Visiting Seoul's Palaces, Free Admission Days and the Hanbok Discount

Seoul's main royal palaces charge a modest entrance fee, but there are two official ways to get in for free, plus a combination ticket that makes visiting several sites cheaper than paying one by one. All three come directly from the Korea Heritage Service, the government agency (under the Cultural Heritage Administration) that operates the palaces.

Who gets in free, every day

According to the official Royal Palaces and Tombs Center admission page, free admission applies automatically, with no special request needed, to three categories of visitor:

• Age-based: individuals under 19 or over 65.
• Hanbok wearers: anyone wearing a qualifying hanbok, traditional Korean clothing.
• Culture Day: the last Wednesday of every month, when admission is free for everyone regardless of age or dress.

Deoksugung Palace's published fee schedule, used as the reference point here, lists general adult admission (ages 19 to 64) at 1,000 won for an individual, or 800 won per person for groups of 10 or more. Those same rates are what the three free-admission categories above waive entirely.

What actually counts as a qualifying hanbok

The free-admission hanbok rule is specific enough that it's worth checking before you get to the gate, because a partial or costume-style outfit doesn't qualify. The official guidelines require:

• Both an upper garment (jeogori) and a lower garment (skirt or pants) worn together. A coat-style durumagi worn alone does not count as hanbok for this purpose.
• All jeogori ribbon ties (goreum) or buttons fastened or tied properly, and the garment kept on at all times; a T-shirt-style hanbok top does not qualify.
• Lower garments that cover the legs.
• No mixing: pairing a hanbok jeogori with jeans, or a hanbok skirt with a T-shirt, does not qualify for free admission, since only full upper-and-lower hanbok combinations are recognized.

The palace center explicitly reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone dressed inappropriately or behaving improperly, which is a reminder that the free-admission policy exists to support a specific cultural dress norm, not simply "any traditional-looking outfit."

Culture Day: the one day everyone gets in free

Separate from the age and hanbok categories, the last Wednesday of every month is designated Culture Day, when general admission is waived entirely for all visitors at participating palaces. If your travel dates happen to land on a last Wednesday, checking the specific palace's hours that day is worth it, since free admission days tend to draw larger crowds than a typical weekday visit.

The combination ticket, for visiting more than one site

If you're planning to see more than one or two palaces, the official Royal Palace Pass is the more economical option. According to the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center:

• The pass covers five sites: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, and Jongmyo Royal Ancestral Shrine.
• Adult price (ages 19 to 64): 10,000 won, with no group discount available on the pass itself.
• It can be purchased at the ticket office of any of the four palaces or at Jongmyo, and is valid for three months from the date of purchase.

Given that Deoksugung's individual adult rate alone is 1,000 won, and some of the larger palaces charge more individually, visiting even three or four of the five covered sites within the three-month validity window can make the 10,000 won pass the cheaper option compared with paying separate admission at each gate, in addition to the convenience of not needing to buy a new ticket at every stop.

Free guided tours are a separate, bookable extra

At Deoksugung specifically, the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center also lists free guided tours in English, Japanese, and Chinese, run on a fixed daily schedule (for example, English tours at 10:45 and 13:30, Tuesday through Sunday). Groups of 10 or more need to reserve in advance, and each tour group is capped at 25 participants. These tours are a separate offering from the free-admission categories above. They don't require hanbok or a particular age; they're simply a free add-on worth checking for at whichever palace you visit, since not every palace runs the same language schedule.

Key takeaways

• Free palace admission in Seoul applies automatically to visitors under 19 or over 65, to anyone wearing a qualifying full hanbok (jeogori plus skirt or pants, properly fastened), and to everyone on Culture Day, the last Wednesday of each month.
• A hanbok top paired with jeans, or a hanbok skirt with a T-shirt, does not qualify for the free-admission hanbok rule.
• The official Royal Palace Pass covers five sites (four palaces plus Jongmyo) for 10,000 won per adult, valid three months, which is typically cheaper than paying individual admission at three or more sites.
• Free guided tours in multiple languages are offered separately at some palaces and are worth checking regardless of which free-admission category applies to you.