X's Pensieve: 5 Days in Seoul: Day 2 - Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon Hanok Village, and Insadong (Part 1 of 3)

Gyeongbok Palace

Let's begin with Gyeongbokgung

Many people say Gyeongbokgung Palace. Well, you shouldn't because the word "gung" in the name already means palace. So if you say Gyeongbokgung Palace, you're saying Gyeongbok palace palace. It's like saying ATM machine or PIN number.

To get to Gyeongbokgung, we had to get to Gwanghwamun station. It's on Line 5 or Purple Line - the same line as Mok-Dong station which was our starting point. We didn't have to transfer to any other train line and just passed 13 stations towards Sangil-dong, get off at Gwanghwamun station, and went towards Exit 5. As you get off the train, you can easily read where to go next. As I said on the Useful Tips for Your Korean Trip blog entry, all you have to do is read the signs and you will not get lost.

Now out of the station, we immediately saw Gyeongbokgung looming behind us with 2 massive statues of King Sejong in front of it. We also saw Yellow ribbons across the street in front of the first statue and I quickly joked about Ninoy Aquino's yellow ribbon. Turns out, it was the 3rd anniversary of the death of the students aboard Sewol.

Past that, we took turns taking photos with the first statue, went past the second one because there's a group already taking photos, then proceeded towards the palace.

Picture with King Sejong before going in to Gyeongbok Palace

Included in our itineray is the Changing of Guards ceremony, happening every 9AM and 1 or 2 or 3 PM, different sites say different times but at least they're consistent with the 9AM schedule. We tried to get there in time but the ceremony is almost over when we got there. Entrance is temporarily prohibited during the ceremony and so, we piled up outside the palace until it is over.

Pretty summer flowers just outside Gyeongbok Palace

I think this statue is making fun of everyone trying to get in the palace.

Selfie before going in

We took turns having our photos taken with the palace guards. :)

Yes, you can take photos but you can't touch the guards or their clothes and weapons. Selfie is also prohibited. If you want a closeup photo with them, use your zoom. :)

Entrance fee to the palace is 8,000 KRW for foreigners, 10,000 KRW for Korean adults, and 4,000 won for Korean children. Dunno how much for foreigner children. :P Entrance fee to Gyeongbokgung is also valid for entrance to National Palace Museum on the left side from the entrance and to National Folk Museum on the far right side of the palace (we consulted Google Maps to locate it but I think I saw maps inside the palace, so you can consult that as well.)