Seoul's Palaces Are Free Oct 29–Nov 15, 2026: Hours, Closed Days and a Visit Plan

By the Korea Vibe Hopper team · Updated October 26, 2026

From Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 15, 2026, entry to Seoul's four main palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs is free. The Cultural Heritage Administration's royal palaces office announced it as part of the Korea Grand Festival, an 18-day nationwide shopping and travel event. There are a few catches, though. Closing days still apply, the Secret Garden is not included, and one palace loses its night opening for part of the window. Here is what the official notices say, as of October 2026, and how to plan around them.

Key takeaways

Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Jongmyo and the royal tombs are free from Oct 29 to Nov 15, 2026. Each site keeps its weekly closing day.
The Changdeokgung Secret Garden (Huwon) tour is excluded and still needs its own ticket, booked online or bought on site on the day.
Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung stay open until 21:00, but Changgyeonggung's general night opening is suspended Nov 10–15 for the ticketed Donggwol Dongnak night program.

Contents

What is free, and what is not
November hours and closing days
Palace by palace: what to see
Jongmyo and the November 7 rite
Night visits and Donggwol Dongnak
A three-day plan and how to do it
FAQ
Conclusion
Sources

What is free, and what is not

The official notice from the royal palaces office (dated September 22, 2026) lists the free period as October 29 (Thu) to November 15 (Sun). It covers the four great palaces, Jongmyo and every Joseon royal tomb the office manages. Two conditions apply: Jongmyo switches to walk-in viewing, and the Secret Garden special tour and regular closing days are excluded.

For context, normal adult tickets are modest: 3,000 won for Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung and 1,000 won each for Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo. Many visitors already get in free, including foreigners aged 18 or under or 65 and over, and anyone wearing hanbok. The real gain is convenience: no ticket queues, and walk-in access to Jongmyo on weekdays.

Painted eaves at Gwanghwamun Gate. Photo: Timothy Ries wacowacko / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Royal guard reenactor at Gwanghwamun, November 2018. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Visitors in hanbok inside the gates of Gyeongbokgung, October 2018. Photo: Ken Eckert / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The free entry is one piece of the Korea Grand Festival, run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Financial News reports about 40,000 participating companies and 70,000 lodging coupons for stays outside the capital region. It also lands in a record year: the culture ministry counted 17.11 million foreign arrivals from January to September 2026, up 21.5% on the year before. Expect busy weekends.

November hours and closing days

These are the November figures from the official hours page. Last entry is one hour before closing at every site below. The free period has no public holidays, so each closing day applies as normal.

Site	November hours	Last entry	Closed (dates in window)
Gyeongbokgung	09:00–17:00	16:00	Tuesdays (Nov 3, 10)
Changdeokgung	09:00–17:30	16:30	Mondays (Nov 2, 9)
Changgyeonggung	09:00–21:00 (17:30 on Nov 10–15)	20:00 (16:30 on Nov 10–15)	Mondays (Nov 2, 9)
Deoksugung	09:00–21:00	20:00	Mondays (Nov 2, 9)
Jongmyo	09:00–17:30	16:30	Tuesdays (Nov 3, 10)
Most royal tombs	09:00–17:30 (Seolleung and Jeongneung from 06:30)	16:30	Mondays (Nov 2, 9)

The pattern is easy to remember. On Mondays, go to Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo. On Tuesdays, go to the other three palaces. For daylight and temperatures, see our Korea November weather and packing guide.

Palace by palace: what to see

Gyeongbokgung

This is the best-known palace and usually the busiest. Come in through Gwanghwamun, see the throne hall Geunjeongjeon, and then walk to Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion that sits on a square pond. The royal guard performs in costume at the main gate, and the hanbok rental shops are all nearby. If you want to dress up, our guide to visiting Gyeongbokgung in hanbok covers rental and photo spots. Note that Gyeongbokgung closes at 17:00 in November and is the one palace that is not free on ordinary Wednesdays.

Gyeonghoeru pavilion at Gyeongbokgung (spring 2014). Photo: Kim Dae Jeung / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Injeongjeon, Changdeokgung's throne hall, September 2022. Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Buyongji pond in the Secret Garden, which needs a separate ticket. Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden

Changdeokgung is the UNESCO-listed palace whose buildings follow the hillside instead of a strict grid. Its throne hall, Injeongjeon, is the highlight. The palace grounds are free in the window. The Secret Garden (Huwon), with the Buyongji pond and the autumn maples, is a separate guided entry that the notice excludes. Under the normal fee table it costs 5,000 won for adults. English sessions in November run at 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30. Each session takes 100 people: 50 booked online and 50 sold on site. Online booking opens six days before the visit at 10:00. On-site tickets go on sale at 09:00 on the day, and the office warns that October and November sell out very quickly.

Changgyeonggung

Next door, Changgyeonggung is smaller. Its main hall, Myeongjeongjeon, is framed by red gates, and a white Western-style glasshouse stands at the back of the grounds. It is one of the two palaces that stay open until 21:00, and the official hours page says the greenhouse interior stays open in November. Visitors still in the daytime-only areas are asked to move to the night zone at 17:30.

Myeongjeongjeon seen through a gate at Changgyeonggung, June 2024. Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Changgyeonggung greenhouse (Daeonsil) at night. Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Inside the Changgyeonggung greenhouse, October 2023. Photo: Nick-D / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Deoksugung

Deoksugung, across from City Hall, mixes wooden halls with Seokjojeon, a stone Western-style building, and is open until 21:00 all year. Seokjojeon's interior is a separate reserved, guided visit, so free palace entry does not guarantee a place inside.

Daehanmun, the main gate of Deoksugung. Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Seokjojeon at Deoksugung, September 2019. Photo: Pip1024 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Deoksugung at dusk, November 2015; it stays open until 21:00. Photo: Rtflakfizer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Jongmyo and the November 7 rite

Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine. Its main hall, Jeongjeon, is a long, low building on a wide stone courtyard, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On normal Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays you can only enter on a timed guided tour. During the festival it is open for free walk-in viewing on every open day. There are no foreign-language tours on Saturdays. The north gate toward Yulgok-ro opens on weekends, public holidays and Wednesdays.

The biggest draw is Chuhyang Daeje, the autumn ancestral rite, on Saturday, November 7. The Yeongnyeongjeon rite runs 10:00–12:00 and the Jeongjeon rite 14:00–16:30. Jongmyo's notice says it is free and needs no reservation. Arrive early if you want a clear view of the courtyard.

Jeongjeon, the main hall of Jongmyo Shrine. Photo: João Trindade / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Jeongjeon at Jongmyo, seen at an angle. Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Jongmyo Jerye, the royal ancestral rite, May 3, 2026. Photo: Republic of Korea from Seoul, Republic of Korea / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Night visits and Donggwol Dongnak

From November 10 to 15, Changgyeonggung closes to general visitors at 17:30 for Donggwol Dongnak. This ticketed night program links Changgyeonggung with Changdeokgung's rear garden through the Yeongchunmun gate, which is normally closed. Sessions start at 18:00, 18:30, 19:00 and 19:30 and last about 110 minutes, with 50 people per session. Tickets cost 40,000 won, with a limit of two per person, and are for ages 7 and up.

Seats go by lottery on Ticketlink. Entries close October 28 at 23:59. Winners are announced October 30 after 17:00 and book October 31–November 4. Any seats left go on sale November 5 at 14:00. Payment is by credit card only. Bring photo ID that matches the booking to the check-in desk at Honghwamun. The event can be cancelled if 5 mm or more of rain is forecast for the evening. If you miss out, Deoksugung is open until 21:00 on all six nights.

A three-day plan and how to do it

This plan avoids the closing days and works best Wednesday to Friday.

Six days ahead, book the Secret Garden. Online booking opens at 10:00 Korea time, six days before your visit. If you miss it, be at Changdeokgung for 09:00 on the day.
Day 1 morning: Gyeongbokgung. Arrive at 09:00, before the tour groups. Leave by early afternoon, because it closes at 17:00.
Day 1 afternoon: Deoksugung at dusk. Take the subway to City Hall and stay until the lights come on.
Day 2: Changdeokgung, then Changgyeonggung. Do your Secret Garden slot, then walk next door. Stay for the greenhouse at night, except on Nov 10–15.
Day 3: Jongmyo, plus a royal tomb. See Jeongjeon in the morning. Then take the subway to Seolleung and Jeongneung in Gangnam, a wooded tomb park near Seolleung Station.
Check notices the night before. Hours can be cut for operational reasons, and rites or weather can change access.

For a base, Jongno and the area around City Hall keep you close to most of the sites. Our Seoul neighbourhood guide compares them. For leaf colour, see the fall foliage peak dates for Seoul.

FAQ

Do I need a ticket or reservation during the free period?
Not for general entry to the palaces, Jongmyo or the tombs. The Secret Garden tour, Seokjojeon's interior and Donggwol Dongnak are separate and need their own booking.

Is Gyeongbokgung open on Monday, November 2?
Yes. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesdays. The Monday closures are Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and the royal tombs.

What happens after November 15?
Normal fees return on November 16, including Jongmyo's timed tours on weekdays. Every Wednesday stays free at most sites, except Gyeongbokgung and the Secret Garden.

Conclusion

The free entry saves little money, but it removes ticket queues, opens Jongmyo without a timed tour and lines up with the November 7 rite. Get the closing days right, book the Secret Garden six days ahead, and pick between Deoksugung's evenings and the Donggwol Dongnak lottery.

Sources

Details as of October 2026. Hours, fees, tour slots and event schedules are set by the heritage authorities and can change at short notice; check the official notices before you go.

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