Wear a Hanbok, Get In Free — Gyeongbokgung Night Viewing Through Oct. 2

If you want to see the palace lit up at night but the admission fee feels like a waste, there's a simple fix — wear a hanbok. At Gyeongbokgung, both Korean and foreign visitors who wear a full hanbok (top and bottom) get free admission, for both day and night viewing.

The second-half 2026 night viewing at Gyeongbokgung runs September 2 through October 2, Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday), from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. (last entry 8:30 p.m.). Regular admission is 3,000 won, and daily online capacity is capped at 3,000 visitors, so tickets must be booked by the day before the visit.

Hanbok wearers are exempt from both the fee and the capacity cap — they just need their outfit checked on-site to enter. Hanbok rental shops cluster around Gwanghwamun and Samcheong-dong near Gyeongbokgung, so you can rent one and walk straight into the palace the same day.

Rental prices vary by shop and package, but a few hours' rental often starts in the tens of thousands of won range — so it's worth comparing prices first, to avoid spending far more on the rental than the 3,000-won fee you're trying to save.

At night, watching the eaves of Geunjeongjeon light up one by one beyond Gwanghwamun creates a scene entirely different from daytime (sight). As the crowds thin out in the evening, walking across the Geunjeongjeon courtyard, the space grows so quiet that little more than your own footsteps echo (sound).

The stiff feel of a rented hanbok's fabric brushing against your legs with every step adds one more sensation you won't get during a daytime visit (touch). Once this second-half schedule ends after October 2, this particular window closes — so if you want to see the palace at night in a hanbok for free, this month is the time to book it. Korea Tourism Times Editorial Desk