Seoul Palaces 2026: Closed Days Differ — Gyeongbokgung Tuesday, Changdeokgung Monday
Bottom line: Seoul's five main palaces and Jongmyo Shrine don't all close on the same day. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo are closed on Tuesdays; Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung are closed on Mondays. If you're planning to visit more than one in a day, check the day of the week for each one first.
If you didn't know: Right now (October 29 to November 15, 2026), it's "Korea Grand Festival" season, and general admission to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Jongmyo is free. But the regular closing days still apply during this free period. Show up at Gyeongbokgung on a Tuesday thinking "it's free this month" and you'll find the gates shut, losing the whole visit plus the travel time it took to get there. Admission itself costs nothing to lose during the free period, but the subway round trip from a Myeongdong or Jongno hotel to Gyeongbokgung and back takes roughly 1 hour (an estimate), and that hour is simply gone. Show up at Changdeokgung on a Monday and the same thing happens.
Gyeongbokgung — closed Tuesdays · November hours 09:00-17:00 (last entry 16:00) · address 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul · phone 02-3700-3900. Jongmyo Shrine — closed Tuesdays. Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung — closed Mondays. During the Korea Grand Festival (Oct 29-Nov 15, 2026), general admission to all five palaces, Jongmyo, and the royal tombs is free, but the regular closing days still apply. If a Tuesday falls on a public holiday, Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo stay open that day and the closing day shifts to the next weekday.
Gyeongbokgung's closing day (Tuesday) and November hours (09:00-17:00, last entry 16:00) were checked directly on the official Gyeongbokgung page of the Korea Heritage Service's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (royal.khs.go.kr) on 2026-11-04. The closing days for Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung (Monday) and Jongmyo (Tuesday) were cross-checked across several news reports on the same date, but not confirmed directly on each palace's own official page, so double-checking each palace's website before visiting is the safer move. The free admission during the Korea Grand Festival and the fact that closing days still apply were checked on relevant guide screens on 2026-11-04.
Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-11-04
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