Search whether to buy the Four Grand Palaces Integrated Ticket or individual tickets and you’ll immediately see the answer: “the ₩6,000 pass is a bargain.” But few articles actually do the math on how many palaces you need to visit for it to pay off — or whether entering free in a hanbok is really cheaper once you factor in the rental. This article compares the individual admission fees for all five sites — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Jongmyo — against the Integrated Ticket, and verifies the hanbok math and the Changdeokgung Secret Garden reservation scramble against official Korea Heritage Service sources.
The short answer
- The Integrated Ticket costs ₩6,000, and buying all five individually adds up to ₩9,000 — visit three or more palaces including Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung and the pass pays off.
- Hanbok rental costs far more than the entry fee you save (up to ₩6,000), so it's a loss as a money-saving move.
- The Changdeokgung Secret Garden admits only 100 people per session (50 online + 50 on-site), and in peak season it sells out within 5 minutes of the 10 a.m. opening.
How Many Palaces Do You Need to Visit for the Integrated Ticket to Pay Off?
The Integrated Ticket costs ₩6,000 and covers one visit to each of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Jongmyo within 6 months of purchase. Buying every individual ticket would total ₩9,000, which makes it look like an automatic ₩3,000 saving — but whether it actually pays off depends on which palaces you visit and how many.
🎫 Individual admission fees for the Four Grand Palaces and Jongmyo (per adult, as of August 2026)
| Site | Individual admission | Included in Integrated Ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Gyeongbokgung | ₩3,000 | Included |
| Changdeokgung (main palace only) | ₩3,000 | Included (Secret Garden separate) |
| Changgyeonggung | ₩1,000 | Included |
| Deoksugung | ₩1,000 | Included |
| Jongmyo | ₩1,000 | Included |
| All 5 individually | ₩9,000 | — |
| Integrated Ticket | ₩6,000 | All 5 sites |
Get the Four Grand Palaces Integrated Ticket in advance
If you plan to visit 3 or more sites including Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, this is cheaper than buying individually. Each site can be visited once within 6 months.
Prices and availability are as of August 2026 and may vary by date and option.
Is the Integrated Ticket Worth It if You're Only Visiting Gyeongbokgung?
No. If you only plan to see Gyeongbokgung, an individual ticket (₩3,000) is ₩3,000 cheaper than the Integrated Ticket (₩6,000). Gyeongbokgung is the largest of the four palaces and packs its key halls — Geunjeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru — into one place, so it easily fills a half-day on its own. The Integrated Ticket only makes sense if you already plan to visit several palaces one after another.
📊 Integrated Ticket break-even by palace combination
| Palaces visited | Individual total | Integrated Ticket | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyeongbokgung only | ₩3,000 | ₩6,000 | Individual is ₩3,000 cheaper |
| Gyeongbokgung + Changdeokgung | ₩6,000 | ₩6,000 | Same price |
| Gyeongbokgung + Changdeokgung + Jongmyo | ₩7,000 | ₩6,000 | Integrated saves ₩1,000 |
| Changgyeonggung + Deoksugung + Jongmyo | ₩3,000 | ₩6,000 | Individual is ₩3,000 cheaper |
| All 5 sites | ₩9,000 | ₩6,000 | Integrated saves ₩3,000 |
Just grab a Gyeongbokgung ticket
If you're only seeing one palace, an individual ticket is cheaper than the Integrated Ticket. Combine Geunjeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru, and the National Palace Museum of Korea into a half-day route.
Prices and availability are as of August 2026 and may vary by date and option.
📍 Open in Naver Map — Gyeongbokgung
Is Wearing a Hanbok Actually a Good Deal?
Not from a savings standpoint. Anyone in a hanbok with proper top and bottom pieces can enter the Four Grand Palaces free with no separate reservation — which looks like saving up to ₩6,000 in entry fees — but the rental itself costs far more than that. Prices vary widely between shops and some listings haven’t been verified, so this article won’t pin down a specific figure, but city rental shops (including local businesses like Seoul Hanbok) generally charge more than the entry fee you’d save. In other words, hanbok isn’t a way to save money — it’s a way to pay for photos and the experience.
Free hanbok entry requirements
- You need both a top and a bottom piece; heavily modified outfits may be turned away on-site
- It applies to locals and foreigners alike, with no separate reservation required
- Children 6 and under and seniors 65 and over are always free, hanbok or not
Why Do You Need a Separate Reservation for the Changdeokgung Secret Garden?
To limit numbers and protect the site. The Secret Garden is a separate area from Changdeokgung’s main palace, and you pay for both the palace admission (₩3,000) and the garden fee (₩5,000) — ₩8,000 in total. Even with the Integrated Ticket, the garden isn’t included, so you’ll need to pay extra.
The garden isn’t self-guided — it runs as timed, led tours, with only 100 people per session (50 online reservations + 50 on-site, first come, first served). Reservations open daily at 10 a.m. from 7 days before the visit date, and during cherry blossom and autumn foliage season (especially November), every session sells out within 5 minutes even if you log on exactly on the hour.
If Secret Garden reservations are sold out
Even when online reservations are gone, the 50 on-site, first-come, first-served spots remain. In peak season the queue starts forming an hour before opening, so if the garden is a must-see, arriving early is the realistic move.
Book a tour that includes the Changdeokgung Secret Garden
When individual online reservations tend to sell out, a guided tour is another way to secure a spot. Check the product details to confirm it covers both the main palace and the garden.
Prices and availability are as of August 2026 and may vary by date and option.
When Are the Palaces Free to Enter in 2026?
From April 1, 2026, Culture Day expanded from the last Wednesday of each month to every Wednesday, when the Four Grand Palaces, Jongmyo, and the Joseon royal tombs are free. On top of that, hanbok wearers, children 6 and under, and seniors 65 and over are always free regardless of the day.
🆓 Free palace entry in 2026
| Condition | Who it applies to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Culture Day | All visitors | Every Wednesday since April 2026 (Four Grand Palaces, Jongmyo, Joseon royal tombs) |
| Wearing hanbok | All visitors (locals and foreigners) | Must wear both top and bottom |
| Age | 6 and under, 65 and over | Always free |
| Gyeongbokgung night opening | All visitors | Not free — separate ₩3,000 ticket |
Gyeongbokgung night opening is easy to confuse with free entry, but it actually requires a separate ₩3,000 ticket. The first half of 2026 ran from May 13 to June 14, 7 p.m.–9:30 p.m. (last entry 8:30 p.m.), closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The second-half schedule and pricing had not been officially announced at the time of writing.
Check Gyeongbokgung night opening tickets
The windows are short and capacity per session is limited, so tickets tend to sell out quickly once the first- or second-half opening is announced.
Prices and availability are as of August 2026 and may vary by date and option.
How Much More Expensive Are Guided Tours Than Tickets?
An admission ticket is only a few thousand won, but a guided tour adds commentary, transport, and other sites, pushing the price up. For visitors who don’t speak Korean, the real value is that signage alone makes the historical context hard to grasp — but if you’d rather explore at your own pace, an individual ticket plus an audio guide is the cheaper combo.
Book a Jongmyo and Deoksugung guided tour
Jongmyo is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the symbolism of its ritual space is hard to grasp without commentary. Most signage is in Korean, so a tour with English commentary makes a real difference.
Prices and availability are as of August 2026 and may vary by date and option.
Sources
- Korea Heritage Service, Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Admission fees · Opening hours
- Government24 — admission discount guide for the Four Grand Palaces, Jongmyo, and Joseon royal tombs
- Changdeokgung Secret Garden reservation system (cdg.korealocal.or.kr) — reservation process and capacity
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Regional Culture Integrated Information System — 2026 Culture Day weekly Wednesday expansion notice
- Interpark Ticket — Gyeongbokgung night viewing product page, first half of 2026
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