Changdeokgung
The kings kept skipping the official palace to live here instead — and they had centuries to prove the point.
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Founded in 1405 as Seoul's second palace, Changdeokgung became the real seat of royal power after the Imjin War of 1592 burned every palace in the city and budget constraints kept Gyeongbokgung in ruins for generations. The last Korean monarch, Sunjong, made it his official palace in 1907; the royal family lived here into the late 20th century. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
What to look for
- The Secret Garden — the private retreat long beloved by Korean monarchs, now mostly open to the public
- Signs of Japanese colonial-era alterations, which began after Korea's annexation in 1910 and changed the palace's original layout
- The palace's eastern orientation relative to Gyeongbokgung — the reason it and neighbor Changgyeonggung are jointly called the Eastern Palace (Donggwol)
Some Secret Garden sections are accessible only on booked tours — reserve a slot before you arrive.
Changdeokgung is one of 28 sights worth the detour in Seoul, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Seoul pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Seoul
- Seoul Metropolitan SubwayLine 1 launched in 1974 tracing Tokyo's blueprint; today 24 lines stretch over 100 km beyond the capital into rural Chungnam and Gangwon provinces.
- JongmyoSpirit tablets of Joseon kings still receive ritual offerings here, exactly as they have since 1394.
- Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae)South Korea's seat of presidential power since 1948 — a 62-acre compound so secure it was once called one of Asia's most protected official residences, until the gates briefly opened to everyone.
- Namdaemun (Sungnyemun)Built in 1398, burned by an arsonist in 2008, and painstakingly restored by 2013 — Seoul's southern gate has a complicated relationship with fire.
- National Museum of KoreaDuring the Korean War, staff packed 20,000 objects and moved them to Busan — that collection now fills the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea.
- Lotte World TowerYou step onto the Sky Bridge at 541 m — the exact altitude of New York's tallest building, but you're looking down on Seoul.