There are Five Grand Palaces located in Seoul. I only visited two during the many times I visited Seoul. I’m sure they all have their own special unique characteristics, but after the two I visited, is said “I’m good.”

Now don’t get me wrong…I enjoyed my visits to both and highly recommend them. But if I’m honest, there were times when things had me saying ‘deja vu’!

The first palace I visited was the Changgyeonggung Palace. I chose this one because it has beautiful and brightly decorated architecture and is a popular spot to see cherry blossoms in Seoul. Unfortunately, I was just a bit too early to view the cherry blossoms as they were just starting to appear.  

The second Palace I visited was the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is said to be the most beautiful of the five palaces (I say it’s debatable), but it is the largest for sure. What sets this palace apart is that they have a changing of the guard ceremony twice a day, except Tuesdays. So if you are planning a trip, make sure you’re there at the right time. Those ceremonial outfits make it all worthwhile! And speaking of outfits...It’s very popular to rent traditional outfits called hanbok. Wearing hanbok allows you free entry into any of the palaces, so it is quite common to see both Koreans and foreigners dressed up in the very fancy, traditional garb.