Changdeokgung Secret Garden Tickets: How to Book, and What Isn’t Free
Changdeokgung Secret Garden tickets are timed and capped, and they cost extra on top of the palace ticket. You book online six days ahead, or buy at the ticket office on the day. Free palace entry doesn’t cover the garden, so plan the garden slot first.
Koreans call the Secret Garden Huwon (후원). It is the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁), and everyone enters at a set time, with a fixed number of people per tour.
What do you need to know before you book?
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Address | 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울 종로구 율곡로 99) |
| Palace hours, Nov to Jan | 09:00 to 17:30, last entry 16:30 |
| Closed | Mondays (a Monday that is a public holiday stays open; the next ordinary weekday closes instead) |
| Nearest station | Anguk (안국역), Line 3, Exit 3, about 5 minutes on foot. Jongno 3-ga (종로3가역), Exit 7, about 10 minutes |
| English garden entry times | Tuesday to Sunday: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30 from March to November; 10:30, 11:30 and 14:30 from December to February |
| Garden ticket, adult 19 to 64 | 5,000 won (about USD 3.74, SGD 4.79 or AUD 5.33), on top of the palace ticket |
| Online booking | From 10:00, six days before to one day before; 50 tickets per tour. Official English booking page |
| Ticket office | From 09:00 on the day; another 50 tickets per tour, first come, first served |
| Card payment | Visa, Mastercard or JCB issued outside Korea on the English site |
| ID | Korean companions on an English tour may be asked for a passport or national ID card to show their nationality (not a driver’s license) |
| Parking | None, so use public transport |
Checked November 2, 2026 on the Korea Heritage Service Royal Palaces and Tombs Center site and the palace’s English booking page. Exchange rates from Frankfurter, October 30, 2026.
When do Changdeokgung Secret Garden tickets go on sale?
Online booking opens at 10:00, six days before your visit, and runs until the day before. For a Sunday visit on November 15, it opens on Monday, November 9. The ticket office sells from 09:00 on the day, and those tickets only work that day.
The palace warns that spring and autumn garden tickets sell out very fast, online and at the office. Book the moment the window opens, and keep the office as your backup.
After you book, pay within 24 hours or the reservation lapses. If you book the day before, pay by 23:59 that day.
Cancel more than two hours before the tour for a full refund. The page lists a 90% refund after that and nothing once the tour has started. Set an alarm for the window and pay straight away.
Which English slot should you pick, and when should you arrive?
You can only enter at the time on your ticket. The garden gate is a walk of 15 minutes or more from the palace entrance, and you have to buy a ticket at least 15 minutes before entry. Count your walk before you count your slot.
English tours serve non-Korean visitors, and up to two Korean companions may join. Late arrivals get no entry and no refund. If your slot is gone, check the other English times in the first table.
The booking page describes the autumn route as about 90 minutes and lists the Ongnyucheon (옥류천) stream area. The palace’s guide page says about 70 minutes and notes that Ongnyucheon stays shut for conservation until further notice. I’d plan for the shorter route and keep the longer window free.
Does free entry cover Changdeokgung Secret Garden tickets?
From October 29 to November 15, the Korea Grand Festival makes general admission free at the four main palaces. The palace’s notice leaves out the Secret Garden special viewing and the Monday closure.
| Ticket | Won | USD | SGD | AUD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palace buildings, adult (free until Nov 15) | 3,000 | 2.25 | 2.87 | 3.20 |
| Secret Garden, ages 19 to 64, and 65 and over | 5,000 | 3.74 | 4.79 | 5.33 |
| Secret Garden, ages 7 to 18 | 2,500 | 1.87 | 2.39 | 2.67 |
| Secret Garden, ages 6 and under | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Combined palace ticket (four palaces plus the Jongmyo shrine, 종묘; not the garden) | 6,000 | 4.49 | 5.74 | 6.40 |
| Donggwol Dongrak night program, Nov 10 to 15 (lottery) | 40,000 | 29.96 | 38.30 | 42.64 |
Checked November 2, 2026. Exchange rates from Frankfurter, October 30, 2026.
The booking page still says a garden visit needs a general admission ticket. I couldn’t find how that ticket is issued during the free weeks, so call the palace (02-3668-2300) or ask at the ticket office before your slot.
Hanbok (한복) wearers enter the palace free, foreigners included, if they wear a jacket plus a skirt or trousers. The garden’s own free list names only children six and under and certain Korean nationals, so a hanbok won’t pay for the garden ticket. If you plan to wear one, budget the garden ticket separately.
What is on in the garden this month?
- November 3 and 4, 11:00. A restaged 1828 royal banquet performance at Yeongyeongdang (연경당) inside the garden. Garden visitors watch it free, though the garden ticket is separate.
- November 10 to 15, evenings. Donggwol Dongrak (동궐동락) is a 110-minute night walk between Changgyeonggung (창경궁) and the garden. Lottery applications opened on Ticketlink on October 22. I couldn’t check whether any places remain or whether foreign visitors can apply. The price is in the table above.
- Same six days. Changgyeonggung skips its usual night opening, but you can still visit by day, 09:00 to 17:30.
If you missed the lottery, book a daytime garden slot instead.
How do you get in on the day?
- Screenshots don’t work. Show the mobile ticket in the booking system. It switches on 30 minutes before your tour. Or print a paper ticket at the ticket office or the machine. You get one type per reservation.
- Weather. The palace can shorten tours for heavy snow or fine dust.
Check that your mobile ticket has switched on before you reach the garden gate.
Where to go next in November
- Planning your dates? Seoul festivals in November 2026.
- Still booking flights? Do you need a Korea K-ETA?
The slot I’d book
I’d set an alarm for the booking window and take the 10:30 English slot. Each tour sells only 50 tickets online and the palace itself says autumn slots vanish, so starting with the earliest leaves the later English slots to try if it’s gone.
The short version
Changdeokgung Secret Garden tickets are the one palace ticket you have to plan. Free palace entry doesn’t include them, so book online six days ahead and allow time for the walk to the garden gate.
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Sources
- Korea Heritage Service Royal Palaces and Tombs Center: Visiting hours (관람시간)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center: Admission fees (관람요금)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center: Changdeokgung directions (오시는 길)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center: Changdeokgung guided tours (해설안내)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center: Free admission for hanbok wearers guideline (한복무료관람 가이드라인)
- Changdeokgung Secret Garden English booking page (uForus)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center notice: Oct to Nov free admission and holiday openings (2026.09.30)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center press release: Royal banquet at Changdeokgung under red leaves (2026.10.27)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center press release: Donggwol Dongrak (2026.10.21)
- Frankfurter exchange rates, KRW to USD, SGD and AUD, October 30, 2026
