Seoul Travel Tips: Palace Closing Days, Weather and Basics
Seoul travel tips: which palaces close on which days, cherry blossom and monsoon dates, Bukchon's visiting rules, the DMZ ID rule and the free museums.
A few facts save the most time on a first trip to Seoul. Everything below comes from the places’ own pages or official bodies, and each place links to its page on the map.
Check the closing day before you plan a day
Closing days are the first thing to get wrong. Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed on Tuesdays and Changdeokgung Palace on Mondays. Jongmyo Shrine is closed on Tuesdays, and Deoksugung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace on Mondays. Leeum Museum of Art and War Memorial of Korea are closed on Mondays too, so a Monday is a day for markets and parks.
Markets have their own rules. Gwangjang Market’s main market is closed on Sundays, while its food alley is open daily. Tongin Market closes on Sundays.
Palace tickets
An adult ticket to Gyeongbokgung is ₩3,000, and visitors in hanbok enter free. The combined ticket costs ₩6,000, is valid for six months, and covers four palaces and Jongmyo but not the Huwon garden. Changdeokgung’s Huwon is a guided walk with its own ticket.
Weather by month
The Korea Meteorological Administration’s 1991 to 2020 normals put Seoul’s average January high at 2°C and low at -5.5°C. July is the wettest month at 414 mm of rain, and August averages a high of 30°C. October is dry and mild, with a 20°C high and about 52 mm of rain. Its cherry blossom normal for Seoul is first flowering on 8 April and full bloom on 10 April. The central-region monsoon normally runs from 25 June to 26 July, and the normal first snow in Seoul falls on 20 November.
Bukchon has visiting hours
Tourist visits to the lanes of Bukchon Hanok Village are limited to 10:00 to 17:00, and there’s a ₩100,000 fine outside those hours. Coaches are barred from some of the streets.
The DMZ needs ID
Bring a passport or alien registration card for the DMZ tours. See the day trips guide for what each stop charges and which days it closes.
Free things
The permanent galleries at National Museum of Korea are free, and so are War Memorial of Korea, Gwanghwamun Square and Gyeonghuigung Palace. Unhyeongung Royal Residence is free too. More on the map.
Where to base yourself
Most first-time visitors pick Myeongdong. See where to stay for the areas compared by subway line.
Places in this guide
Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.
Changdeokgung Palace Photo: Gary Todd 
Jongmyo Shrine Photo: xiquinhosilva 
Deoksugung Palace Photo: Andrew and Annemarie 
Changgyeonggung Palace Photo: Noh Mun Duek / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) 
Leeum Museum of Art Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) 
War Memorial of Korea Photo: Gage Skidmore 
Gwangjang Market Photo: Ken Marshall Find hotels in Seoul
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