Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul

A beautiful place to visit. There are guided tours allowed here only, which is fine because it gives a wonderful overview of the history and what each building is used for. The spirit tables are housed here and the shrine is used for ceremonial purposes. The gardens are very well kept and stunning and the building are in good repair and have been well looked after.

Visited 11th June 2018. The English tour guide was excellent in explaining the site. It was very quiet and peaceful and the size of the shrine is awe inspiring. It's well worth the price of admission.

Jongmyo Shrine is one of the UNESCO World Heritage areas in Seoul that makes for a nice place to visit if you are interested in seeing historical buildings from the Joseon Dynasty. Note: Visitation are subject to guided tours only during the week. However, you can visit independently on Saturdays. Here you will find Confucian style shrine complexes which were used for memorial services for deceased kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty who ruled Korean from the late 14th century until the end of the 19th century. The Jongmyo Shrine grounds include four main clusters of buildings which you can browse around. Most are not open to view inside but you can appreciate the symmetry of their design and layout as well as the significance of their presence here. As you walk around there are a few opportunities to glimpse into open halls, allowing you to view panelled paintings and shrine altars. Throughout, you will find signage at important walking path junctures, providing details regarding the shrine buildings in front of you. Note: Visits during autumn means that you can see the shrine buildings during the fall foliage, providing lovely colour to time spent at Jongmyo Shrine.

A quiet and peaceful place. Though not quite as big as Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, Jongmyo Shrine is quite picturesque and worthy of a visit.

Interesting to visit and extremely cheap but overall not really too much to explore. You have to go on a tour with a guide who was very informative but there really isn't too much to see other than the buildings. Highlight for us was seeing some raccoon dogs!!