Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung was built under King Taejong as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, it was the first palace to be rebuilt after the Imjin War, and until Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt, kings used it more for about 270 years, so it effectively served as the main palace. Admission is ₩3,000 for the palace buildings and ₩5,000 for adults for the Secret Garden (Huwon), and a palace ticket is also required for the Secret Garden. It is closed every Monday, and hours vary by season. The commentary introduces the path where the roof of Injeongjeon appears over the stone wall as the first of the Eight Views of Bukchon, and the garden tour continues with the stories of its four valleys, pavilions and ponds.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, Changdeokgung was built in 1405 as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace. It burned down in the Imjin War of 1592, was the first palace to be rebuilt in 1610, and was used more by successive kings for some 270 years until Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt in 1867. It adjoins Changgyeonggung without a boundary, and the two together were also known as Donggwol ("the East Palace").

The official information also notes that Heungbokheon, attached to Daejojeon, is where the 1910 annexation of Korea was decided, and that the Nakseonjae area is where the last imperial family of the Korean Empire lived and died after liberation. Unlike other palaces, its buildings are considered to have been laid out naturally to harmonize with the surrounding terrain, which is described as the background to its inscription as a World Heritage site in 1997.

The commentary calls the eight most beautiful views in Bukchon the Eight Views of Bukchon, and says the first is the panorama of Changdeokgung over the stone wall. Walking up past the Bukchon Culture Center and turning right up the hill at a small crossroads, Changdeokgung gradually comes into view. The first tall building you see over the wall is the side of Injeongjeon, the throne hall, and in front of it you see Gyujanggak, which served as the royal library, and Seonwonjeon, which held portraits of past kings.

The commentary begins by pointing out that Changdeokgung differs from palaces built in an orderly, monumental way, such as the Forbidden City in China or Gyeongbokgung. To combine it with a walk through the Bukchon alleys, see our Bukchon Hanok Village guide.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the Secret Garden was first created north of Changdeokgung in 1406, expanded under King Sejo, and extended as far as Changgyeonggung, built under King Seongjong. Most of it was lost in the Imjin War; it was recreated in 1610 and reached its present form as Kings Injo, Sukjong, Jeongjo and Sunjo repaired and expanded it. The Buyongji, Aeryeonji, Gwallamji and Ongnyucheon areas spread across four valleys, with pavilions built in each valley.

The garden was a place for rest and walks, but it was also used for writing poetry and discussing scholarship, military training such as archery, fishing and boating, fireworks and banquets. It was also where the king planted grain to experience farming and the queen performed the silkworm-raising rite. To visit the Secret Garden, you need to buy a palace ticket as well as a Secret Garden ticket. How entry to the garden works and its time slots are not in the Korea Tourism Organization information, so check on site.

Continue with the royal shrine in our Jongmyo guide and the main palace in our Gyeongbokgung guide.

Check before you visit Changdeokgung

• Make sure your visit is not on a Monday.
• Remember that the Secret Garden requires a palace ticket as well.
• Plan your arrival around the seasonal last-entry time.
• Ask about Secret Garden entry and whether booking is needed at +82-2-3668-2300.

Good for:

• World Heritage visits: it is presented as the only palace inscribed as a World Heritage site.
• Garden walks: walk along the ponds and pavilions of the Secret Garden.
• Combining with Bukchon: it links to the route where you look at the palace roofs from the first of the Eight Views of Bukchon.
• History lovers: there is the story of the Nakseonjae area, home of the last imperial family of the Korean Empire.