Seoul’s two seasonal palace night events run side by side this fall.
Gyeongbokgung opened its Night Tour on September 2, and the Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour starts September 10.
One costs 3,000 won, the other 30,000 won, and they sell out in different ways.
This post sorts out dates, prices, booking channels, and what to do if both are sold out.
Contents
- Gyeongbokgung night tour: two kinds of palace nights — seasonal events vs always-open palaces
- Gyeongbokgung Night Tour 2026: dates, price, and booking
- Foreigner on-site tickets at Gwanghwamun
- What you see, and the 60,000 won Starlight Night Walk
- Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour: 30,000 won and a lottery
- No booking? Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, open until 9pm
Gyeongbokgung night tour: two kinds of palace nights — seasonal events vs always-open palaces
Palace nights in Seoul come in two shapes, and the difference decides how far ahead you plan.
Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung open at night only for seasonal events, so every visit needs a booked ticket.
Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung stay open until 9pm all year at 1,000 won with no reservation at all.
For a fall 2026 evening, both seasonal events overlap for 23 days, September 10 to October 2, when you can choose between the two.
The seasonal events are the ones people search for, so the rest of this post covers them first.
| Gyeongbokgung Night Tour | Sept 2-Oct 2 · Wed-Sun · 19:00-21:30 · ₩3,000 |
|---|---|
| Starlight Night Walk (Gyeongbokgung) | Sept 2-Oct 24 · ₩60,000 · Ticketlink lottery |
| Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour | Sept 10-Oct 17 · Thu-Sun · ₩30,000 |
| Changgyeonggung / Deoksugung | Year-round · 09:00-21:00 · ₩1,000 · no booking |
Gyeongbokgung Night Tour 2026: dates, price, and booking
The 2026 fall Night Tour runs September 2 to October 2, open Wednesday through Sunday from 19:00 to 21:30 with last entry at 20:30, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Admission is 3,000 won, the same as a daytime ticket, and free in hanbok, for seniors 65 and over, for children 6 and under, and for veterans and registered disabled visitors.
Tickets are sold on NOL Ticket (Interpark) on a first-come basis, 3,000 tickets a day, with up to 4 tickets per account for the whole season.
Sales opened August 26 at 10:00, same-day booking is not allowed, and cancellations are accepted only until 17:00 the day before your visit.
One ticket is issued per booking, so your whole party has to enter together.
The event runs even in rain, so bring an umbrella.
Because it is first-come, not a lottery, the first one or two minutes after tickets open decide everything: log in early and watch the server clock.
If a date shows sold out, Wednesdays and Thursdays are your wider window, since this event runs five days a week against the Moonlight Tour’s four.
Foreigner on-site tickets at Gwanghwamun
Foreign visitors have a same-day option that locals do not.
Up to 300 tickets a day are sold at the Gwanghwamun box office on the day of the visit, and you need your passport to buy one.
That makes Gyeongbokgung the realistic night choice for a trip booked on short notice.
Walk-up demand concentrates on weekends, so a weekday evening gives the best odds of a box-office ticket.
What you see, and the 60,000 won Starlight Night Walk
The Night Tour opens the main axis from Gwanghwamun and Heungnyemun through Geunjeongjeon to Gyeonghoeru, plus Sajeongjeon, Gangnyeongjeon, Gyotaejeon, and the Amisan terrace.
The signature scene is the Gyeonghoeru pavilion reflected in its pond, and it is a reflection only: the special second-floor viewing of Gyeonghoeru is a daytime program.
The lighting is designed to bring out eave curves and column texture rather than flood the buildings, so the recommended way to look is from a distance first, then close up.
During the fall run, 15 royal court music and dance performances by National Gugak Center musicians are staged at Sujeongjeon.
If you want more than a walk, the Starlight Night Walk (Byeolbit Yahaeng) is the premium version at 60,000 won: a 12-course royal surasang meal at the Oesojubang kitchen, a traditional performance, and a guided route through normally closed north grounds including Jagyeongjeon, Jibokjae, Geoncheonggung, and Hyangwonjeong.
Listed dates are September 2 to October 24, and it sells by Ticketlink lottery, so it needs planning well ahead.
Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour: 30,000 won and a lottery
The Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour runs September 10 to October 17, Thursday to Sunday only, and costs 30,000 won — ten times the Gyeongbokgung ticket, 27,000 won more in absolute terms.
What the price buys is format: a guided tour of about 100 minutes in groups of 28, each group led with a traditional lantern, running since 2010.
The route goes Geumcheongyo bridge, Injeongjeon, Huijeongdang, Nakseonjae, Sangnyangjeong with a daegeum flute performance, Buyongji pond, and Yeonyeongdang, ending with a gugak concert and traditional tea.
Six departures run each night in two parts, at 19:10, 19:15, and 19:20 and at 20:00, 20:05, and 20:10, for 3,864 seats across the season.
Booking is a Ticketlink lottery, not a race: you apply within the application window, winners are announced, and only winners pay and pick seats, with up to 2 tickets each.
Unsold seats then go to a first-come general sale, and seniors 65 and over, disabled visitors, and veterans can book by phone at 1588-7890.
English, Chinese, and Japanese sessions run on September 20, September 27, October 4, and October 11, and those seats are booked through Creatrip.
Anguk Station Exit 3 on Line 3 is a 5-minute walk, and inquiries go to 1522-2295.
Which one fits you comes down to this: choose the Moonlight Tour for guided storytelling and a small group, choose Gyeongbokgung for free roaming at a tenth of the price.
No booking? Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, open until 9pm
If both seasonal events are sold out, two palaces cover the evening without any reservation.
Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung open year-round from 09:00 to 21:00 with last entry at 20:00, closed Mondays, at 1,000 won.
Changgyeonggung’s night highlights are the Chundangji pond and the 1909 Great Greenhouse, Korea’s first Western-style greenhouse, lit against the dark, with a cozier feel than Gyeongbokgung’s scale.
Deoksugung pairs lit traditional halls with Seokjojeon, a Western-style stone building from the Korean Empire era, and it sits by City Hall Station for a stone-wall road walk afterward.
Neither needs the booking discipline of the seasonal events, so they work as a same-day plan.
Related posts
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📎 Andong Mask Dance Festival 2026: Sept 24–Oct 4, plus Hahoe Village plan
Sources
- Gyeongbokgung Night Tour 2026 fall dates (lacha.co.kr)
- Sept 10 – Oct 17, Thu-Sun, 30,000 KRW, foreign sessions via (supple.kr)
- Both 09:00-21:00 year-round, 1,000 KRW, closed Mondays (comeonkorea.com)
Evening pairings: where to eat before each palace
- Before Gyeongbokgung: Tosokchon Samgyetang in Seochon, just west of the wall, serves samgyetang at 20,000 won from 10:00 to 22:00, last order 21:00 — it works after the tour too.
- Before Changdeokgung: Hwangsaenga Kalguksu near Anguk Station serves beef-bone kalguksu at 12,000 won from 11:00 to 21:30, last order 20:30, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
- Before night entry at Gyeongbokgung: Samcheongdong Sujebi serves sujebi with a potato pancake from 11:00 to 20:00, so plan to finish dinner before your entry time slot.
FAQ
Q. Can foreigners buy Gyeongbokgung night tickets on the day of the visit?
Yes. Up to 300 tickets a day are sold on-site at the Gwanghwamun box office for foreign visitors, and a passport is required. It is the same-day fallback when NOL Ticket dates are sold out.
Q. What does the 60,000 won Starlight Night Walk include that the 3,000 won tour does not?
A 12-course royal surasang meal at the Oesojubang kitchen, a traditional performance, and a guided route through normally closed north areas — Jagyeongjeon, Jibokjae, Geoncheonggung, and Hyangwonjeong. The regular Night Tour is self-guided and does not enter those areas.
Q. Which palace night program is easiest to book for a weekday visit?
Gyeongbokgung. It opens five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday, against the Moonlight Tour’s four, and foreigners can buy on-site. The Moonlight Tour runs only Thursday to Sunday and needs a lottery or leftover-seat sale.
Q. Which Seoul palaces stay open at night without any reservation?
Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, both until 21:00 with last entry at 20:00, closed Mondays, at 1,000 won. No booking is involved.
The Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour starts September 10 and the foreign-language sessions sell first-come, so if a guided night is what you want, act before October 17.
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📅Upcoming Dates — 이번 주 4 · D-day Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour start (Sept 10–Oct 17, 30,000 K전체 보기 →
