Changdeokgung

This palace wasn’t as busy as Gyeongbokgung palace at least when we went. It is a beautiful palace ground with lots of places to take pictures. There is another section which requires another ticket that was really nice. The path along the lake was nice and peaceful. Definitely recommend a visit here if you have the time

The palace is truly amazing, situated in a calm section of the city and with some beautiful architectural highlights. During Golden Week, entry was granted free of charge, even for those not wearing the traditional attire. Unfortunately, the secret garden still required a ticket and was completely sold out for the day. I likely would have enjoyed the location more were it not for the throngs of people.

It's just a shame that these buildings were all destroyed with the Japanese invasion and it's so important and great that Korea is still working on restoring everything as best as possible. The palace is build a little closer together than at Gyeongbokgung Palace. The only thing I could critique is that the government should be paying a little more attention when including fire extinguishers or fuseboxes and maybe try to blend them in a little more. They often break the immersion and the view of the otherwise beautiful palace.

Even though we weren’t able to secure the tickets to the Secret Garden, we still enjoyed the palace grounds very much. Beautiful leaves on the fall.

JUST WOW. We visited this UNESCO World Heritage site last November 18, 2025 - and we didn’t regret a thing. Everything is preserved, from the architectural designs of their villages and the nature hidden in the secret garden. How can I not fall in love with this masterpiece? God loves us all, but how come it’s different in South Korea? Kidding aside, it’s a gift from the mighty creator. We will surely come back! 🥹😇🌸🍁

Changdeokgung (Korean: 창덕궁; Hanja: 昌德宮) is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Historic Site of South Korea, it is among the best preserved of all Korean palaces. It and its neighboring palace Changgyeonggung have together been called the "East Palace". Changdeokgung was established in 1405. It was the second palace to be established in Seoul, after Joseon's official main palace Gyeongbokgung. Despite Gyeongbokgung's legally superior status, a majority of kings preferred to reside in Changdeokgung instead. In 1592, amidst the Imjin War, Changdeokgung and all the other palaces in the city were completely destroyed. After the war, due to budgetary constraints, Gyeongbokgung was not repaired, while Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung were. This effectively made Changdeokgung Joseon's main palace for several centuries. In the late 19th century, under the reign of the penultimate Korean monarch Gojong, Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt and the royal family moved out of Changdeokgung and into Gyeongbokgung, although they would again move to another palace Deoksugung in 1897. In 1907, Gojong was forced by Japan to abdicate, and his son and final Korean monarch Sunjong ascended the throne and made Changdeokgung his official palace. In 1910, Japan colonized Korea, and proceeded to heavily alter the palace. The Korean royal family continued to reside in the palace even after the 1945 liberation of Korea and into the late 20th century. Changdeokgung is now a major tourist attraction. In 1997, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace's Secret Garden [ko], long beloved by Korean monarchs, are now mostly available to the public, with some sections requiring tours to be booked.

Very chill hike and great view to see old traditional architecture of Korea. The garden is also pretty to see. Very beautiful and peaceful.

Beautiful and most historically original of the palaces in Seoul even if it wasnt the main palace. The secret garden is absolutely worth it. I booked the tickets for the secret garden online and it turned out to be a great decision since all tickets were sold out by the time we arrived in the afternoon.