Only 100 People Who Booked Get Into Seoul’s Secret Garden: An Autumn Tour of Changdeokgung’s Huwon

Part 3 of 39 in Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea

Each tour of Changdeokgung’s Secret Garden takes just 100 people, and for 70 minutes pavilions, ponds and maples appear one after another. From late October to mid-November it holds the reddest leaves in Seoul, and its tickets go the fastest.

Featured photo: Lee Jeong-gyu / Korea Tourism Organization, KOGL Type 1

Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea · Part 3 · Seoul

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At a glance

• What: The guided Secret Garden (Huwon) tour, about 70 minutes: Buyongji and Juhamnu, then Aeryeonji, then Gwallamji and Jondeokjeong, then Yeongyeongdang. The Ongnyucheon stream section has been closed for repairs until further notice; check whether it has reopened.
• Booking: Online tickets open at 10 a.m. six days before your visit, not counting the visit day, and sell first come, first served until the day before, on the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center booking site (ticket.uforus.co.kr). In October and November, both online and on-site tickets sell out fast.
• On-site tickets: Sold at the ticket office from 9 a.m. for every tour that day, up to 15 minutes before each start. On foliage weekends, queue before 9.
• Tour times: Korean-language tours leave on the hour (in October 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; November to February until 3 p.m.). English tours run separately at around 10:30, 11:30, 2:30 and 3:30 (fewer in winter). Check the current timetable on the booking site.
• Price: ₩5,000 ($3.80) for the garden plus ₩3,000 ($2.30) for Changdeokgung. During the free palace period reported for October 29 to November 15, you would pay only the ₩5,000; the Secret Garden is not part of the free period (@_tripgoing, citing a September 30 notice).
• Closed: Mondays.
• Hanbok: A hanbok gets you into Changdeokgung for free, but not into the garden.
• Bring: Comfortable shoes (hills and dirt paths) and water. There is nothing to buy inside the garden.
• Getting there in short: Five minutes on foot from Exit 3 of Anguk Station (Line 3) to Donhwamun, the main gate. The garden entrance is another 15 minutes inside, so be through the gate 20 minutes before your tour.

Also read: K-pop News Today (Oct 31, 2026): BTS's 'Arirang' Night in Brazil, JISOO's 'ADDICTED' Tops iTunes, NMIXX Win Music Bank

The 70-minute garden, done right

1. Count six days back, not counting the visit day

If you want to go on Wednesday, November 4, booking opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 29. Plenty of people get the count wrong by a day. Pay by card; check that your card is accepted when you book. If you miss the online tickets, the line before 9 a.m. on the day is your second chance.

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2. Take your first photo at Buyongji

The first pond you reach is Buyongji. Buyongjeong, a pavilion that dips its feet into the water, and Juhamnu, a two-story pavilion on the hill, fit into one frame. While the guide talks, stand at the southern edge of the pond with Juhamnu straight ahead for the steadiest shot.

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3. Catch the color at Aeryeonji and Gwallamji

Aeryeonji with its small pavilion Aeryeonjeong, and Gwallamji with the fan-shaped Gwallamjeong and the double-roofed Jondeokjeong, are where most of the foliage photos come from. Jondeokjeong is said to be the oldest pavilion in the garden (@befree.365).

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4. Time it for the leaves

A mid-October post said “the foliage isn’t here yet” (@35_landscape). Palace foliage in central Seoul usually peaks between late October and mid-November, and in the past two years the southern mountains peaked ten days to two weeks later than average (Money Today, October 19, 2026). A weekday morning tour in the first or second week of November is the best bet.

5. Tips so it doesn’t go wrong

• Don’t go on a Monday. Changdeokgung is closed.
• Late means no entry. Tours leave on time. Allow 15 minutes from Donhwamun to the garden entrance.
• Tours run in the rain. Bring an umbrella; the dirt paths get slippery.

Top 10 things to do around Changdeokgung and Bukchon

1. The main palace: Injeongjeon and Nakseonjae (see)

Even without a garden ticket, you can visit the main palace (₩3,000, free in hanbok or during the free period). The grand throne hall Injeongjeon contrasts with Nakseonjae, a modest compound left unpainted. The Seoul city tourism account announced a free guided program from October 20 to 31 opening the interiors of Huijeongdang and the queen’s quarters Daejojeon to the public for the first time (Tuesday to Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., 24 people per session, @seoultravel). It may have ended by the time you visit.

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2. Walk on into Changgyeonggung (see)

Changgyeonggung lies just over Changdeokgung’s east wall. Its Victorian-style glasshouse and the foliage around Chundangji Pond are the highlights. Closed Mondays.

3. Walk Bukchon’s hanok alleys, on the clock (see)

Bukchon lies over Changdeokgung’s west wall. The core alleys of this neighborhood of some 600 hanok, around Bukchon-ro 11-gil, became a “red zone” in March 2025: tourist visits are allowed only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and sightseeing outside those hours can bring a ₩100,000 ($75) fine (Financial News, February 28, 2025). Tour-bus restrictions were added in 2026. People live here, so keep your voice down.

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4. The hanok rooftops from KPop Demon Hunters (K-pop moment)

In Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, the scene where Rumi and Jinu talk on a hanok roof is set in Bukchon Hanok Village (Seoul Media Hub, August 8, 2025). The top of the hill on Bukchon-ro 11-gil, looking down over layers of tiled roofs, is the closest you’ll get to that frame. The film’s other Seoul locations, including the Naksan Park fortress walk, are in Part 7.

5. Kkangtong Mandu and Hwangsaengga Kalguksu (eat)

• Kkangtong Mandu (5-6 Bukchon-ro 2-gil, Google rating 4.2): Handmade dumplings and dumpling hot pot. Long lunch lines.
• Hwangsaengga Kalguksu (78 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, 4.2): Knife-cut noodles in beef-bone broth and giant dumplings. Open until 9:30 p.m.
• Shilla Jemyeon Anguk (19-6 Gyedong-gil, 4.6) and Jeongdameun Bossam Bukchon (33-9 Gyedong-gil, 4.5) are well reviewed on the Gyedong-gil side.
• Ratings checked on Google Maps on October 26, 2026. Expect roughly ₩10,000–20,000 ($8–15) per meal.

6. Onion Anguk, the hanok café (eat)

Right outside Exit 3 of Anguk Station, a bakery café built into a renovated hanok. The photo of bread and coffee on its wooden courtyard porch has become a symbol of a Bukchon trip (Google rating 4.2, 5 Gyedong-gil, open until 10 p.m.). For somewhere quieter, try Ichae on Bukchon-ro (4.7).

7. The ginkgo trees of Samcheong-dong (photo spot)

The road that climbs to Samcheong-dong along Gyeongbokgung’s east wall becomes a yellow ginkgo tunnel in November. One local post notes that trees cut back hard a few years ago have filled out again this year (@luna_pic20).

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8. MMCA Seoul (see)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art sits between Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon. Its open courtyard is a good place to rest mid-walk. Admission depends on the exhibition, and many shows are free.

9. Open Songhyeon Green Plaza and Jeongdok Library (see)

At the entrance to Bukchon, Open Songhyeon Green Plaza turned land hidden behind high walls for decades into a public park. Up the hill, the courtyard of Jeongdok Library is lovely under autumn ginkgo.

10. The Samcheong Market in November (experience)

The market’s official account has announced a small crafts and homeware market on the streets of Samcheong-dong on November 14–15 (@samcheong.market). It falls on the last weekend of the foliage.

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Nearby

• Gyeongbokgung and Seochon: 15 minutes on foot. Free palace entry in hanbok is Part 2.
• Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong: 10 minutes on foot from Donhwamun. The evening pocha street is Part 1.
• Insa-dong: Exit 6 of Anguk Station. Traditional crafts and teahouses.
• Jongmyo Shrine: South of Changdeokgung. During the free period, visits are reported to switch from fixed guided times to free entry (@_tripgoing).

Hotels nearby

Prices are Google Maps nightly rates, checked October 26, 2026 ($1 = about ₩1,325).

• Budget: Hotel Yaja Jongno, about ₩116,000 ($88); Hotel Venue G (3-star), about ₩183,000 ($138).
• Hanok stays: Rakkojae Seoul (Gye-dong, Google rating 4.5), Cheongchunjae (4.8, 150 m from Bukchon Hanok Village), Nostalgia Hanok Hotel (5.0). If you are aiming for the first morning tour of the garden, sleeping in a hanok and walking over is the easiest plan. Check rates for your dates.
• Mid-range: Nine Tree by Parnas Seoul Insadong (4-star, 4.4), about ₩284,000 ($214).

Getting there

① From Gimpo Airport

• Line 5 + Line 3 (one transfer): Line 5 from Gimpo Airport Station, change at Jongno 3-ga to Line 3 toward Ogeum, ride to Anguk (about 45 minutes), then walk five minutes from Exit 3 to Donhwamun. About ₩1,550 ($1.20) with a transit card.

② From Incheon Airport

• Airport bus 6011: Runs from Incheon Airport toward Anguk Station and Changdeokgung with no transfer (about 80–100 minutes). Check current stops and fares on the Incheon Airport website.
• AREX + subway (two transfers): AREX all-stop train to Gongdeok, Line 5 to Jongno 3-ga, Line 3 to Anguk. About 80 minutes, roughly ₩4,300 ($3.20) with a transit card.

From Myeongdong

• Line 4 from Myeongdong to Chungmuro, change to Line 3, ride to Anguk (about 15 minutes).

Sources

• Secret Garden booking, tour times, prices, Ongnyucheon closure: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center rules as summarized by @wildmind_kr (October 2026); Mileasia and Trvlogue Changdeokgung guides (2026)
• Free palace period (October 29–November 15, garden excluded): @_tripgoing, citing a September 30 notice
• Huijeongdang and Daejojeon special opening: @seoultravel (Seoul city’s official tourism account)
• Bukchon red zone: Financial News, February 28, 2025, Seoul Media Hub
• KPop Demon Hunters Bukchon scene: Seoul Media Hub, August 8, 2025
• Late foliage: Money Today, October 19, 2026
• Google Maps ratings and hotel rates: checked October 26, 2026
• Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), photographer credited on each photo; embedded public Instagram posts and YouTube videos