Taereung and Gangreung Royal Tombs in northern Seoul are open 09:00-18:00, closed Mondays, and admission is 1,000 won for adults and 500 won for children.
Take Subway Line 6 to Hwarangdae Station Exit 4 and walk about 1.6 km.
This post covers who is buried there, hours and closing days, fees and free-entry days, the visit time, and what to pair it with nearby.
Taereung and Gangreung Royal Tombs: Why They Are Worth a Visit
| February-May and September-October | 09:00-18:00 (last entry 17:00) |
|---|---|
| June-August | 09:00-18:30 (last entry 17:30) |
| November-January | 09:00-17:30 (last entry 16:30) |
Taereung and Gangreung are worth visiting if you want Joseon royal history in a quiet park without the crowds of Changdeokgung or Jongmyo.
The two tombs sit together in one park in Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu, and they have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty since 2009.
Taereung is the single-mound tomb of Queen Munjeong, the third queen of King Jungjong, who ruled behind the scenes for eight years as regent for her son.
Gangneung, next door, is the twin tomb of King Myeongjong (her son, the 13th king) and his wife Queen Insun of the Sim clan.
Seoul’s official listing describes the grounds as quiet and spacious, suitable for young children and family picnics, and the site keeps drinking fountains, benches, picnic tables, and a small shop selling traditional goods.
Pets are not allowed on the grounds, and there is no stroller rental, so plan for that if you are bringing small children.
If a calm heritage walk with a picnic lawn matters more to you than a packed sightseeing circuit, this park fits; if you need guided storytelling in English, check the tour section below first.
How to Get There by Subway
Take Subway Line 6 to Hwarangdae Station and leave through Exit 4.
From there it is about a 1.6 km walk to the tomb entrance.
The address is 681, Hwarang-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul (01794), and the site phone number is +82-2-972-0370.
To build the Hwarangdae leg from your hotel, a Seoul subway route planner such as the one at koreankorea.com lets you enter your starting station and see the transfers in advance.
For same-day questions in English, Japanese, or Chinese, the 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (+82-2-1330) answers around the clock.
![Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs [UNESCO World Heritage] (서울 태릉과 강릉 [유네스코 세계문화유산]) — How to Get There by Subway](https://koreankorea.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/korean-royal-tomb-stone-figures-01.jpg)
Opening Hours and Closing Days
The tombs open at 09:00 and close between 17:30 and 18:30 depending on the season, and the site is closed every Monday.
Last entry is one hour before closing in every season, so arrive by mid-afternoon if you want a full circuit.
| Season | Hours | Last entry |
|---|---|---|
| February–May, September–October | 09:00–18:00 | 17:00 |
| June–August | 09:00–18:30 | 17:30 |
| November–January | 09:00–17:30 | 16:30 |
Per the visitseoul.net listing (checked September 27, 2026), the site is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday–Sunday.
In summer the extra half hour helps, but in winter the grounds shut a full hour earlier.
Build the visit around the last-entry time rather than the closing time, and never on a Monday.
![Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs [UNESCO World Heritage] (서울 태릉과 강릉 [유네스코 세계문화유산]) — Opening Hours and Closing Days](https://koreankorea.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/korean-royal-tomb-stone-figures-02.jpg)
Admission Fees and Free Entry Days
Admission is 1,000 won for adults and 500 won for children, and several groups enter free.
Per the visitkorea listing, groups of 10 or more pay 800 won per adult and 400 won per child, and admission is free for preschoolers aged 6 and under, seniors 65 and older, visitors wearing hanbok, and everyone on Culture Day (the last Wednesday of each month).
For two adults and two children at the gate, the total is 3,000 won (2 x 1,000 + 2 x 500).
Time-based passes are also listed: a 1-year package at 30,000 won (2,500 won per month) and a lunchtime package of 10 visits at 3,000 won — 300 won per visit, 70% less than a single adult ticket.
One aggregator lists a 50% discount for Nowon-area residents with ID, but that could not be confirmed on an official page, so check at the ticket office if it applies to you.
If your date is flexible, the last Wednesday of the month makes the whole family free; a hanbok rental gets you in free on any other day.
What to See: Queen Munjeong’s Tomb
Taereung is the tomb of Queen Munjeong (1501-1565), and its story starts with a flooded grave.
She had first chosen a burial spot near her husband King Jungjong’s tomb, Jeongneung, but the low-lying land flooded in the rainy season, so her tomb was placed at the present site and named Taereung in 1565.
At the tomb itself, Taereung was the first Joseon royal tomb to carve both the twelve zodiac guardian figures and the zodiac characters together on the screen stones, and the civil and military stone figures have pierced earlobes for earrings, an unusual detail.
The buildings line up in a straight row below the mound — the red gate (hongyalmun), the rites stone, the incense bath, the royal kitchen, the T-shaped ritual hall (jeongjagak), and the stele pavilion.
At the jeongjagak, the ornate left staircase was for the spirit of the deceased and the right one for the reigning king.
The hall was destroyed during the Korean War and rebuilt in the mid-1990s.
If you enjoy reading a site as a political story — a queen who moved tombs, ruled for eight years, and got her own single-mound tomb — this one rewards a slow walk more than a quick photo stop.
![Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs [UNESCO World Heritage] (서울 태릉과 강릉 [유네스코 세계문화유산]) — What to See: Queen Munjeong's Tomb](https://koreankorea.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/korean-royal-tomb-stone-figures-03.jpg)
How Long to Allow, Tours, and Nearby
Plan about one hour for a visit, and go self-guided unless you speak Korean.
Per the visitkorea listing, allow about 1 hour; guided tours are offered at Taereung only — exhibition-hall tours Tuesday-Sunday at 11:00 and 15:00, tomb-area tours on Saturdays at 10:00 and 14:00 (March-December) and Sundays at 14:00 (March-June, September-Novove
mber) — and there are no tours at Gangneung.
Tours are conducted in Korean, with no foreign-language service, so treat any expectation of an English tour as unmet and use the 1330 hotline (+82-2-1330) for background instead.
The Gangneung tomb area may be open on a restricted, pilot basis, and Visit Korea flags access as limited — check royal.khs.go.kr or call before you count on seeing both mounds up close.
For the rest of the day, the Taereung Blue Lawn park and the Korea Military Academy area sit nearby, and the Taereung athletes’ village run by the Korea Sports Council lies between the two tomb parks.
If you have half a day, pair the tombs with the Blue Lawn park for the picnic-plus-history combination; if you are squeezing it into an afternoon, the one-hour circuit plus the walk leaves time for nothing else.
I would aim for the last Wednesday of the month with a hanbok rental, since that combination makes admission free and, to me, is the easiest way to get more out of a one-hour visit.
What I check first before setting out is whether the Gangneung side is open that day, because a visit that misses one of the two mounds changes how long I would budget.
👉 Visit Seoul listing: Taereung and Gangreung Royal Tombs
👉 Visit Korea: Taereung and Gangreung
👉 Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty: Taereung
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📎 Seoul — everything we know
📎 📅 Upcoming Dates — Release & Event Calendar
Sources
- About 1 hour visit, Gangneung access restricted, Myeongjong (english.visitkorea.or.kr)
- Hours by season, closed Mondays, adults 1,000 / children 500 (english.visitseoul.net)
- Built 1565, danreung, flood at Jeongneung, zodiac screen fir (royaltombs.cha.go.kr)
Dates to note
- Before you go: confirm whether the Gangneung tomb area is open, since access may be restricted.
- Aim for the last Wednesday of the month (Culture Day): admission is free for all visitors.
- If you can, visit in hanbok — entry is free for visitors in hanbok.
- Remember the site is closed every Monday, and last entry is one hour before closing.
- Tomb-site guided tours at Taereung run on Saturdays at 10:00 and 14:00 (March–December), plus Sundays at 14:00 (March–June and September–November).
FAQ
Q. Is Taereung and Gangreung Royal Tombs worth visiting?
Yes, if you want Joseon royal history in a quiet park: it is UNESCO-listed, admission is 1,000 won for adults, and about one hour covers the visit.
Q. What are the opening hours and closing days?
Open 09:00-18:00 (Feb-May, Sep-Oct), 09:00-18:30 (Jun-Aug), and 09:00-17:30 (Nov-Jan), with last entry one hour before closing; closed every Monday.
Q. How much is admission to Taereung and Gangreung?
1,000 won for adults and 500 won for children; groups of 10 or more pay 800/400 won, and seniors 65+, preschoolers, hanbok wearers, and all visitors on Culture Day enter free.
Q. How do I get there by subway?
Take Line 6 to Hwarangdae Station, Exit 4, and walk about 1.6 km to the entrance at 681 Hwarang-ro, Nowon-gu.
Q. Are Taereung and Gangreung part of a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Yes, they are two of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.
Before you go, mark two things on the calendar: the last Wednesday of the month for free entry, and any Monday — the site is closed, so shift the visit to a Tuesday through Sunday.
Cover photo: Asian Games Incheon D30 10 (14984354231) by Republic of Korea from Seoul, Republic of Korea — CC BY-SA 2.0
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