From palaces to museums, best spots to visit for free in Seoul this Chuseok

Seoul is offering free admission to major palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and several museums during Chuseok from Thursday through Sunday. Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong palaces will be open, but Changdeok Palace’s Secret Garden is excluded. The Seoul Museum of Art and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will also offer free entry, with some special hours and reservations required at MMCA.

The Korea Heritage Service will waive admission fees for Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs from Thursday to Sunday.

Changdeok Palace’s Secret Garden is excluded from free admission, and reservations are recommended.

Gyeongbok Palace will hold the Changing of the Royal Palace Guard Ceremony at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Guard Duty Performance at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the Gyeongbokgung Guard Patrol Ceremony at 3 p.m.

The Seoul Museum of Art opened in 1988 and its seven venues will stay open free of charge during the holiday, with the Seosomun Main Branch hosting Yoo Youngkuk: A Mountain Within Me.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened in 1969 and has four branches in Gwacheon, Cheongju, Seoul and Deoksugung, with free admission still requiring ticket reservations online or on-site.

Published Sep 23, 2026 12:00 pm KST

Seoul's four Joseon palaces, Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul Museum of Art, MMCA offer free admission during Chuseok holiday

Tourists pose at Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, Seoul, Sept. 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Much of Seoul will empty out from Thursday through Sunday for this year's Chuseok holiday, as many residents head to their hometowns. But for those staying in the capital, several of the city's best-known royal palaces and museums will open for free. Here are some places worth a visit.

Four grand palaces — Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong

The Korea Heritage Service will offer free admission to four of the grand palaces of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) — Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong — as well as Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs, from Thursday to Sunday. Changdeok Palace's "Secret Garden" is excluded from free admission and reservations are recommended.

The Changing of the Royal Palace Guard Ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace will run at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Guard Duty Performance at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the Gyeongbokgung Guard Patrol Ceremony at 3 p.m.

Gyeongbok Palace, built in 1395, was the first royal palace constructed in Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. As the dynasty's main palace, it housed offices for state affairs and the royal family's living quarters. The palace was burned down during the 1592-98 Japanese invasions and remained in ruins for more than two centuries until it was rebuilt in 1867.

Seokjojeon Hall at Deoksu Palace in Seoul / Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

Changdeok Palace was built in 1405 and is best known for its Secret Garden, where complex gardens including forests and ponds follow the natural outline of the terrain. This naturalistic design earned the palace UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997.

Changgyeong Palace, built in 1483, was stripped of most of its original structures during Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45, when a zoo and botanical garden were built on the grounds. It underwent a full restoration in the 1980s.

Deoksu Palace dates back to 1593 and became the formal seat of the Korean Empire in 1897 under Emperor Gojong. It is unique among Seoul's five palaces for combining traditional Korean architecture with Western-style stone buildings.

Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, Seoul / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

Jongmyo Shrine, built in 1395, is where the Confucian memorial tablets of the kings and quees of the Joseon Dynasty are enshrined. The shrine's austere architecture earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995. Although visiting the site usually requires a reservation, it will be open for free without one during the Chuseok holiday, letting visitors explore at their own pace.

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), a public museum run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, opened in 1988 to coincide with the Seoul Olympics. The Seosomun Main Branch and six other venues showcase Korean and international contemporary art.

All seven venues will stay open from Thursday to Sunday for free, with exhibitions including "Yoo Youngkuk: A Mountain Within Me," a retrospective of the pioneering Korean abstract painter (1916-2002), showing at the Seosomun Main Branch.

Yoo Young-kuk's mountain paintings on display at SeMA / Newsis

During the Chuseok holiday, hours run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the Nam-Seoul Museum of Art closes at 6 p.m. On Friday, the Seosomun Main Branch and Buk-Seoul Museum of Art will stay open until 9 p.m.

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) first opened in 1969 and has since grown into a four-branch institution, with locations in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, along with the Deoksugung branch in Seoul's Jung District and the Seoul branch in Jongno District.

The Seoul branch leads with international programs, while Gwacheon offers an outdoor sculpture park and a children's art museum, Deoksugung focuses on modern art and Cheongju focuses on storing and preserving the museum's collections.

A visitor looks around artist Do Ho Suh's solo exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno District, Seoul, Aug. 26. Yonhap

The Gwacheon, Deoksugung and Cheongju branches will stay open all four days, while the Seoul branch will be closed on Friday. Even with free admission, visitors still need ticket reservations online or on-site.

Guided tours will be suspended from Thursday and resume Sept. 29, though a free English audio guide is available through the Digital Museum section of the MMCA website.

从周四到周日，首尔将在中秋节期间免费开放主要宫殿、宗庙和多家博物馆。景福宫、昌德宫、德寿宫和昌庆宫将对外开放，但昌德宫的秘苑除外。首尔市立美术馆和国立现代美术馆也将免费开放，但国立现代美术馆部分场次需要提前预约。

韩国遗产服务处宣布，从周四到周日，景福宫、昌德宫、德寿宫、昌庆宫、宗庙和皇家陵墓将免收门票。

昌德宫的秘密花园不包含在免费入场范围内，建议提前预约。

景福宫将于上午10点和下午2点举行宫廷卫队换岗仪式，上午11点和下午1点举行卫队执勤表演，下午3点举行景福宫卫队巡逻仪式。

首尔市立美术馆于 1988 年开馆，其七个展馆将在假期期间免费开放，其中西小门总馆将举办柳永国个展：《我心中的山》。

国立现代美术馆于 1969 年开馆，在果川、清州、首尔和德寿宫设有四个分馆，免费入场，但仍需在线或现场预约门票。

发布于2026年9月23日韩国时间下午12:00

首尔的四座朝鲜王朝宫殿、宗庙、首尔市立美术馆和国立现代美术馆在中秋节假期期间免费开放。

9月2日，游客在首尔钟路区景福宫拍照留念。（韩国时报 沈贤哲摄）

从周四到周日，首尔大部分地区将因中秋节假期而变得空荡荡的，许多居民都会返回家乡。但对于那些留在首都的人来说，首尔一些最著名的皇家宫殿和博物馆将免费开放。以下是一些值得一游的地方。

四座宏伟的宫殿——景福宫、昌德宫、德寿宫和昌庆宫

韩国文化遗产服务处将于周四至周日免费开放朝鲜王朝（1392-1910）的四座宫殿——景福宫、昌德宫、德寿宫和昌庆宫——以及宗庙和皇家陵墓。昌德宫的“秘苑”不包含在免费开放范围内，建议提前预约。

景福宫的皇家卫队换岗仪式将于上午10点和下午2点举行，卫队执勤表演将于上午11点和下午1点举行，景福宫卫队巡逻仪式将于下午3点举行。

景福宫始建于1395年，是朝鲜王朝时期在首尔建造的第一座皇家宫殿。作为王朝的主要宫殿，它既是朝廷机关所在地，也是皇室成员的居所。景福宫在1592年至1598年日本入侵期间被焚毁，此后两百余年一直处于废墟状态，直到1867年才得以重建。

首尔德寿宫石祖殿 / 韩国时报 王泰锡摄

昌德宫始建于1405年，以其秘苑而闻名。秘苑内错综复杂的园林景观，包括森林和池塘，都依循地势自然而然地分布。这种自然主义的设计风格使昌德宫于1997年被联合国教科文组织列入世界遗产名录。

昌庆宫建于1483年，在1910年至1945年日本殖民统治时期，其大部分原有建筑被拆除，并在原址上建造了动物园和植物园。20世纪80年代，昌庆宫进行了全面修复。

德寿宫始建于1593年，1897年高宗皇帝时期成为大韩帝国的正式皇室所在地。首尔五大宫殿中，德寿宫独树一帜，因为它融合了传统的韩国建筑风格和西式石砌建筑。

首尔钟路区宗庙 / 图片由韩国遗产服务处提供

宗庙建于1395年，供奉着朝鲜王朝历代君王和皇后的儒家牌位。宗庙庄严肃穆的建筑风格使其于1995年被联合国教科文组织列入世界遗产名录。虽然通常参观宗庙需要预约，但在中秋节假期期间，宗庙将免费开放，游客可以自由自在地游览。

首尔市立美术馆（SeMA）是由首尔市政府运营的公共博物馆，于1988年为配合首尔奥运会而开馆。西小门总馆及其他六个场馆主要展出韩国及国际当代艺术作品。

所有七个场馆将于周四至周日免费开放，展览包括在西小门总馆举办的“柳永国：我心中的一座山”回顾展，该展览旨在纪念韩国抽象派先锋画家柳永国（1916-2002）。

柳英国的山水画作在首尔国际现代美术馆展出 / Newsis

中秋节假期期间，开放时间为上午10点至晚上7点，南首尔美术馆下午6点闭馆。周五，西小门总馆和北首尔美术馆将开放至晚上9点。

国立现代艺术博物馆

韩国国立现代美术馆（MMCA）于 1969 年首次开馆，此后发展成为拥有四个分馆的机构，分别位于京畿道果川市、忠清北道清州市、首尔中区德寿宫分馆和首尔钟路区首尔分馆。

首尔分馆以国际项目为主导，果川分馆设有户外雕塑公园和儿童艺术博物馆，德寿宫分馆专注于现代艺术，清州分馆则专注于博物馆藏品的储存和保存。

8月26日，一名参观者在首尔钟路区国立现代美术馆参观艺术家徐道获的个展。（韩联社）

果川、德寿宫和清州分馆将四天全天开放，而首尔分馆周五闭馆。即使免费入场，游客仍需提前在线或现场预约门票。

从周四起暂停导览服务，9 月 29 日恢复，但您可以通过 MMCA 网站的数字博物馆部分获取免费的英文语音导览。