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Seoul's palaces' golden three weeks — Chuseok week, then their biggest festival (Sept 24 – Oct 11)

Reported 2026-09-12 / Posted 2026-09-12 Updated · 2026-09-14 · Compiled from Korea Heritage Service announcements and Korean media reports · By
Updated · 2026-09-14

First official confirmation: the government’s 2026 Chuseok package waives cultural-facility fees — and highway tolls (September 14 update)

The picture firmed up. The government’s 2026 Chuseok relief package, announced September 13, includes free admission to major cultural facilities and recreation forests over the holiday — the strongest official signal yet that the palace free-opening happens as expected. The Korea Heritage Service’s palace-specific notice (exact sites and conditions, Huwon excluded as always) should follow shortly; we’ll finalize here when it lands. Bonus for road-trippers: highway tolls nationwide are waived September 24–27, which matters if you’re renting a car for the holiday week.

Seoul's royal palaces are heading into their best three weeks of the year. Chuseok week runs September 24–27 — and for every recent Chuseok holiday, most recently confirmed in 2024, the Korea Heritage Service has opened the four palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon Royal Tombs completely free, with the 2026 announcement expected in the days just before the holiday. Then, two weeks later, comes the part that is already official: the Fall Royal Culture Festival takes over the same palaces from October 7–11, with the most foreigner-friendly program lineup it has ever run — from a dedicated booking channel to reserved seats for foreign visitors. If your trip lands anywhere between September 24 and October 11, this article tells you exactly what to do with it.

The essentials

  • Chuseok week (Sept 24–27): the four royal palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung — plus Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon Royal Tombs have opened free for every recent Chuseok holiday; the official 2026 announcement is expected shortly before the holiday, so treat free entry as very likely but confirm before you go
  • Even without the free opening: palace entry is cheap anyway — around 3,000 won per palace
  • The one constant exception: Changdeokgung's Huwon (Secret Garden) has never been part of the free openings — it needs its own reserved ticket regardless
  • Festival week (confirmed): the Fall Royal Culture Festival (궁중문화축전) runs October 7–11, five days across the four palaces and Jongmyo — exhibitions, tours and hands-on programs by day, performances against the palace night scenery after dark
  • For foreigners: a dedicated booking channel on Creatrip, a hanbok banquet event for 800 participants, a morning palace program with a daily English session, and 300 seats reserved for foreign visitors at the eve performance
  • Hours: palaces run roughly 09:00–18:00, last entry 17:00
  • Why this matters extra in 2026: foliage is running late this year — early-October visitors who miss the leaves get the palaces at their absolute best instead

Week one: Chuseok at the palaces (Sept 24–27)

Here is the honest state of play. The free Chuseok opening is a well-established Korea Heritage Service tradition: for every recent Chuseok holiday it has opened the four palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs free of charge — the most recent confirmed edition was 2024 — and in those years the usual weekly closing days were suspended for the holiday too. What doesn't exist yet is the official 2026 announcement; the KHS typically publishes it only a couple of weeks before the holiday. So plan on it, but verify: check the palace website or call the free 1330 hotline right before you go. We'll update this article the moment the official word lands.

The safety net is that the downside is tiny: even if 2026 broke the pattern, palace entry costs around 3,000 won — Chuseok week at the palaces is worth building into the itinerary either way. One rule that holds in every scenario: Huwon, Changdeokgung's celebrated Secret Garden, has never been part of any free opening. It runs on limited, timed, reserved entry year-round, so book that separately if it's on your list.

After dark, the season typically brings its own separately ticketed night programs: the Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour (별빛기행) and night viewing — covered in our Gyeongbokgung night guide — plus the Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (달빛기행), which our moonlight tour guide walks through, and Yayeon (야연) at Changgyeonggung. Daytime entry, free or not, does not include any of these.

Week three: the Fall Royal Culture Festival (Oct 7–11) — confirmed

Two weeks after Chuseok, the palaces flip from quiet heritage sites into festival grounds — and this part is officially announced. For five days, October 7–11, the Fall Royal Culture Festival fills the four palaces and Jongmyo with exhibitions, guided tours and hands-on programs by day, and — expanded in this edition — performances and programs set against the palace night scenery after dark.

What makes this edition genuinely notable for travelers is the official foreigner lineup. There's a dedicated foreigner booking channel on Creatrip, so you're not fighting through Korean-only ticketing. The "Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Yeonhyang" (한복 연향) — a hanbok royal banquet event — takes 800 participants over two days. "Waking the Morning Palace" (아침 궁을 깨우다) runs a daily English session. And the eve special performance holds 300 seats reserved for foreign visitors. That's not a token gesture; it's the broadest foreigner program the festival has offered.

On the Korean side, advance booking runs through Ticketlink in stages — different programs go on sale at different times, so check each program's date on the official festival page rather than assuming one on-sale day. Some programs are free or walk-up; others are ticketed.

How to play it

  • In Seoul Sept 24–27: palace-hop — free if the expected opening is confirmed, a few thousand won each if not. Expect Korean family crowds midday — Chuseok is Korea's biggest holiday — so go at the 09:00 open for the quiet courtyards. One honest note: many small restaurants close on Chuseok day itself (September 25), so plan that day's meals around palace-area options, hotels, convenience stores or chains.
  • In Seoul Oct 7–11: festival week. Book the foreigner programs on Creatrip ahead of time — the night programs sell out fastest — and treat daytime walk-up programs as your flexible layer.
  • Between the two (Sept 28 – Oct 6): normal paid entry, which is still cheap, and the night tours typically running. A perfectly good week — just not the headline one.
  • Anytime: Huwon needs its own reservation, full stop.
  • Getting there and around: the Chuseok travel rush runs September 23–27 and trains sell out via pre-sale — our Korail+ guide covers how foreigners book.

Honest take

The quiet winner here is the early-October traveler. Our foliage forecast calls early October a trap this year — the leaves are late, and Seoul's own peak doesn't arrive until late October or early November. Palace season is the answer to that gap: Chuseok week (very likely free, cheap regardless) if you're early, the confirmed festival if you land in the second week of October, and night tours typically running throughout. The trade-off is crowds — holiday days and festival days are exactly when Seoul shows up too. Go early in the morning, book the ticketed programs ahead, confirm the free opening on the official site before you count on it, and let the palaces carry the itinerary the mountains can't yet.

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