Jung-gu is the central district of Seoul, and a lot of first-time visitors pass through it on the way somewhere else. This guide slows that down. It covers one palace, one hanok (traditional house) village, a chicken-soup lunch in Myeongdong and a short route that links Namdaemun Market to the palace.
We have not visited these places for this guide. It is a summary of what the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and official tourism sites say, checked on 11 October 2026. Where sources disagree, we show both. Distances marked as estimates are straight lines between listing coordinates, not walking routes.
Quick answer
- Go to Deoksugung (덕수궁) for a palace that sits among city office towers. KTO lists it as closed on Mondays.
- Add Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을) for a courtyard of traditional houses. It is also closed on Mondays.
- Eat samgyetang (삼계탕), a chicken soup, at Baekje Samgyetang (백제삼계탕) in Myeongdong. KTO lists it as open every day.
- Link Namdaemun Market (남대문시장) and the palace on foot. We estimate 0.65 km in a straight line, but we did not verify a walking route.
Where to Go: Deoksugung and Namsangol
Deoksugung (덕수궁)
KTO says Deoksugung was first a private house and became a temporary palace after the Japanese invasion of 1592. It was formally named a palace in 1611. In 1897, King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire, and the palace became the imperial palace. KTO says the grounds were then enlarged and Western-style buildings were added, so traditional and Western-style architecture now stand together. The palace was reduced in size in the 20th century and restored over time, according to KTO.
That mix is the reason to go. The photo below shows a tiled hall in the foreground, a white columned building behind it and modern towers beyond.
The address is 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, according to KTO.
Hours and closing day. KTO lists general viewing from 09:00 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:00, and a weekly closing day on Monday. Visit Seoul, the city’s official tourism site, gives the same hours and closing day. If the Monday is a public holiday, KTO says the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday instead, so check the date.
Exhibition halls close earlier. KTO lists Seokjojeon (석조전) at 09:30 to 17:30, with the last guided tour at 16:30. Dondeokjeon (돈덕전) is 09:00 to 17:30 with entry until 17:00, and Jungmyeongjeon (중명전) is 09:30 to 17:30 with entry until 17:00.
Ticket. Visit Seoul lists an adult ticket at 1,000 won. We did not confirm any free-entry rules, such as for people in hanbok, so check the palace’s official site if that matters to you.
Getting there. Both Visit Seoul and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) point to City Hall Station, but they give different exits. Visit Seoul lists Lines 1 and 2, Exit 1, 72 m. The MMCA page lists Line 1, Exit 2, 105 m. Look at the station map on the day. KTO says parking is not possible at the palace.
Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을)
KTO says the village was created in 1998 on the northern side of Namsan. It has five hanok, a traditional craft hall, a pavilion, a traditional garden, a performance hall and a time-capsule plaza. The five houses were moved or rebuilt from other parts of Seoul. According to KTO, four of them were moved with their original timber, and one was rebuilt with new materials because the old one was too worn to move.
KTO lists activities such as wearing hanbok, folding hanji paper, writing hangeul and tasting traditional tea, and it says real traditional weddings take place on Saturdays and Sundays. Whether any of these programs run on the day you visit is not something we could confirm. KTO also says cultural heritage interpreters are on site.
Hours and closing day. KTO lists 09:00 to 21:00 from April to October and 09:00 to 20:00 from November to March. It lists a Monday closing day, with the next day closed if Monday is a public holiday. Visit Seoul lists free admission.
Getting there. Visit Seoul lists Chungmuro Station (Lines 3 and 4), Exit 4, 307 m. KTO lists parking as possible.
Between the two. Namsangol is about 1.6 km from Deoksugung in a straight line (our estimate). We did not verify a walking or transit route, so use a map app.
What to Eat: Samgyetang near Myeongdong
Samgyetang is a chicken soup. KTO describes Baekje Samgyetang (백제삼계탕) at 8-10 Myeongdong 8-gil (명동8길 8-10) as a second-generation restaurant that opened in 1971. It says the broth is made only from ginseng, jujube, glutinous rice and garlic, and that the side dishes are made by the restaurant every day. Those are KTO’s words, drawn from the restaurant’s own description, and we have not tasted the food.
KTO lists samgyetang as the first menu item and also lists black-bone chicken soup (오골계탕), a ginseng-cultured-root samgyetang (삼산배양근삼계탕) and abalone porridge (전복죽). It lists opening hours of 09:00 to 22:00, last order 21:00, open all year, with credit cards accepted. The listed number is 02-776-3267. We found no prices, no waiting times and no English menu information.
To order, say 삼계탕 주세요 (samgyetang juseyo), which means “samgyetang, please”. The dish contains chicken, and we found no source on allergens, halal or vegetarian options, so ask staff about the ingredients and the broth.
In a straight line the restaurant is about 0.7 km from Deoksugung and about 0.7 km from Namdaemun Market (our estimates).
A crab option nearby
Odari-jip (오다리집) is about 0.2 km from Baekje Samgyetang in a straight line (our estimate). KTO lists soy-marinated crab (간장게장) as its signature dish and says the menu has Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English text. It lists hours of 08:10 to 24:00, open all year, with credit cards accepted.
Snacks at Namdaemun Market
KTO’s market page lists foods such as oxtail soup, kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), vegetable hotteok (a filled griddle pancake) and chicken soup. Visit Seoul names several nearby restaurants, including an oxtail soup place, a chicken soup place and braised cutlassfish restaurants. We do not name a single stall, because we cannot check which are open.
Plan Your Visit: Namdaemun Market to Deoksugung on Foot
This route is our suggestion. It follows the order market, then palace, because the palace’s last entry is 20:00 and the market is easiest to enter at the station.
- Namdaemun Market. Visit Seoul lists Hoehyeon Station (Line 4), Exit 7, 17 m. KTO gives the address as 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil.
- Eat or snack in the market. KTO says hours and closing days differ by shop. Visit Seoul lists the market as Monday to Saturday, with Sunday as a rest day.
- Walk to Deoksugung. About 0.65 km in a straight line (our estimate). We did not verify the route or the time.
- Deoksugung. 09:00 to 21:00, last entry 20:00, closed Mondays.
If you want lunch in Myeongdong, put Baekje Samgyetang between the market and the palace or after the palace. Both are about 0.7 km away in a straight line, so the order is a matter of taste. We have no walking times.
Closing days at a glance
| Place | Listed closing day or hours | | — | — | | Deoksugung | Mondays; 09:00 to 21:00, last entry 20:00 (KTO, Visit Seoul) | | Namsangol Hanok Village | Mondays; 09:00 to 21:00 April to October (KTO) | | Namdaemun Market | Differs by shop (KTO); Sunday rest day (Visit Seoul) | | Baekje Samgyetang | Open all year; 09:00 to 22:00, last order 21:00 (KTO) | | Odari-jip | Open all year; 08:10 to 24:00 (KTO) |
First-Timer Tips
These are our suggestions, not sourced facts.
- Plan this for Tuesday to Saturday so every stop is open.
- Check the station map at City Hall Station, because sources give different exits.
- Save the exhibition halls for the morning, since they close earlier than the grounds.
FAQ
Is Deoksugung open on Monday? No. KTO and Visit Seoul both list Monday as the closing day.
How late can I enter Deoksugung? Last entry is 20:00, with the grounds open until 21:00.
Is Namsangol Hanok Village free? Visit Seoul lists free admission. KTO does not list a fee.
Is Baekje Samgyetang open every day? KTO lists it as open all year, 09:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:00.
Which exit do I use at City Hall Station? Visit Seoul lists Exit 1 and the MMCA lists Exit 2. Check the station map.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Walking routes and times between the market, Myeongdong, Deoksugung and Namsangol.
- Prices, waits and English menu information at Baekje Samgyetang, and allergen, halal or vegetarian information.
- Free-entry rules at Deoksugung, and times of any guard-changing ceremony.
- Which Namsangol programs run on a given day.
- Hours of individual shops and stalls in Namdaemun Market.
Related guides
- Cheonggyecheon Stream: A Short City Walk
- Jogyesa Temple: A Quiet Stop in Jongno
- KTX Seoul to Busan Guide
We post short first-timer guides on Instagram too: @rolo.koreaguide.
Sources
Checked on 11 Oct 2026.
- Korea Tourism Organization, TourAPI (Korean service): Deoksugung (content ID 126509), Namsangol Hanok Village (126747), Baekje Samgyetang (133858), Odari-jip (1489369), Namdaemun Market (132180). Photographs from 126509 (KOGL Type 1) and from 126747, 133858, 1489369 and 132180 (KOGL Type 3), used unaltered.
- Visit Seoul (official city tourism site): Deoksugung Palace https://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Deoksugung-Palace/ENP002046 ; Namsangol Hanok Village https://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/namsangol-hanok-village/ENP000276 ; Namdaemun Market https://english.visitseoul.net/shopping/Namdaemun-Market/ENP000085 .
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), subway directions to Deoksugung: https://m.mmca.go.kr/eng/deoksugung/accessibility/subway.do (page undated).
- Distances: straight-line calculations from the KTO listing coordinates, not walking routes.
