Experience: Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace

Being able to visit Changdeokgung palace for the Moonlight Tour is a very rare luck - the visit is only possible at few selected dates per year and tickets sell out extremely fast. However, if you are planning a visit to Seoul and are flexible with dates, it is absolutely worth it to try and book a ticket.

I am very sorry that I won't be able to write too much information, because it has been over a year since I visited and I forgot many things the guides told us. TT___TT. But that's all the more reason for you to try to experience the tour yourself!

Before the tour, you have to go through ticket and identity check and then join one of the group queues.

One of the best things about the tour is that there are no more daily visitors, and the tour guides make enough pauses for everyone to take photos. They also try to keep good spacing between the groups so that the palace really feels empty - still, if there's a way, it's best to be with the Group No. 1 of course.

Every family or group of friends was also given a lantern to enhance the experience, and to have some light once the sun really set.

They lit up all these candles for the tour too!

The figurines on the roof are used not only for decoration, but also to ward off evil spirits. Their number I believe should always be odd.

In Seoul, I'm always fascinated by the juxtaposition of traditional architecture and modern buildings and skyscrapers. From the palace, you could even see the Namsan tower!

The only thing I remember is that the round shape of the door had some kind of sexual meaning and indicated - I think - where the king's concubine stayed...

And these wine leaves have also a hidden meaning.

This lake scenery was innumerably more beautiful in real life than in photos. A beautiful lady was also playing music in one of the pavilions as we were allowed 20 minutes to enjoy the dreamy Secret Garden. 

During the last part of the tour, we were shown a range of traditional music and dance performances. I especially loved the arirang, and I've never managed to find a similar version online after.

We also received some gifts - tea, rice cakes, and bookmarks. 

The tour costs 30 000 KRW and I think it is absolutely worth every Won. We had to take a train to a conference in Busan the morning after (at like 7 am), and for me it was also the last night in Seoul as I then went from Busan straight to the airport so I also had to finish packing and cleaning up my room in the gosiwon, and we still went - which proves how much we valued the experience we expected to get.

Yours truly

Vita