World Heritage Changdeokgung Palace dates to the 15th century and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of Seoul's four palaces. Blending harmoniously with the surrounding woodlands of Mount Baegaksan, Changdeokgung was used as an official royal residence for almost three centuries.
Changdeokgung's design follows classic feng shui, with the mountain rising behind and a small stream babbling in front of the majestic Donhwamun entrance gate. The palace is revered by UNESCO as an iconic example of Far Eastern architecture and contains a variety of buildings and terraced gardens.
Visitors can only visit the palace on a guided tour. English tours operate twice a day while Korean tours run every hour and can be booked by anyone, especially Western visitors not interested in the commentary. It's recommended to book these online as each tour has a limited capacity. Moonlight tours operate from April to June, providing an eery atmosphere to accompany the enchanting palace interiors.
Anguk Station is on Seoul Subway Line 3 (the orange line) and is the closest to the palace. It's a well signposted five-minute walk from the station to the palace entrance. An array of bus services stop at Changdeokgung Palace bus stop, directly outside the entrance.
This palace has been destroyed and rebuilt on numerous occasions, with the repairs always staying faithful to the original design. For example, it was burnt to the ground by the Japanese in 1592, rebuilt in 1609, then burnt back down by King Injo in 1623.