Journal — Choosing a palace
Gyeongbokgung vs Changgyeonggung: which palace should you shoot in?
We shoot in both, every week. Here is the comparison we give guests who ask — no mystique, just light, crowds and closing days.
The short answer
If it is your first time in Seoul and you want the postcard — the wide courtyards, the Geunjeongjeon throne hall, Bugaksan behind the rooflines — book Gyeongbokgung and take the earliest slot you can. If you have seen the postcard, or the idea of sharing your backdrop with a tour group makes your shoulders rise, book Changgyeonggung and enjoy having a palace nearly to yourselves.
What Gyeongbokgung gives you
Scale. It is the largest of Seoul's royal palaces, and the only one where a single session can move from monumental courtyard to painted colonnade to mountain-backed roofline without leaving the walls. The granite holds morning light beautifully — before 10 a.m. the courtyards are calm and the frames feel like the Joseon era. By midday the same spots are crowded. Start times run through 4 p.m., but if Gyeongbokgung is your palace, take one of the early slots.
What Changgyeonggung gives you
Quiet. Of the palaces travelers shoot in, it is the one we find emptiest, with sloping grounds, old trees, and a white glass greenhouse from 1909 at the far end that photographs like nowhere else in the city. The light stays gentle later into the day, and on a weekday you can walk a corridor for an hour and meet no one. It is the palace to pick if you can only shoot in the afternoon.
Side by side
| Gyeongbokgung | Changgyeonggung | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Monumental, classic | Intimate, unhurried |
| Crowds | Heavy after 10 a.m. | Light all day |
| Best light | Early morning | Morning through mid-afternoon |
| Closed | Tuesdays | Mondays |
| Signature frame | Throne hall & mountain roofline | Greenhouse & tree-lined slopes |
Practical notes, either way
- Palace admission is free while you are wearing hanbok, so the rental is the only ticket you need to buy.
- Between the two closing days there is always a palace open; we schedule around them for you.
- The session itself is identical: 60 minutes inside, 300+ frames, 15 edited photos within 48 hours and 2 Polaroid prints — ₩150,000 (about $110) per adult, with the full cost breakdown on the pricing page.
- Still unsure? Say so when you book — if you are undecided, we book Gyeongbokgung.