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You need a second reservation because Changdeokgung sells two separate admissions. The general ticket covers the palace building area. The Secret Garden (Huwon) is a restricted area with timed sessions, and it sits inside the palace grounds, so you hold both tickets to reach it. According to the Changdeokgung official FAQ (retrieved 2026-11-03), the integrated palace ticket includes the building area and excludes the Garden. Book the Garden session first, then build the rest of your Seoul day around that fixed time.

What each Changdeokgung ticket covers

Three things get confused: the building-area ticket, the Garden timed ticket and the physical Garden gate. The building-area ticket lets you through the main palace entrance. The Garden ticket reserves a place in one session. The Garden gate is a separate entrance deeper inside the grounds, where your session group assembles.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center admission rules (retrieved 2026-11-03) list general palace admission and Changdeokgung Garden admission separately and state that the Garden additionally needs a building-area ticket. The same page notes:

  • The Wednesday culture-day free access applies every Wednesday and excludes Gyeongbokgung and the Changdeokgung Secret Garden.
  • Free admission and age-band pricing require proof, and nationality can change the age band.
  • A standing, multi-use or integrated pass covers what it names. It creates no Garden reservation and waives no ticket outside its stated coverage.

How Secret Garden sessions are released

The official FAQ sets each Garden session at a maximum of 100 people: 50 places online and 50 at the same-day booth. Onsite sales start at 09:00 on a first-come basis. Online booking opens at 10:00 six days before your visit and runs through the day before. These figures apply to Changdeokgung as stated on the FAQ retrieved 2026-11-03. Neither channel guarantees a place, so a hypothetical plan for a Saturday visit would mean being online at 10:00 the previous Sunday, Korea time.

The official linked ticket portal separates general and Secret Garden tickets and repeats that the Garden needs general admission too. Complete payment within the deadline shown on your reservation. Some resellers quote different per-person ticket limits. Follow the palace FAQ and the conditions on your selected booking.

On the day: gate timing and the guided group

The FAQ warns that walking from the palace entrance to the Garden gate takes 15 minutes or more. Arrive at the palace ahead of your session minute with that walk added. Your group meets at the Garden gate with a guide. Per the current FAQ, you may follow the commentary or view the opened areas on your own. Access stays limited to those opened areas within your session, so treat it as a timed visit.

Foreign-language sessions are aimed at foreign visitors, and up to two accompanying Koreans may join. On the portal, activate the mobile ticket through the live system or collect a paper ticket at the booth or kiosk. A screenshot of a mobile ticket isn't valid.

With the Garden time fixed, the rest of the day is yours to plan. If you're shopping in Myeongdong or Seongsu afterward, PVRE Pharmacy lists Pure Pharmacy stores at 서울특별시 중구 명동8길 41 (Myeongdong) and 서울특별시 성동구 성수이로20길 3 (Seongsu), where the store page describes general pharmacist conversation about medicines and health alongside health and beauty products. That's a shopping stop. Ticketing questions go to the palace and its portal.

Evidence and criteria

  • Dual admission and the integrated-ticket exclusion: Changdeokgung official FAQ and Royal Palaces and Tombs Center admission rules, retrieved 2026-11-03.
  • Session size of 100 (50 online, 50 onsite), 09:00 onsite start, 10:00 online release six days ahead: Changdeokgung official FAQ, retrieved 2026-11-03.
  • 15-minute-plus walk to the Garden gate, guide meeting point, foreign-language session rule: same FAQ.
  • Every-Wednesday culture day excluding Gyeongbokgung and the Secret Garden: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center admission rules, retrieved 2026-11-03.
  • Payment deadlines, mobile activation and the screenshot rule: official ticket portal, retrieved 2026-11-03.
  • Where these sources conflict with a reseller or an older notice, the current palace FAQ and your selected booking take precedence. Prices aren't quoted here; check the portal at booking.
  • The suggested order of booking the Garden first and planning shopping after is an editorial suggestion, separate from the operator's rules.