In this part of the blog, I will show you 3 of the palaces that we visited during our travel to Seoul and how we were amazed by the massive structures of each complex and the history behind it that shaped Korea as a nation. What's even better is, these 3 palaces are almost close to each other by distance thus a walk to the complexes becomes easier.
Changgyeonggung Palace. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon:
This is the closes in terms of proximity to our hotel. We stayed at City Park Hotel in Jongno and Changdeok as the locals call it, is just about 300 meter away. To give you an overview of how close this palace to the hotel, please check the map below:
Walk from City Park Hotel to Changdeokgung Palace.
The whole complex is part of UNESCO World Heritage List and regarded as one of the "Five Grand Palaces".
According to history, this palace was built by King Taejong, the third ruler of Joseon Dynasty in 1405. Unlike other palace structures in Korea, Changdeok complex was built at the foot of a mountain which made it stand in perfect harmony with nature.
Changdeok Palace facade. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
We were not able to go to Huwon (Secret Garden) due to time constraints. As you probably know, the garden can be accessed via Changdeok Palace but with separate gate and entrance fee. This garden is only accessible to visitors via a guided tour. Unfortunately, the next English guided tour was scheduled almost at the same time we were scheduled to leave Seoul for the airport. We'll probably see it next time when we get the chance.
Changgyeonggung Palace:
Interestingly, this palace is already accessible via Changdeok Palace's entrance - nice!
Initially, this palace was named Suganggung Palace but was renamed Changgyeonggung Palace by the late King Seongjong of Joseon dynasty and used as the residential home of his father King Taejong.
To be honest, to me, they all look pretty the same in terms of architecture although for some, the details maybe different in terms of the design and structure.
Changgyeonggung Palace. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
Gyeongbokgung Palace:
This is the biggest among the 3 palaces we visited not mentioning the vastness of the palace complex. Actually, this is biggest among the "Five Grand Palaces" of Korea. It also served as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty.
Gyeongbokgung Palace facade. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
If you look at the map as mentioned above, this is still relatively close to where we stayed in thus walkable.
City Park Hotel surrounded by palaces of Korea
This is where you will also find numerous cherry blossom trees when you're lucky. Visiting Seoul from late March to early April is the best time to see these famous flower bearing trees. Although I must say this may still be a "hit or miss" for most people, as majority of cherry blossom forecasts do not predict the actual blooming days of the trees. If you really are eager to see them bloom, plan your trip at least for the whole forecast week/s. Remember, this is one of the most talked about attraction in Korea during spring time so better get your cameras ready and get yourself a photo with some of these trees.
Here are some of our Cherry Blossom photos inside Gyeongbok Palace's complex.
Aren't they beautiful? 📷 - my wife - Deborah
The lonely one. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
Not quite in full bloom yet. 📷 - my wife - Deborah
Gyeongbok Palace is also home of the famous Changing of Royal Guards. This is one spectacle to watch as all performances are done in full costumes. This activity will bring you back to the time when these guards are doing it regularly and not just for ceremonial purposes.
Below are the performance times according to visitkorea.or.kr website.
10:00, 14:00 / 20 minutes per ceremony
Gwanghwamun Gate Guard-on-Duty Performance
11:00, 13:00 / 10 minutes per ceremony
Sumungun (Gatekeeper) Military Training (outside Hyeopsaengmun Gate)
09:35, 13:35 / 15 minutes per ceremony
📷 - my wife - Deborah
Lastly, if you still can't get enough of Korean culture - head to the 2 museums located inside Gyeongbok Palace. The National Palace Museum of Korea is located south of Heungnyemun gate while the National Folk Museum is located at the eastern side.
There's really a lot to see in Seoul. We had a great time. Ask Andrei. He definitely will tell you how happy he was during his Seoul escape!
📷 - my wife - Deborah
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