Changdeokgung Secret Garden Tickets: Booking, Entry & Visit Order
Quick answer: Reserve your Changdeokgung Secret Garden time first, then arrange the palace buildings around it. A typical foreign adult pays ₩3,000 for the palace and another ₩5,000 for the garden. Arrive at the palace well before the garden time: the timed entrance is inside the grounds.
October 2026 entrance update: Donhwamun is undergoing repairs. Follow signs to the temporary Geumhomun entrance on the west side. Do not plan your arrival around walking through Donhwamun. The palace’s repair notice and October visitor instructions identify the current entrance.
Featured photograph: Buyongji pond, June 3, 2026, by Sadopaul / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; card crops may vary. The photograph and cropped/resized versions remain under CC BY-SA 4.0. This summer image does not show current autumn foliage.
Which tickets do you need?
The palace buildings and Secret Garden, also called Huwon (후원), have separate admission. Buying one does not automatically cover the other.
- Foreign visitor aged 19–64: ₩3,000 general palace entry plus ₩5,000 garden entry, normally ₩8,000 altogether.
- Foreign visitor aged 7–18: free general entry with age evidence; garden ₩2,500.
- Visitor aged 65+: free general entry with age evidence; garden still ₩5,000.
- Children aged six and under: free garden entry. Check the booking instructions for including them in your party.
The current official fee page lists free general palace entry every Wednesday; the garden is excluded. Older reservation text still mentions only the last Wednesday. Hanbok admission benefits and the integrated palace pass also do not cover the garden. Bring evidence for any concession and check the amount before paying.
How to book the Secret Garden
- Choose the date before building your itinerary. Changdeokgung normally closes on Mondays. Holiday exceptions can shift that closure.
- Open the official booking service. The Korea Heritage Service reservation page links to the English uForus booking system. Choose the Secret Garden, your date and an appropriate language session.
- Be ready at 10:00 a.m. Korea time, six days before your visit. For example, an October 27 visit opens for online booking on October 21. Online reservations close the day before the visit.
- Finish payment and check your reservation. The English system uses an email account and credit-card payment. Follow the payment deadline displayed for your booking; an unpaid reservation can expire.
- Arrange general palace admission too. You can buy it in advance or on arrival, unless you qualify for free entry or already hold a valid pass.
Open the live mobile ticket on the day, or collect a valid paper ticket at the ticket office or kiosk. A screenshot or printed booking confirmation is not an admission ticket. Keep your phone charged and allow extra time if you need paper tickets.
What if online tickets are sold out?
The official FAQ gives each garden session 100 places: 50 online and 50 sold at the palace from 09:00 on the visit day. All same-day sessions are sold from the morning, so arriving just before an afternoon session is a risky strategy.
If the garden is the main reason for your visit, try the morning ticket office with a flexible choice of sessions. Availability is not guaranteed. If your day is tightly scheduled, use the palace buildings as your fallback and keep the rest of your plans intact. General palace entry has no visitor cap and does not require a garden reservation.
Get to the correct entrance early
Subway: Anguk Station (안국역), Line 3, Exit 3. The official directions describe an approximately five-minute walk to the palace. The address is 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울 종로구 율곡로 99). Follow current entrance signs during the repair works.
That short station walk does not include reaching the garden gate. The booking service says to allow at least 15 minutes inside the palace. Late garden arrivals are refused entry and are not refunded.
Planning recommendation: aim to reach the palace entrance 45–60 minutes before your garden session, earlier if you must buy or collect tickets during a busy autumn period. Use that margin for the entrance queue, toilets and the walk to the inner gate. Start the palace sightseeing only if you still have comfortable time.
On our Seoul Map, the Changdeokgung Palace pin identifies the palace site. It is not a precise meeting point for your garden session; use the ticket instructions and signs inside.
A visit order that avoids rushing
With a morning garden ticket: enter early, settle the tickets and locate the garden entrance first. Leave the palace buildings for afterward. Save a café stop for outside the palace once the time-sensitive part is finished.
With an afternoon garden ticket: eat lunch first and visit the palace buildings before the garden. For a 14:30 session, a suggested plan is to reach the palace around 13:00, explore at an easy pace, then head toward the garden gate around 14:00. This is an editorial example, not an official check-in schedule; follow the time on your ticket.
The published garden route takes about 90 minutes in March–June and September–November, or 70 minutes in July–August and December–February. Routes can change with weather and maintenance. Allow roughly three hours for the palace and garden together as a planning estimate, with extra time for queues or a slower pace.
Once the timed group enters, you may join the interpreter or explore independently within the opened areas. Timed entry still applies. If you want the commentary, choose a language you understand; foreign-language sessions are for foreign visitors, with up to two accompanying Korean visitors.
Hours, walking conditions and last checks
General palace hours in the official timetable are:
- February–May and September–October: 09:00–18:00, last admission 17:00
- June–August: 09:00–18:30, last admission 17:30
- November–January: 09:00–17:30, last admission 16:30
English garden sessions are normally 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30 from March through November; December through February omits 15:30. Confirm your date in the booking calendar. When a Monday closure falls on a public or substitute holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday instead.
The garden includes slopes and unpaved paths. The official FAQ warns that steep sections can be difficult for wheelchairs and strollers, and earth paths may become muddy. Ask staff about the current accessible route rather than assuming the whole garden is step-free. Wear shoes suitable for uneven outdoor walking.
If plans change, review the cancellation terms promptly. The booking page sets a two-hour cutoff before the garden session: cancellation earlier than that is penalty-free; later cancellation before entry carries a 10% penalty, and there is no refund after the session starts. Check the exact terms shown with your reservation.
For a nearby indoor alternative in poor weather, see our Anguk and Insadong museum route. Check its separate closing days before switching plans.
Sources and last checked
Checked October 20, 2026. This is a researched planning guide, not a first-hand visit report. Official fees, booking rules, hours and entrance notices are linked beside the relevant advice. Arrival margins and sample visit orders are editorial recommendations. Recheck the palace’s notices and your selected session before travelling, especially during repair works or severe weather.
