Brief description: also called the Eastern Palace, Ch'angdokkung was built in 1405 by the Chosŏn Dynasty and served as the home of the royal court. It also hosted the government from 1610 to 1868, when the neighbor Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt. This palace was the favorite of many emperors, being much warmer and more welcoming than the other palaces in the city. It houses many architectural elements from the period of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1997. The last emperor of Korea, Sunjong, lived here until his death in 1926. The palace is really beautiful, although you cannot enter any of the rooms, which can only be seen from outside. But it is fine to take a walk and admire the beautiful traditional Korean architecture of the time. It is possible to tour the so-called "Secret Gardens" (additional 5000W to the entrence fee), but you have to do it with a guide (English, Chinese, Korean or Japanese), and the tour lasts 1h30min, so it gets a bit tiring. The garden is a park quite similar to others in the city and although it becomes very beautiful in spring, we do not think it is worth paying the extra cost of the entrance, besides losing 1h30min of the day.
Duration of visit: 1h.
Hours: 09.00-18.00 (Nov-Dec-Jan closes 17.30).
Cost: adults 3,000W / 7-18 years old 1,500W / free under 7 and over 65. It is also free if you go with the traditional Korean costume (Hanbok), which you can rent at a store that is right in front.
How to get there: by subway: exit 3 Ahngook station (line 3). By bus: Changdeokgung Palace stop lines 109, 151, 162, 171, 172, 272 and 7025.