During the May holidays last year, my travel buddy and I decided to go on a soul-searching trip to Seoul.  It was a relaxing trip compared to our previous whirlwind tours.  Seoul is a beautiful place with four distinct seasons.  When we went there, it was spring and the weather was cool with vibrant colors surrounding us.  A day is enough to visit several tourist spots and what I’ll be writing are what we visited in one day.

Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung Palace was built as a secondary palace in 1405, under King Taejong’s reign.  During the Japanese invasion of 1592, the palace was totally destroyed.  It was restored in 1610 and served as a main palace for 258 years.  It was inscribed on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list in 1997.

Except for Thursdays during April through November, guided tours are only allowed while visiting this place.  The Palace is closed on Mondays.  Guided tours last for one hour and twenty minutes with specific time schedule for the languages it supports (Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean).  English schedule is 1130am, 130pm, 330pm only.  Chinese schedule is 1100am and 300pm.  If you miss the tour, then join the other tours but just admire the beauty of the place.

Changdeokgung Palace is not a typical European palace but an Oriental palace.  The grounds are huge and the palace itself looks like a mixed of Japanese and Chinese architecture.  It’s not as grand as the Forbidden City but it has a tranquility and serenity that you can’t find in Chinese tourist spots.  After visiting several palaces and temples in Europe and China, this place is a bit of a letdown.

Admission: 

• Guided Tours:  3,000 won for adults and 1,500 won for Children
• Non-guided tours:  15,000 won for adults and 7,500 won for children
• Additional tour to Ongnyucheon (Apr-Nov) :  5,000 won
• Additional tour to Nakseonjae (Apr-Nov) : 5,000 won

To get there:  Take subway line 3 and get off of Anguk station, exit 3. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung or Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven was built in 1395 and served as the main palace in the heart of the capital city.  It was torn down during the Japanese invasion and restoration only began in 1990. 

This palace is located to the west of Changdeokgung Palace.  A lot of students visit this place and Marco was lucky enough  to be surrounded by pretty young ladies in a picture.  We also got the chance to watch the marching of the guards ceremony and wear guards uniform for free.  The place is huge with charming sceneries all around. 

Visitor information:

• Hours  9:00 am to 6:00pm Mar-Oct / 9:00am to 5:00pm Nov-Feb
• Admission:  Adults- 3,000 won, Children- 1,500 won,  Group rate of 20 or more persons- 2,400 won
• Palace ground is closed on Tuesdays.
• Free Guided Tours:  English (11:00am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm)
• To Get There:  Take subway line 3 and get off of Gyeongbokgung station, use exit 5.