Changdeokgung is the best-preserved of Seoul’s five grand palaces and the only one designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its rear garden — Huwon (후원), commonly called the Secret Garden — is one of the most unusual spaces in the city: 78 acres of landscaped woodland attached to a palace, with lotus ponds, pavilions, and centuries-old trees on a hillside that blocks out all noise from the city below. The garden is accessible only on a guided tour, which means visitor numbers are capped and the experience feels genuinely unhurried compared to the open-access main palace courtyard. This guide covers how to book, when to go, and what you are actually seeing when you get there.
Changdeokgung vs Gyeongbokgung: Which to Visit?
Both palaces are within walking distance in Jongno-gu — close enough to pair with a stroll through the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village — and most visitors with enough time should visit both — they are different enough that they complement rather than duplicate each other. Our Gyeongbokgung Palace guide covers the more impressive palace complex on a large open plan, easier to explore independently, with the famous geunjeongjeon throne hall and the National Folk Museum accessible within the same ticket. Changdeokgung is more intimate and better preserved in its original layout; the main palace buildings occupy a smaller, more organic footprint shaped around the hillside terrain rather than a formal axial grid. The Secret Garden has no equivalent anywhere else in Seoul.
Practical rule: if you have one morning for palaces, go to Gyeongbokgung. If you have two mornings or are particularly interested in traditional Korean garden design and architecture, add Changdeokgung with the Secret Garden tour as a separate morning or afternoon.
Admission Fees (2026)
As of 2026 — verify current prices at the official booking site or entrance before visiting:
- Changdeokgung Palace (main compound, no garden): ₩3,000 adults, ₩1,500 ages 7–18, free under 7 and over 65.
- Huwon (Secret Garden) guided tour: ₩5,000 adults, ₩2,500 ages 7–18, in addition to the base palace admission. The guided tour is required to enter the garden — independent access is not permitted.
- Hanbok wearers: Free entry to the main palace compound (hanbok rental is widely available in the Jongno and Gyeongbokgung area for approximately ₩15,000–25,000 for 4–5 hours). The Secret Garden tour fee still applies.
English Tour Times and Booking
English-language Secret Garden tours operate on a fixed schedule. As of 2026:
- February to November: English tours at 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, and 15:30
- December to January: English tours at 10:30, 11:30, and 14:30 only (one fewer afternoon session in the short-daylight winter months)
- Tour duration: approximately 1.5 hours
- Group size: 100 tickets per session, 50 of which are available for advance online booking and 50 reserved for on-site purchase on the day
The palace is closed on Mondays. All other days including public holidays are open. General hours are 09:00–18:00 (last admission 17:00) from February to May and September to October; 09:00–18:30 (last admission 17:30) June to August; and 09:00–17:00 (last admission 16:00) November to January. Verify current hours on the official Changdeokgung website before visiting.
How to Book the Secret Garden Tour
Online booking for the English tours opens at 10:00 KST, 6 days in advance. The online allocation (50 tickets per session) fills quickly for the morning English tours, particularly on weekends in spring (late March to early May) and autumn (October to early November). For a guaranteed English session at your preferred time during peak season, book exactly 6 days ahead at 10:00 KST through the official Cultural Heritage Administration booking portal (hsportal.go.kr). If you miss the online booking, arrive early for on-site tickets — the 50 on-site spots for each session are distributed on arrival that morning.
For visitors in low season (December to February) or on weekdays, on-site tickets are generally available without advance booking. The spring sessions are the most competitive because the garden’s Buyongji Pond area is surrounded by flowering trees that draw significant visitor interest in April.
What to Expect Inside the Secret Garden
The guided route through Huwon covers the main architectural and garden features over approximately 1.5 hours. The garden occupies the hillside behind the palace’s inner court and was developed over several hundred years as a private retreat for the royal family — it contains over 100 species of trees, some several hundred years old, arranged around a series of ponds and pavilions rather than in formal European garden style.
Key sites along the standard route:
- Buyongji Pond and Buyongjeong Pavilion: The most photographed site in the garden — a square lotus pond with a pavilion on the northern bank, surrounded by pavilion buildings and old pine trees. This is where most visit photos originate.
- Yeonghwadang Hall: An open examination hall where the king would observe royal examinations and ceremonies. Its elevated position gives views across the garden.
- Ongnyucheon Stream: A rocky streambed carved with channels directing water into a curved stone waterway, used for the royal floating cup ceremony. The oldest dated inscription in the garden (1636) is carved into the rock above this area.
- Gwallamseon Observatory: The furthest point of the standard tour route — a small hilltop observatory dating from the early Joseon period. The hillside position gives context to the garden’s scale: it is larger than it feels on the way in.
When to Visit for the Best Experience
Late autumn (mid-October to early November) is the most popular season: the maple and ginkgo trees in Huwon turn exceptional colours and the garden’s landscaping is designed to frame autumn colour at specific viewpoints. Photography here in late October is among the best in Seoul. The trade-off is that online bookings fill quickly and on-site tickets require early arrival.
Spring (April) is the second peak: cherry blossoms bloom around Buyongji Pond in early April. Summer (June to August) brings full leaf cover and the lotus flowers on Buyongji Pond in bloom — the garden feels lush and humid and visitor numbers are lower than spring or autumn. Winter (December to February) is genuinely beautiful on snow days, the tour schedule is reduced, and competition for tickets is minimal — if your trip falls in winter and the timing aligns, Huwon in snow is an underrated visit. The Seoul overview guide covers how to sequence the main palace visits with other Jongno sights.
Do you need to book the Changdeokgung Secret Garden tour in advance?
For weekend visits in spring (late March to early May) and autumn (October to early November), advance booking is strongly recommended. Online booking opens at 10:00 KST exactly 6 days in advance for 50 of the 100 English tour slots per session — these fill within hours during peak season. The remaining 50 tickets are sold on-site on the day, but the popular morning sessions can sell out before the park opens. On weekdays and in low season (December to February, July to August), on-site tickets are generally available without advance booking.
What is the difference between Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden?
Changdeokgung Palace (admission ₩3,000 adults) is the main palace compound — the formal audience halls, inner court, and administrative buildings. This is self-guided and open to explore freely during opening hours. The Secret Garden (Huwon) is the 78-acre hillside garden behind the palace, accessible only on a guided tour (additional ₩5,000 adults). The guided tour takes 1.5 hours and visits the main pond, pavilions, stream, and hilltop observatory. The garden is the more unusual and less-visited of the two.
What are the English tour times for Changdeokgung Secret Garden?
English-language tours of the Secret Garden run at 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, and 15:30 from February through November. From December to January, the 15:30 session is dropped, leaving tours at 10:30, 11:30, and 14:30. Each tour accommodates 100 visitors. The palace is closed on Mondays. Verify the current schedule on the official booking site before planning your visit, as hours and session times can change seasonally.
Is Changdeokgung or Gyeongbokgung better to visit?
They serve different priorities. Gyeongbokgung is larger, more visually dramatic, and easier to explore independently — the geunjeongjeon throne hall and National Folk Museum are both accessible on the same ticket and the site is open without timed entry. Changdeokgung is better preserved architecturally and has the Secret Garden (Huwon), which has no equivalent anywhere else in Seoul. For a first visit to Seoul palaces, Gyeongbokgung is the more immediately impressive choice. Visitors with two or more days should visit both; Changdeokgung’s Secret Garden is best experienced on its own dedicated morning or afternoon.