Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul

Beautiful palace with such rich history. And lots and lots to see!!! It’s amazing to think how this place was built. And all the little details that went into each piece. Nothing was too small to over look. And the secret garden tour is a must! From beautiful gardens to ponds to a little retreat area for the king. It’s such a shame that the Japanese saw fit to turn this place into a zoo. Tying to ruin it. But so glad that this place was restored once again despite Japanese efforts.

Loved seeing such a historical structure. Dirt paths and weather beaten walls of this temple gave a real feeling of dipping back into the past. The only drawback I felt this place had was the end caps of the roofing was brightly colored and or painted over. I felt this in my opinion slightly ruins the authentic feel of this grand temple.

I enjoyed a lovely afternoon spent touring this palace. I arrived just in time for the English tour- I highly recommend doing a tour, otherwise you will miss out on so much. Learning about the kings and queens who lived here was incredibly fascinating. The gardens were gorgeous and our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable. Come in the fall if you can while the leaves are changing.

It's amazing to have two palaces plus a secret garden tucked into the heart of a capital city. If you're interested in history, this is worth a visit. It's worth paying extra to do the secret garden tour. When we visited the garden tour didn't have any guides, which seemed to be the exception. For us, that was more fun as we could explore at our own pace. We didn't want to do this, but many people rented traditional Korean outfits and wore them while exploring the palace.

Beautiful architecture. I went here from one of the free airport layover tours. It was awesome. Definitely recommend.