You've heard of Gyeongbokgung but are you aware of Changdeokgung and its famous secret garden? Located in the Jongno District in Seoul, Changdeokgung offers an experience not possible in the major palaces in Seoul — a tour through a garden once so loved by the royals that they kept it a secret from their subjects 🤫. Now, it's open to the public but has limited number of tours per day so its an experience many rush to take the chance to see. 

We decided to go to the famous garden ourselves and see just what made this place so special! Come with us for a day in Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden.

Information 

Location: 서울 종로구 율곡로 99
99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Hours: Mondays OFF

Price

Palace Tour Info

Tour Course (~60 mins)

Donghwamun Gate -> Injeongjeon Hall -> Seonjeongjeon Hall -> Hujijeongdang Hall -> Daejojeon Hall -> Seongjeonggak Hall -> Nakseonjae Complex

Note: Self-guided tours and guided tours are both available.

Secret Garden Tour Info

Tour Course:

March - June & September - November (~90 mins)

Hamyangmun Gate -> Buyongji Pond -> Bullomun Gate -> Aeryeonji Pond -> Yeongyeongdang Complex -> Jondeokjeong Pavilion Area -> Ongnyucheon Stream Area -> Donhwamun Gate

July - August & December - February (~70 mins)

Hamyangmun Gate -> Buyongji Pond -> Bullomun Gate -> Aeryonji Pond -> Jondeokjeong Pavilion Area -> Yeongyeongdang Complex -> Donhwamun Gate

Note: 

Online bookings can be made from 10am, 6 days in advance until one day before the tour date.

Visitors to the Secret Garden are required to join a guided tour.

There are only 100 tickets available for each tour. 50 are able to be reserved in advance on the internet, and the remaining are sold in person on the day of. 

The tour time and course are subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.

Make a Tour Reservation 

Why We Recommend It

Many dramas were shot in the palace and the Secret Garden.

The Secret Garden tour is available in many languages. 

University students enact various dances for people to watch. 

The garden is beautiful so you just have to see it in person!

Things to Keep In Mind

In other palaces, it would be okay to walk around in sandals for the most part, we would definitely not recommend wearing them when you visit the Secret Garden. Most of Changdeokgung is easily walked through with little trouble but the garden has hills, greenery, and more that make the tour a bit more strenuous than walking through the palace. 

Please make sure to wear comfortable shoes and dress consciously for the weather. Since the tour is a bit long, you may easily get tired if not prepared. 

Our Visit

Reserving Secret Garden Tickets

As we mentioned, Changdeokgung is one of the five famous palaces located in Seoul, but it is also the one with a key difference: the Secret Garden. Unlike the other palaces, there is an entire section of the palace that you cannot see unless you reserve a spot on a guided tour. So what makes this garden so special? We wanted to find out, so we spent the day going to the palace we were so curious about. 

Since we knew getting tickets can be a difficult process, we made sure to reserve our tickets to the Secret Garden 6 days in advance right at 10am. This is the earliest tickets can be reserved online. 

In order to purchase a ticket, you need to make an account on the website. After you have successfully logged in, then you can select the date for the the day you would like to go. So if you want to go on April 25th, then you can book your ticket as early as 10am April 19th. However, you must complete payment for your payment before the day of your tour. So if you book your ticket for April 25th, then you should finish paying by April 24th to avoid cancellation. 

When you book your ticket, you should pick a time that corresponds with the language you want to attend the tour in. The tours are available in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. Due to the limited amount of tickets for the tours, foreign language tours are for foreigners only. If you'd like to bring a Korean companion, the cap is two maximum. 

Once you've successfully reserved your tickets, then you can complete payment on the confirmation page of your account. Please keep in mind, that you will need to pay with a foreign-issued card when using the international website. So if you are a foreigner living in Korea, then using your Korean-issued card will not work. 

Once your payment is complete, you will see your confirmation on the "My Page" of your account. Your tickets will not appear until 30 mins before your tour time. You can enter with the mobile ticket or you can show it at the ticket office in order to get a physical ticket. 

Ticket Booth

Another thing to keep in mind is that even with a Secret Garden ticket, you need to purchase a ticket for entry into the palace. Since we were not wearing hanbok this day, we headed to the ticket booth to buy a ticket to get in the palace. Just to make our lives easier later, we got a physical ticket for our secret garden reservation as well. We recommend this if you don't have reliable internet while in Korea. 

The Main Palace

We got to the palace right at opening, so we were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people up front and even more so when we made our way into the palace. Looking at our map, we could see that this palace was huge. Since we decided to explore on our own, we decided to just follow the recommended tour course starting at Donhwamun Gate since we still had a bit of time before our Secret Garden tour started. 

The original buildings of the Changdeokgung Palace were destroyed by fire so everything had to rebuilt over time. Some additions were made to as time and practices of construction improved every time, however, the authenticity is easily felt through every building that you walk past. 

Two thirds of the palace is the Secret Garden so there wasn't much ground to cover on our own, unlike Gyeongbokgung.

Donhwamun Gate

Free Guide Books

We started at the main gate, Donhwamun Gate. As was said before, the original palace had burned down but the gate was reconstructed by King Seonjo in 1607, making it the oldest entrance in Seoul. Since we were not doing an official palace tour, we grabbed a guide book on our way in and continued on our way. 

We made our way to the Guemcheongyo Bridge where we learned about the creatures we were seeing all over the palace grounds. The monsters believed to keep off evil sprits could easily be found. 

Injeongmun Gate

When we arrived at Injeongmun Gate, we began to notice difference from Gyeongbokgung. While we recognized some similar features, we also could feel the unique features of Changdeokgung, starting with the use of color. 

Injeongjeon Hall

Injeongjeon Hall is the main hall of Changdeokgung, so it was equipped with various decorations that symbolize the power and authority of the king. 

Seonjeongjeon Hall

We continued on to Seonjeongjeon Hall, was an area where the king worked at his convenience, which was located closely to his sleeping quarters. The feelings of peace, calm, and comfort were easily felt when we entered the area. 

Huijeongdang Hall

Moving on, we ventured to Huijeongdang Hall, the place where the king worked everyday. The use of color on the buildings made the area feel bright and inviting despite being a place of work. This building in particular, despite being very traditionally Korean, utilizes some western materials which area nice touch!

Daejojeon Hall

Next we walked to Daejojeon Hall which was the queen's residence. It is located right next to the king's quarters, the Huijeongdang. A little creepy to think about, but multiple kings died in this building as well: King Seongjong, King Injo, King Hyeonjong, King Cheoljong, and King Sunjong. 

Seonjeonggak Hall

By the time we go to Seongjeonggak Hall, we were a little pressed for time so we rushed to see the final building before our Secret Garden tour started. This building felt much more familiar structurally and reminiscent of other buildings we'd seen in other palaces. After looking around briefly, we made our way to the entrance of the Secret Garden where we saw other people gathering to join. 

The Secret Garden

When it was almost time to enter the Secret Garden, we heard an announcement telling us the rules of the tour. We also officially met our tour guide as well who was going to be giving the tour in English. The tour group was composed of mostly foreigners with a few Koreans joined as well. The group was relatively small which we found as a plus since the tour guide utilized a tablet to show pictures to enhance the experience. With too many people, it would have been much more difficult to see. 😅

Buyongji Pond

Wen finally began our journey through the Secret Garden. Heading straight from Hamyangmun Gate, we went straight to the Buyongji Pond. It as truly beautiful and we were glad to get some time to explore the area. We learned various dramas had been filmed here in the garden.

Bullomun Gate

Our group continued towards Bullomun Gate, which we learned translated to "gate of eternal youth". As we all walked under gate, our tour guide commented, "Wow, you all look younger." 😆 He had a great sense of humor. 

Aeryeonji Pond

Right after we entered through the gate of eternal youth, we were greeted with another beautiful spot, the Aeryeonji Pond. We learned stories of royal members while we took in the peaceful view that the pond provided and the stories that the walls of the Yeongyeongdang held which was located right across. 

Yeongyeongdang Complex

Seonhyangjae Hall

After we finished taking in the pond and the complex, we headed to the Seonhyangjae Hall. As we approached, we could see people in traditional clothes dressed up and heading towards the area. As it turns out, students from university studying cultural arts do performances in the garden for exclusive audiences. We were able to go in and see parts of the performance for a brief moment before we continued on with our tour. However, if we had the time, we would have loved to stay and see the show. 

Gwallamjeong Pavilion (Seen in Kingdom)

Kingdom

We continued on to some more areas of the garden. Our tour guide mentioned that quite a few dramas had been filmed on the grounds, including Netflix's Kingdom and Love in the Moonlight with Park Bo-gum.

Jondeokjeong Pavilion

Ongnyucheon Stream

The final areas we visited were the Jondeokjeong Pavilion and the Ongnyucheon Stream. This garden was built in 1636 and is located deep within the palace so it really felt like we were in a private garden meant only for royals. Being in this area easily makes you forget that you're in a city a city with over 10 million people in it.

When the tour was complete, our guide said his goodbyes and we made our way back towards the main area of the palace. By this point, we were quite tired from all the walking so we took our final views and headed out for lunch.

The Fall Season

While Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden are always beautiful, it is especially so in the Fall. If you have the chance, try to come after all the leaves have changed color and you'll be amazed by what you see!

How to Get There

Ride subway Line 3 to Anguk Station (안국역) and take Exit 3. 

Follow the road and walk straight about 320m. 

Changdeokgung will be on your left. 

Things to Do in the Area

Artee Pedicab (아띠인력거)

Want to take in the views of the area? Take a ride and see Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon Hanok Village without the tiring yourself out walking. Not only that, but the driver will tell you all the hidden secrets of the area, best known by locals. Get your discount when you book with Creatrip!

Hanboknam Changdeokgung (한복남 창덕창경궁점)

Did you really experience the palace if you didn't dress up in hanbok? Enjoy the Secret Garden and take amazing pictures dressed in your beautiful hanbok. Make your reservation easily with Creatrip.

Bukchon Outdoor Photo Studio

You've got your hanbok, now capture the moment at a professional photo studio to make memories that last forever. Book today with Creatrip!

We hope you found this guide to Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden useful! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at help@creatrip.com or join our Facebook group, the South Korea Travel Guide, to ask questions freely. Also make sure you're following us on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to get all the latest Korea content. 

See you next time!