How Free Palace Entry Works

The Korea Grand Festival is the government's national sale season. Discount events that ministries used to run separately are folded into one 18-day festival, and about 40,000 companies take part this year. Most of it is aimed at local shoppers. The part that matters most for a visitor is the heritage program.

From Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 15, general admission is free at all four main palaces in Seoul (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung), at Jongmyo Shrine and at the Joseon royal tombs. The notice from the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center covers every site it runs. You don't buy a ticket. You walk in.

Who qualifies. Everyone. The free entry is not limited to foreign tourists, and the official notice sets no nationality or ID condition. Korean families, students and visitors from abroad all walk through the same gate.

What is not included. Two things. First, the special tour of Changdeokgung's Secret Garden (Huwon) keeps its own booking and fee. Second, regular closing days stay closed. Free does not mean seven days a week.

The Jongmyo change. On most days, Jongmyo Shrine is visited on timed guided tours. During the festival, it switches to free general viewing with no reservation. This is the most useful change of the whole program. You can walk the shrine at your own pace, stop where you like and leave when you're done.

How much you save. Not much in money. Adult admission is normally 3,000 won at Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung and 1,000 won at Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung. The real gain is convenience. There is no ticket line, and you can drop into a palace for 30 minutes between other plans without thinking about whether it is worth the ticket.

How it differs from free entry in hanbok. You'll see rental hanbok everywhere around Gyeongbokgung, and there's a reason. Under the standing rules, visitors wearing hanbok get in free at the palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs all year. During the festival that perk doesn't matter, because everyone is free, hanbok or not. Rent one for the photos, not for the ticket. After November 15, normal fees and the hanbok rule return. Palace fees are due for a review, so check the official site before a later trip.

Which Palace to Pick, and When to Go

Five sites, 18 days. You don't need to see all of them. Pick by mood and by closing day.

Gyeongbokgung is the big one. Walk in through Gwanghwamun, cross to the Geunjeongjeon throne hall, then head to Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion on its square pond, and Hyangwonjeong at the back. It is closed on Tuesdays. In November it opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. It is also the busiest palace, especially with free entry on top of foliage season.

Changdeokgung feels different. The halls follow the hills instead of a straight axis, which is part of why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main palace grounds are free during the festival. The Secret Garden behind them is not. Changdeokgung is closed on Mondays.

Changgyeonggung sits right next door and is the calmest of the four. Come for the pond at Chundangji, the old glass greenhouse and the long walks under the trees. It is also closed on Mondays, so pair it with Changdeokgung on any other day.

Deoksugung is in the middle of downtown, beside City Hall. It mixes traditional halls with Seokjojeon, a stone building in Western style. The stone-wall road outside is one of Seoul's best short walks. It is closed on Mondays.

Jongmyo Shrine is where Joseon kings were honored after death. Its main hall is one long, quiet building, and that calm is the point. With free general viewing, this is the festival's best value. Jongmyo is closed on Tuesdays.

The closing-day rule of thumb. On Mondays (November 2 and 9), go to Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo. On Tuesdays (November 3 and 10), go to Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung. Royal tombs outside central Seoul have their own schedules, so check each site before you go.

Crowds. Expect the heaviest crowds on weekends and from late morning into the afternoon. The first hour after opening is the calmest, and the light on the roofs is better then too. If you only have a weekend, start at a smaller palace and leave Gyeongbokgung for the end of the day, close to last entry.

The festival also lands in foliage season. Seoul's palace trees usually turn from late October into the first half of November. Our Seoul fall foliage guide covers where the color shows best in the palaces and beyond.

Landing in Korea: The Airport Welcome Week

The welcome week runs from October 30 to November 15. According to the government, welcome booths and multilingual tourist information go up along the main entry routes for foreign visitors, including Incheon Airport and Busan Port. The booths also point you to regional festivals and sights, not just Seoul. This autumn welcome week is separate from the Korea Grand Sale for international visitors (December 23 to February 13), which brings its own airline discount codes for winter flights to Korea.

The perks for this year, as announced:

Connectivity. Up to 25% off pocket Wi-Fi and eSIMs.

Transport. A flat 2,000 won off the AREX express train into Seoul, plus souvenirs and taxi discount coupons.

Payment. Up to 10% off or cashback with partner payment methods and cards.

The offers come from private partners, and each has its own terms. Partner deals and coupons are listed by category on the official Korea Welcome Week website. Check it before you buy anything. A discount on an eSIM only helps if you claim it before you pay. The same goes for the train: look at the coupon terms before you tap through the gate.

If you land late at night, don't count on a booth being staffed. Download what you need from the website while you're still on airport Wi-Fi.

Shopping Perks: Olive Young, Department Stores and Duty Free

Three sets of discounts are worth knowing about. They come from different programs, so the conditions differ.

Welcome week shopping offers (October 30 to November 15). Major department stores, duty-free shops, outlets and Olive Young offer foreign visitors membership upgrades and up to 15% off. Depending on how much you spend, there are also prepaid cards worth up to 75,000 won, vouchers and gifts. Check the Korea Welcome Week website for which stores take part and how to claim.

Korea Duty Free Festa (October 29 to November 15). Twenty-five duty-free shops across the country, including online stores, run discounts of up to 25% on items such as liquor and cosmetics. Lotte, Shilla, Shinsegae and Hyundai are among them, and each store runs its own promotion, from membership discounts to coupons and gifts by spend. Bring your passport and flight details. Duty-free stores always ask.

K-Heritage Stores (October 29 to November 15). The palace gift shops at Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung and Changdeokgung, plus the store at Korea House, take 10% off cultural goods. Food, drinks and some items are excluded. This is where to buy a gift that actually comes from the palace you just walked through.

The rest of the festival (K-Sale Festa, department stores' winter sales, and big discounts on Korean beef, seafood and clothing) is mainly for people living in Korea. You'll still notice it in the stores. Carmakers and electronics companies announce their own discounts on November 1.

For shoppers at home, an online promotion called "Do it like a Korean" brings together Korean retailers that sell directly overseas, including Olive Young, Musinsa and Kurly. It covers beauty, fashion, K-pop merchandise and food.

If you're timing a longer trip around the sales, our guide to Korea's sale season, month by month follows the calendar from this festival to Black Friday and the year-end sales.

Tours, a Free Concert and the Opening in Andong

Tours and activities. Through the welcome week, tour, activity and experience products are discounted by up to 35%, some with a souvenir. Day trips, cooking classes and night tours are the kind of thing to look for. Book through the partner offers listed on the Korea Welcome Week website, and compare the final price with the operator's own site before you pay.

Palace guided tours. Gyeongbokgung's regular guided tours keep running during the festival, but in a shortened form. If a guide is the reason you're going, check the day's tour times at the palace.

A free concert on November 14. The National Orchestra of Korea, the National Theater's resident traditional-music orchestra, gives a free concert as part of the National Theater of Korea's Ssokssokdeul-i Festival. It is not in central Seoul. The festival is held at the theater's Stage Arts Support Center in Heyri, Paju, north of the city. The festival listing says free tickets are handed out first come, first served at the venue's information desk from noon on performance days, for a 2 p.m. start. Check the National Theater of Korea website for the 14th before you make the trip, and pair it with an afternoon in the Heyri art village.

The opening in Andong (October 31). The festival's main opening event is in Andong, North Gyeongsang, around the former Andong Station. The program includes an opening ceremony, live commerce and a K-pop concert. Five nearby markets and shopping streets run their own discounts and events, a temporary tourist train links Andong's sights, traditional markets and the opening venue, and a tour pass with century-old shops, workshops, bookstores and cafes across the region is being tested. If you've wanted an excuse to see Hahoe Village and Andong, this is a good weekend for it.

Beyond Seoul. According to the government, 159 local shopping districts and markets across the country run their own tours, discounts and coupons during the festival, from Dongmyeong-dong in Gwangju to Jungang Market in Jinju. The official festival site lists them by region and date.

How to Plan a Trip Around the 18 Days

The festival runs from October 29 to November 15. The airport perks start a day later, on October 30. Here is how to use the window.

Arrive on or after October 30 if you want the welcome week offers on your first day. Sort out your eSIM coupon before you fly.

Do Gyeongbokgung on a weekday morning, any day but Tuesday. Be at the gate for the 9 a.m. opening. In November, last entry is at 4 p.m.

Pair Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung on any day but Monday. They sit next to each other, so this is an easy half day.

Save Deoksugung for late afternoon. Walk the stone-wall road outside, then step in. It is also closed on Mondays.

Give Jongmyo an unhurried hour on any day but Tuesday. Free viewing without a timed tour is the rare part of this festival.

Two dated plans. Saturday, October 31 is the Andong opening, about two hours from Seoul by KTX from Cheongnyangni Station. Saturday, November 14 is the free concert in Paju.

Shop last. Duty-free and Olive Young discounts make most sense at the end of a trip, when you know what you still want. Keep your passport with you.

One habit makes this easy: check the closing day before you head out. A free palace with a locked gate is the most common way to lose a morning in Seoul.