Wear a Hanbok to Gyeongbokgung. You Might Remember a Past Life.

Rent the hanbok. I mean it. Put it on, walk through the gate at Gyeongbokgung, stand in the courtyard and close your eyes for a second. I'm fairly sure I remembered a past life in there. I was a king, obviously. So here's why it's worth an afternoon of your trip, and exactly how renting one works.

So what is a hanbok, anyway?

Hanbok (한복) is Korea's traditional clothing. If you've ever watched a Korean historical drama, the kings, queens and court ladies in flowing silk, that's hanbok.

Koreans still wear it, just not to the office. Families put it on for Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (the autumn harvest holiday), for weddings, and for a baby's first birthday. These days there's also saenghwal hanbok, everyday hanbok cut for normal life, and designer pieces that mix the old lines with modern fabric. You'll spot both around Seoul.

For you, it's two things at once. A costume that makes every photo look like a drama still. And a key: wear it, and the palaces let you in free.

Why Gwanghwamun gets me every time

Seoul is a strange, wonderful mix. A royal palace, a glass-tower city, mountains, a huge river, all inside one subway map. Nowhere shows that better than Gwanghwamun.

Come up from Gwanghwamun Station into the square. There's Admiral Yi Sun-sin standing tall, then King Sejong sitting on his throne, the king who gave Korea its alphabet. Behind them, the big gate, Gwanghwamun. Behind the gate, the roofs of Gyeongbokgung. And behind the palace, Bugaksan, a rocky green mountain, sitting there like the whole thing was planned. It was.

When I worked around Gwanghwamun, that view put me in a good mood every single morning. I'm Korean, I've seen it a thousand times, and it still gives me a little chill.

Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395, the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, the one that ran Korea for five centuries. It's the palace you've seen in the dramas. And it's the one you want to walk into wearing hanbok.

The walls and side paths are where the photos look calm. · Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (신혜성) (opens in a new tab), "경복궁," 2023 / KOGL Type 1 (opens in a new tab)

The past-life moment

Here's what nobody tells you. A hanbok changes how you walk. The sleeves are wide, the trousers or skirt are full, and you slow down without trying. You stop rushing to the next sight. You start looking up at the painted eaves and down at the old uneven stones.

Then you walk under a palace gate in it, and you're not a tourist anymore. You're the king. The queen. The prince who's late for the morning audience. It feels less like a costume and more like coming home to a house you used to live in.

Last time, I went with Hana, our tours editor. She booked the shop, planned our hours and picked a butter-yellow jeogori with a red skirt. I just showed up and stared at the mirror. In the courtyard we both closed our eyes. She swears she was a queen. I didn't argue.

So do what we did. Find a quiet corner of the courtyard, close your eyes and let it play. Thirty seconds. You'll laugh at yourself afterward. You'll also remember it longer than any museum.

How renting a hanbok works, step by step

1. Pick a shop near the palace. Hanbok rental shops cluster around Gyeongbokgung Station, especially Exit 4, a short walk from the palace gate. You can walk in, but booking ahead saves you the wait in high season.
2. Choose your hanbok. Basic or themed. For the free palace ticket, pick a set with a proper jeogori top with a wrap collar. A jeogori over jeans doesn't count, and neither does a one-piece dress without a jeogori.
3. Get dressed and styled. Staff help you tie it. Some rentals include hair styling (the Gyeongbokgung one below does); check what accessories cost before you pick. Lockers come with some packages, not all, so bring a small bag.
4. Pick enough time. Most shops rent by the hour; the ones below run 1.5 to 4 hours. Take at least 3; that's Hana's rule, and she's right. Getting dressed, walking to the gate and reaching the back of the palace takes longer than you'd think.
5. Walk in free, return on time. Show up at the palace gate in hanbok and you won't need a ticket. Head back to the shop before your time runs out.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience in Seoul

The shop is a minute from Exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung Station. Basic or themed hanbok, hair styling included, rentals from 1.5 to 4 hours. An inner skirt and a locker come with some packages.

• Good for: a self-paced palace walk with your own phone photos.
• Before you book: check what time the shop opens if you want to be at the gate when the palace opens.

Seoul Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Photoshoot & Korean History Tour

If you want the drama-poster photos, this is the one. You meet outside Exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung Station, get dressed at a rental shop nearby (about 30 minutes), then shoot at Gwanghwamun Gate, inside the palace and at Gyeonghoeru Pavilion over the pond, while a guide tells you the Joseon stories behind each building. Palace admission, an English-speaking guide and photographer, and at least 50 edited photos by download link are included.

• Good for: couples and families who want photos they'll print.
• Before you book: the hanbok rental isn't included; you pay the shop separately. It's a group tour, and if you're more than 15 minutes late you can't join. No strollers. On Tuesdays the tour goes to Changdeokgung instead.

Changdeokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience in Seoul

Same setup from a shop on Donhwamun-ro, the street up to Changdeokgung's front gate, with rentals up to 4 hours. Pick this if crowds wear you out (more on that below).

• Good for: a slower afternoon across two palaces next door to each other.
• Before you book: Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung are closed Mondays.

When to go

• 8:50 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. The palaces open at 9. Ten minutes early and the first half hour is the calmest you'll get, even in the free weeks. The other quiet window is right after lunch, when tour groups go to eat.
• Guard ceremony: 10:00 and 14:00 at Gyeongbokgung's main gate, about 20 minutes. Watch it once. Or use those 20 minutes to get to the back of the palace while everyone's out front.
• Closing time: from November through February, Gyeongbokgung closes at 5 p.m. (last entry 4). In September and October, 6 p.m. (last entry 5). Plan your rental around that.

If crowds aren't your thing

Our city editor, Mina, would skip Gyeongbokgung's main courtyard altogether and send you east. Rent near Changdeokgung, start next door at Changgyeonggung (usually the quietest of the three, open until 9 p.m., and at ₩1,000 the cheapest ticket), and walk to the white glass greenhouse, Daeonsil, built in 1909 as Korea's first Western-style greenhouse. Then cross into Changdeokgung.

Changgyeonggung's greenhouse in November. Quieter than Gyeongbokgung. · Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (최린) (opens in a new tab), "창경궁," 2023 / KOGL Type 1 (opens in a new tab)

• From November, Changdeokgung closes at 5:30 p.m. (last entry 4:30).
• The Secret Garden behind Changdeokgung is not free in hanbok. It needs its own ticket on top of the palace ticket, by timed slot: online booking opens six days ahead at 10 a.m., on-site tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. that day, and English-language slots are 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30 from March to November.
• On Wednesdays, Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung are free for everyone, so expect more people.
• From November 10 to 15, 2026, Changgyeonggung closes at 5:30 p.m. (last entry 4:30) for a special event.

Before you go

• Shoes: something you can walk 2 km in. The hanbok covers your feet anyway.
• Bag: small. Many shops hand you a little pouch.
• Weather: in November, a hanbok over a thin layer is fine by day. After 4, you'll want your coat.

Worth a read before you go:

• Royal Palaces: hours and closed days (in Korean) (opens in a new tab)
• Royal Palaces: free entry in hanbok, what counts (opens in a new tab)
• Royal Palaces: free entry for everyone, Oct 29–Nov 15, 2026 (in Korean) (opens in a new tab)

Pick your day, not a Tuesday. Book a morning rental, come up out of Gwanghwamun Station, look north, then walk on to your shop by Gyeongbokgung Station. Then go meet your past self.