Changdokgung (Palace), Seoul

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Favorite thing: Seoul is a city of royal palaces. There are five of them in all. One of my favourite things is looking inside the palace rooms. They have a simple, uncluttered style, quite different to that of European palaces.

The beautiful room in the picture is at Changdeokgung.

Favorite thing: Changdeokgung palace is the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. It is closed to the individual tour, only four language guided possible place. take the times are more than 1hour 30 minute.

English guide
Jan~ Dec : 11:30, 13:30, 15:30
Japanese guide
Mar~ Oct : 09:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 16:30
Nov~ Feb : 09:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30
Chinese guide
Jan~Dec : 11:00, 15:00
Korean guide
Jan~Dec : 09:45~15:45

Favorite thing: You should visit Ch'angdokkung Palace's Secret Garden (Piwon).
The garden is at the back of the palace grounds. It contains a 32 hectare area of ponds, pavillions, old trees and the 'Pullomun' gate which if passed under is said to guarantee everlasting youth.
It is only possible to view the palace by tours which take about 90 minutes. The English Language tours are held at 11.30am, 1.30 and 3.30 pm and cost 2200 Won. The nearest subway station is Anguk on Line 3.

For more pictures of Cha'ngdokung Palace please take a look at my Palaces of Seoul travelogue.

Favorite thing: We are not ready with the palaces, just in the neighbourhood of Changdeokgung Palace there is located Changgyeonggung Palace. Like the other, it offer beautiful architecture and a big green park, where the citizens of Seoul take a rest. You can watch them playing games (like I did, just watch my pictures in the travelogue) ....

Fondest memory: More Famous for its Beautiful Rear Garden

At the time of establishment by King Taejong, the Changdokkung(palace) was not intended to perform as a main palace but a detached one. However, of the five main palaces, the most monarchs resided and ruled the country at this palace throughout the Choson Dynasty. The last council in the royal presence of the Taehan Empire (the name of the newly established regime of the Choson Dynasty existing from 1897 till 1910) was held here in August 29, 1910. The most absorbing attraction of the palace is its refined Rear Garden, which has been called Piwon (Secret Garden).
It contains a multitude of traditional garden architectures, including wooden pavilions, ponds, splendidly patterned walls, stone-made or wooden bridges over the clean streams and so on. All the artificial structures are designed in harmony with the natural setting, which is typical of the Korean architectural philosophy. In 1996 the UNESCO designated the palace and its rear garden as a World Heritage.

The tour of the Changdokkung(palace) is available only with special guides working for the palace office, who escort visitors at every hour from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon. A round trip around the 2.5 kilometer course takes about one and a half hours. Korean, Japanese, and English speaking guides have different time schedules.