The place Dae Jang Geum filmed!!!! I just finished DJG very recently (yes slow i know) and i really adored the drama and the rich culture that it taught me. So this palace was something I had anticipated, and since Deoksugung was such a disappointment, we decided to spend some time at Changdeokgung so the BF can see a proper palace.
We bought both the palace and Huwon (Secret Garden) ticket. You don’t need a tour for the palace (unless you want to), but it’s compulsory for the secret garden. So we checked out the secret garden and tailored our itinerary to that.
Tour timings for reference!
We decided to head over to the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village to walk around a bit and eat our food! There were a LOT of really pretty cafes there that were crowded due to the village being near an office area. Example:
We sat around eating Patbingsoo in the heat before heading over to the palace to start our exploration!!
And then we were in! DJG’s fimling locatino!!
The main place where ceremonies take place
Looked like a familiar corridor so i took a pic anyw
looked like a familiar place too where the court ladies always pass by
Haha. Love this picture because of the contrast between me with ze snapback and shorts and portable charger, and the palace building~ #sweg #notreally
We joined the English tour that had started earlier on when we stumbled upon them by accident. We left the tour pretty fast too though, to rush to the secret garden for the tour.
The secret garden rules were pretty strict because they are trying their best to preserve the palace as an ‘untouched’ beauty. You can’t get ahead of the tour guide and she gives very specific timings for each location. You could get reprimanded for running off on your own. In the olden times, the secret garden was restricted to members of the royal family.
Successful Panorama shot!!!
The above place was where I recalled seeing Janggeum and the king strolling. It was where he told her all his stories etc~
The spot where the crown prince sits and ponders about life and reads books.
in the process of taking that above panorama shot
picture taken from the pavilion the royal family sits on
The tour guide was saying that autumn was the best season to visit the secret garden and I can imagine why.
A tree that’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s probably seen the life of all the people that came and go from Joseon dynasty till now.
That’s all for Changdeokgung and Huwon! Honestly this was the best palace in my opinion, less touristy than Geongbokgung and the Huwon is a lovely place, although the tour got a bit boring in the later half. If you absolutely must visit a palace in Korea, I’d definitely recommend Changdeokgung over any others!
How to get to Changdeokgung: Take the subway to Anguk Station (line 3) and exit via Exit 3. There will be signs on the road that will lead you to Deoksugung straight ahead from the exit of the subway. You will walk past Bukchon Hanok Village.
darmawanders 