Seoul Welcome Week Opens Sept 19 With Free Palace Pass

Seoul and the Seoul Tourism Organization are running the "2026 Seoul Welcome Week: Autumn Edition" for 23 days, September 19 to October 11 -- timed to overlap with Japan's Silver Week (Sep 19-23), China's Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays (Sep 25-27, Oct 1-7), and Taiwan's National Day (Oct 9-11). During the period, 13 tourist information centers across the city -- including at Incheon and Gim

po airport arrival halls and Myeongdong -- will hand out the "Discover Seoul Pass: Heritage Edition" while supplies last. The pass gives free entry to 12 heritage sites, including the four grand palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung) and Jongmyo Shrine, plus discounts at some 110 partner venues and 20% off Seoul Cruise fares. According to the city, Seoul drew 1.61 mil

lion foreign visitors last July alone (600,000 from China, 250,000 from Japan, 200,000 from Taiwan), spending a combined 1.07 trillion won. Numbers are likely to climb further during this holiday-heavy window. Because supplies are limited and distributed first-come, first-served, travelers are advised to pick up the pass at the airport information center before heading into the city -- it can sav

e both the palace entry fees (3,000-5,000 won each) and the time of planning separate routes to each site. Korea Tourism Times Editorial Desk