Jongno and Bukchon, Seoul: palaces, hanok lanes and where to stay

Why sleep in Jongno rather than commute in

The case for staying here is time at the gates. Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and Jongmyo open in the morning and are calmest in the first hour; Bukchon's busiest lane is only open to visitors from 10:00 to 17:00. From a room in Jongno you walk to all of them, take a break at midday and come back out for dinner in Ikseon-dong or Gwangjang Market. From Myeongdong or Gangnam the same day starts with a subway ride and a transfer.

Bukchon itself is the most atmospheric base: many of its hanok now work as guesthouses, according to VisitKorea. Remember that this is a residential neighbourhood with quiet rules and, VisitKorea notes, no visitor parking, so check how far the house is from Anguk station and whether you will be carrying luggage uphill. Insa-dong and Anguk put you between the palaces and the restaurants on flatter ground; Jongno 3-ga has three subway lines (1, 3 and 5) and Ikseon-dong on the doorstep; Gwanghwamun, by the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, is where the larger hotels are.

If you want a traditional room but not a whole stay in one, combine a night or two in a Bukchon hanok with a hotel elsewhere in Seoul. Our guide to hanok stays across South Korea covers what to expect from the rooms.

Gyeongbokgung at opening time

Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395 as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty and is the largest of Seoul's five palaces. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed opening hours of 09:00–18:00 from March to May and in September and October (last admission 17:00), 09:00–18:30 from June to August and 09:00–17:00 from November to February, with closure on Tuesdays. The adult fee was listed as 3,000 won, and Visit Seoul confirmed that visitors in a complete hanbok enter free.

Arrive for the opening and go straight to the back of the palace — Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion on its pond, and Hyangwonjeong Pavilion — and leave Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall near the main gate, for your way out. Visit Seoul notes that the palace now has entrances on every side: Gwanghwamun to the south, Sinmumun to the north, Yeongchumun to the west towards Seochon, and the east entrance by the National Folk Museum of Korea. The National Palace Museum of Korea sits by the palace and suits a hot or wet afternoon.

The guard-changing ceremony is worth timing your arrival or departure around. VisitKorea listed the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at 10:00 and 14:00 at Gwanghwamun and Heungnyemun gates, free of charge, cancelled in rain and subject to change. Visit Seoul listed free English guided tours of the palace at 11:00, 13:30 and 15:30 every day except Tuesday, with no reservation needed for groups of fewer than ten. For the subway, Visit Seoul gives Gyeongbokgung station (Line 3, exit 5) and Gwanghwamun station (Line 5, exit 2).

Changdeokgung, the Secret Garden and Jongmyo

Changdeokgung, built in 1405 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, is the best preserved of the five Joseon palaces according to VisitKorea; the official palace history describes it as built in harmony with its surroundings and the most Korean in style. The official palace history notes that it served as the main royal residence for some 270 years after it was rebuilt in 1610. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed 09:00–18:00 from February to May and in September and October, 09:00–18:30 from June to August and 09:00–17:30 from November to January, with last admission an hour before closing and closure on Mondays.

The Secret Garden (Huwon) behind the palace is a separate visit by guided tour, with ponds and pavilions such as Buyongjeong and Juhamnu. VisitKorea listed 3,000 won for the palace grounds and 5,000 won for adults for the Secret Garden, and Visit Seoul says Secret Garden tours are reserved through the palaces' integrated online reservation service. Book before your trip, choose a morning slot, and plan the rest of the palace around it. The nearest station is Anguk (Line 3, exit 3).

Jongmyo Shrine, the royal ancestral shrine, is a short walk south. It is visited differently from the palaces: when we checked, Visit Seoul listed timed guided tours on Mondays and Wednesdays to Fridays, with English tours at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, and free-roaming admission on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the last Wednesday of each month. Monday is therefore a good day for Jongmyo and Gyeongbokgung, while Changdeokgung is shut; Tuesday is the day for Changdeokgung, when Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo are closed.

Bukchon: a neighbourhood with visiting hours

Bukchon lies between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung and, as Visit Seoul stresses, was not built for tourists: it is a residential village of hundreds of hanok. Since November 2024 part of it has been a Special Management Area, or Red Zone. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Visit Seoul listed tourist hours of 10:00 to 17:00, with visitors not allowed into the restricted area between 17:00 and 10:00; VisitKorea gave the same hours for the road along Bukchon-ro 11-gil, the lane in most photographs.

The house rules are short: keep your voice down, especially around Gahoe-dong 31; keep groups to ten people or fewer; and do not photograph or film into houses, even when a door is open. Visit Seoul calls this silent tourism, and residents are the reason the visiting hours exist.

In practice, walk Bukchon late in the morning after a palace, from 10:00 when the lanes open, and come down towards Anguk or Samcheong-dong for lunch.

Evenings: Insa-dong, Ikseon-dong and Gwangjang Market

Insa-dong is one main street with alleys of galleries, teahouses and craft shops on both sides. VisitKorea says the main street is closed to traffic on Saturdays from 14:00 to 22:00 and on Sundays from 10:00 to 22:00, when stalls and performances take over. Visit Seoul gives Anguk (Line 3) and Jongno 3-ga (Lines 1, 3 and 5) as the nearest stations.

Ikseon-dong is a much smaller hanok quarter of narrow lanes, now almost entirely cafés, restaurants and shops; Visit Seoul notes that it is especially atmospheric at night and lies by exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga station. Gwangjang Market, one stop east at Jongno 5-ga (Line 1, exit 8), opened in the early 20th century and is best known for its food alley. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Visit Seoul listed the market at 09:00–18:00, closed on Sundays, and the food alley at 09:00–23:00 daily.

Gwangjang is crowded and divides opinion; go for one or two dishes at a stall where the food is cooked in front of you, check the price before you sit, and keep bags closed in the crush.

A two-day plan that works with the closing days

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Check each site's closing day and reservation status for your dates.

• Day 1 (any day except Tuesday): Gyeongbokgung at 9:00, back courts first; guard changing at 10:00 by the main gate; Bukchon's lanes from late morning; lunch near Anguk; an afternoon in the National Palace Museum or Insa-dong; dinner in Ikseon-dong.
• Day 2 (any day except Monday): Changdeokgung with a booked morning Secret Garden tour; Jongmyo on a guided tour or, at the weekend, at your own pace; late afternoon at Gwangjang Market for dinner.
• Day 3 (optional): a morning hike in Bukhansan National Park north of the city, or a slower repeat of Bukchon and Insa-dong before moving on to another part of Seoul.