained across six centuries of royal use. The critical thing to know: access to the Huwon requires a guided tour, pre-booked separately from the main palace admission, and numbers are capped. During spring cherry blossom (late March to mid-April) and autumn foliage (October), these tours sell out weeks in advance. If you want the garden, book before you book your flights.

Changdeokgung is one of Seoul’s five grand Joseon Dynasty palaces, built in 1405, and the one designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Where Gyeongbokgung (the more famous palace, rebuilt in the 19th century) is grand and symmetric, Changdeokgung is asymmetric and site-specific: the buildings were laid out to follow the contours of the hillside rather than imposing a grid on the terrain. This makes it both more visually interesting and harder to photograph in a single frame.

The Palace Complex

The Donhwamun Gate (1412) is the oldest remaining palace gate in Seoul, with painted bracket work under the eaves and the kind of quiet authority that the rebuilt Gwanghwamun Gate at Gyeongbokgung doesn’t quite match despite its larger scale.

The Injeongjeon (the main throne hall) has a stone-paved courtyard with two rows of rank-stones marking where officials stood according to their place in the bureaucratic hierarchy. The hall itself was used for royal ceremonies, audience sessions, and state examinations.

Wearing hanbok (traditional Korean dress) grants free entry to the palace. Rental shops in the Insadong area, about 10 minutes’ walk, offer hanbok for around KRW 15,000 to 50,000 per day. This is genuinely practical rather than purely gimmicky; the palace was designed with these colours and proportions in mind.

The Huwon (Secret Garden)

Guided tours run in English, Japanese, and Chinese throughout the day; the English tour typically departs several times between 10am and 3pm and takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. The tour follows a loop through the garden’s main features: the Buyongji Pond with the Buyongjeong pavilion reflected in it, the Aeryeonji lotus pond, the Yeongyeongdang residential compound, and the Ongnyucheon stream with carved inscriptions in the rock face above it. The inscriptions were composed and carved by King Injo in 1636.

Each season offers something different: blossoms in spring, full shade from the canopy in summer, the best colour and light in October, and the architectural forms more visible against snow in winter.

Nearby

Jongmyo Shrine, a short walk north, is a UNESCO-listed royal ancestral shrine with a 500-year-old sacrificial ritual still performed annually. Insadong Street has traditional tea houses, galleries, and craft shops. The Bukchon Hanok Village, a neighbourhood of preserved traditional Korean houses on the hillside between Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung, is one of the most photographed parts of Seoul.

Practical Notes

The palace is a 10-minute walk from Anguk station on Seoul Metro Line 3. Admission is around KRW 3,000 for adults. The Huwon tour costs an additional KRW 5,000 and must be booked online in advance at the palace website. The complex is closed Mondays.