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| ▲ Attendees tour the palace at night during a media-invited event for the 2026 Changdeok Palace Moonlight Tour held at Changdeok Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on April 14, 2026. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- Visitors will be able to enjoy the atmosphere of historic royal palaces on autumn nights as Changdeok Palace and Gyeongbok Palace open their grounds for special nighttime programs next month.
The Korea Heritage Service's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency said Monday that the "Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour" will run from Sept. 10 to Oct. 17.
The moonlight tour is a nighttime sightseeing program at Changdeok Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site known as "the most Korean of palaces" for its harmony between nature and palace architecture.
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| ▲ A foreign couple poses for a photo while visiting "Hanbok Yeonhyang," a program of the 2025 Royal Culture Festival's autumn edition, at Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 8, 2025, the sixth day of the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap) |
Holding traditional cheongsachorong lanterns to light their way, visitors can tour various palace buildings, including Injeongjeon, Huijeongdang and Nakseonjae, with professional guides and enjoy traditional performances.
The program will be held Thursday through Sunday, with six sessions per day divided into two parts.
Each session will be limited to 28 people, with a total of 3,864 people able to participate in the second half of the year.
Applications can be submitted through Ticketlink from 2 p.m. on Aug. 20 through 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 26. Those selected can then choose their preferred date and time to make a reservation.
Four sessions for foreign visitors in English, Chinese and Japanese will be held on Sept. 20 and 27 and Oct. 4 and 11. Reservations can be made through Creatrip starting Aug. 28.
Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty, will also open its gates at night for about a month from Sept. 2 to Oct. 2.
Visitors can freely stroll around major palace buildings, including Geunjeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru and Sajeongjeon. During the event, 15 performances featuring court music and court dances will also be presented.
Tickets for the nighttime viewing can be purchased through NOL Ticket from 10 a.m. on Aug. 26 through 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 1. A total of 3,000 tickets will be available each day.
Foreign visitors can instead purchase tickets in person at the ticket booth at Gwanghwamun on the day of their visit.
Free admission will be provided to visitors wearing hanbok, children aged 6 or younger, seniors aged 65 or older, national merit honorees and their spouses, people with severe disabilities and one accompanying person, and people with mild disabilities.
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