A must if you come to Seoul is a visit to the royal palace. Admission 3,000 KRW (€2.00), closed on Tuesdays. The entrance gate is Gwanghwamun which gives its name to the square in front of it, then there are two other gates one of Spring - Geonchnmun and the other the autumn gate - Yeongchumun. Obviously as with all palaces in Seoul if you enter dressed in traditional hanbok dress admission is free. The interior is large with various buildings, well maintained and ideal for taking pictures. Here you can also see the changing of the guard, the Royal Guard which lasts 20 minutes is held at 10 am or 2 pm and takes place just as you enter the Gwanghwamun Gate. If you go in the morning I recommend to put on the left side looking at the door from the inside to avoid having the sun in your face even to take pictures, on the contrary in the afternoon. It deserves to see it at least once to admire the traditional clothes. Then at 9.35am and 1.35pm the guards' exercise takes place, which lasts 15 minutes and takes place outside the Sumungum Gate, past the ticket office. Finally, at 11am and 1pm, another ceremony takes place that lasts 10 minutes. I recommend going to the palace to see the changing of the guard in time and be able to get in front so as to have a nice view of the ceremony.

The magical night view of Gyeongbokgung is an experience everyone must try if you are there during the opening of their night view. It's truly how magical it looks and gives the different vibe compared to day and night view. Do reach early if you are queuing for the tickets and it is only sold at limited numbers. Or you can rent hanbok and it's a guaranteed free entry without any purchase ticket.

This is one of the must-see experiences in Seoul, if only because of its national significance. There can be major queuing to get in, so be prepared. A really nice feature is that if you hire traditional costumes to wear during your visit then you skip the entrance fee and at least some of the queue. Its a great idea, just imagine it applied somewhere like Versailles! maybe not for Auschwitz though. Seeing Korean people around in these wonderful costumes really adds to the experience of the site as it was back in history, and makes for great photographs. Everyone is an extra on the film set! There's live action in the form of a changing of the guard in period costumes too. Try to visit in good weather, you will spend most of your time outside rather than inside. My own visit, as part of a tour group, was shorter than I wanted it to be, I could have spent a whole afternoon here.

There are several palaces in downtown Seoul, all of which cost money to enter. There is a combo ticket available for 10000 won (a little less than $10) so that you can see 4 palaces and a shrine. If you only go to see one palace, this is the one that I'd recommend. It's centrally located, by the US embassy, and there is a lot to see on the site. If you go in August like we did, there are also two air conditioned museums on site, the palace museum, and the national folk art museum, both of which have free admission. There is also a changing of the guards ceremony several times a day, that is narrated in several languages.

Here is Seoul’s main palace, to be seen if you visit the city even for a weekend. It is in fact a vast complex of courtyards, buildings and gardens. Given the vicissitudes of Korean history, the whole thing has in fact been largely reconstructed but the result is very attractive despite an inevitable artificiality. In the northern part of the site is the exceptional Hyangwonjeong hexagonal pavilion, on an island in the middle of a pond. The audio guide is very informative and allows you to better navigate among these pavilions and these doors that end up all looking similar to the eyes of a stranger. Amateur photographers will want to return to the palace at different times to enjoy the variations of the sunshine, the sunset being particularly propitious. Why hesitate when the entrance fee is only 3000 won? Visitors will be charmed or annoyed by those who choose to walk around in traditional Hanbok costume, this being particularly curious when they are of European or African origin.

A must-visit palace to visit. Before your program, make sure you can visit the secret garden because access is only with a guide and by reservation when I visited the secret gardens myself, the secret gardens were inaccessible, a disappointment....it's the number one palace in Seoul is crowded with people, many opt to rent hanbok which gives a lot of color to the whole thing. All the shops offering hanbok rental are on the left of the palace. It is also here that you can see the changing of the Royal Guard which is really worth it and which is presented in three languages English Chinese Korean. The visit obviously will take you a lot of time because it is absolutely immense. In this palace as in the others, sadly everything is empty.

The palace covers a lot of ground. If you want to visit, I suggest that you do a little bit of homework to pick out areas/buildings that may interest you, or you spend time looking at things that may not be of great interest to you. Admission is free for seniors, but you need to show your passports to get in. Don't get into the line for tickets, just walk up to the attendants at the gate. There are changing of the guards during the day, and you will be well advised if you take your spot maybe 10 minutes before the show, or you will be dealing with the crowds. The palace is impressive but not glamorous. I don't see descriptions to various buildings all the time, so you may not know exactly what you are looking at.

One of my favorite places to visit no matter how many times I will come in no matter how many times my friends and my family visit me in Korea. It is gorgeous. It is right at the center of the city and it’s the main main Attraction. Around the palace, there are many traditional, Korean clothing stores where you can rent hanboks For a really affordable price and you can enter the palace for free because you’re wearing it~ This place is perfect to take pictures and get to know the culture of Korea and beautiful evening in the area.💗💗💗

My husband and I had a 12 hour lay-over and so took the train from the airport in Incheon (which took about an hour and was very easy to use) downtown to the main station. After this, we used very reasonably-priced, easy to find taxis to get around. We went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace on what was perhaps the hottest day of my life. I lived in Phoenix for ten years, but I wasn't ready for that high heat/high humidity day. My phone kept buzzing that there was a heat alert and to take cover. I know that most of the Palace is a recreation, but the Palace and grounds are still amazing. I love that so many people rent the old-fashioned costumes and walk around. It adds to the experience. The entry price was very reasonable. We didn't take a tour (it was just too hot) but stayed for the changing of the guards at 2:00, which we loved. The guards put on a good show. The palace is closed on Tuesdays. Just know going in that there are a lot of people here who apparently have come for a complete "photo shoot," so it make take a second to wait in line to take a selfie in all the places you want to. I think taking pictures is a serious contact sport in Korea.

We stopped by Gyeongbokgung Palace as part of our city tour with Jessie at MySeoulTrip, primarily to watch the royal guard changing ceremony. It turned out to be one of the more memorable stops of the day and is definitely worth visiting if you're in Seoul. We were informed that Gyeongbokgung is the largest and most significant of Seoul’s palaces, once serving as the main residence of the Joseon dynasty. If you’re planning to visit only one palace, this is the one to see. It’s centrally located with plenty to see. We saw a lot of visitors wearing hanbok, Korea’s traditional attire. I can imagine that renting a hanbok enhances the experience and has the added benefit of waiving the entrance fee. It all adds to the palace’s charm and perhaps gives a glimpse of what it might have felt like centuries ago. The guard changing ceremony is not to be missed. I'm a huge fan of tradition and long standing traditional rituals; watching the change of the guards was quite something. For those visiting during the intense August humidity like we did, the on-site museums—the Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum—are air-conditioned, free to enter and offer a reprieve from the humidity. Tip: Wear comfortable shoes for all the walking. Gyeongbokgung Palace offers history, culture, and a sense of serenity. We enjoyed our visit and I believe most visitors will.