One of our favorites things about September is the number of cultural festivals and events that take place in early autumn. October has harvest festivals while November has a number of smaller local neighborhood festivals. But September is when we have multiple festivals and events centered around the historical royal court of Korea, each of which are amazing and definitely worth checking out.
With so many to experience, it might be hard to choose for yourself. That’s why we’ve picked three of our favorites that highlight the beauty of Seoul’s palaces at night. Here are the 3 best night tours for Seoul palaces in September.
Seokjojeon at Night
- Where: Deoksugung Palace
- 서울 중구 세종대로 99 (Naver Map)
- 99 Sejong-daero, Jung District, Seoul (Google Maps)
First is Seokjojeon at Night which is a ticketed event that requires reservations far in advance. Seokjojeon Hall is the only western-style structure built on royal palace grounds commissioned by the royal court of Korea while all the others were built during Japanese occupation or well afterwards. The structure was home to royal bedchambers, offices and other living quarters for the royal family of the Empire of Korea.
The Seokjojeon at Night tour includes a guided tour of the grounds at Seokjojeon hall. One of our favorites parts was a short section where each tour group stops for 15 minutes to get coffee (or tea) and dessert with live music. The entire experience is pretty amazing, but having tea on the terrace of the palace was definitely one of my highlights of the year.
Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour
- Where: Gyeongbokgung Palace
- 서울 종로구 사직로 161 경복궁 (Naver Map)
- 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno District, Seoul (Google Maps)
Gyeongbokgung palace is our favorite palace of the four main ones in Seoul. It’s not just because it’s the biggest palace, but because it has so many different and unique areas to visit. While the Starlight tour doesn’t allow visitors free reign over the entirety of the palace grounds, it does include the main throne room along with the immediate structures including the floating pavilion.
Of the three on this list, the Starlight Tour is the easiest one to get tickets for since they’re available on site. The palace opens around 7 pm and it’s best to arrive early so you can get in ASAP. That way you can catch the fading sunlight with the autumn clouds to make for some amazing photos. Check out our tips and tricks for more info, or our blog to see some of our photos.
Changgyeonggung Moonlight Tour
- Where: Changgyeonggung
- 185 창경궁 (Naver Map)
- 185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno District, Seoul (Google Maps)
The Changgyeonggung Moonlight Tour is a guided tour through the Secret Garden located in the back of Changdeokgung. Even during the day, the Secret Tour is only accessible via guided tours, but between the two, the night tour is much better.
The tour follows the regular path of the daytime tour past the throne room into the garden proper. You get to see the lake at night and they have seats set up so you can enjoy some traditional Korean music in the still quiet of the garden. This moonlight tour features a late-night tour, tea, and traditional Korean music. We visited a few years ago (blog) and it was an amazing experience. Tickets can be difficult to come by, but the experience is worth it.
Discover more from Seoul Searching
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
