Night visits to Gyeongbukgung Palace will be offered from April 1 to May 29 to highlight the nocturnal atmosphere there amid blooming cherry blossoms in spring.
Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul will offer night visits to allow visitors to enjoy the nocturnal atmosphere there amid cherry blossoms in full bloom. The Gyeongbokgung Palace Management Office under the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration on March 21 announced that the visiting period will be from April 1 through May 29.
The daily number of visitors is capped at 1,300, and up to 100 foreign nationals can get tickets onsite daily. Tickets can also be purchased on the e-commerce platform 11 Street (https://ticket.11st.co.kr), with a limit of two per person. Operating hours are 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the last entry time being 8:30 p.m. No visits are available on Mondays and Tuesdays as well as from May 11-15 to allow preparation for the Royal Culture Festival and the holding of concerts.
The interior of Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, Korea's largest two-storied nugak, or a building with no doors or walls to allow a panoramic view, will also be opened for seven months to visitors from April 1 to Oct. 31.
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion is a paragon of a nugak, or a building with no doors or walls to allow a panoramic view, from the later Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and was built on a pond. This is where the king held national events like banquets with servants, receptions for foreign envoys, and rituals to wish for rain in times of drought.
Expert guides will hold tours of the pavilion three times a day (10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.), with each lasting 30-40 minutes. A maximum of 20 people (15 Koreans, five foreign nationals) can go on a tour, which is included in the admission fee for Gyeongbokgung.
The Gyeonghoeru tour is on a reservation basis. Those interested must reserve a spot between one and seven days in advance on the palace office's website (www.royalpalace.go.kr). One person can reserve up to two tickets.