Start your Jeong-dong plan with two decisions: whether to visit Seokjojeon Hall, and which exhibition to see at the Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch. The hall needs advance online booking and a guide-accompanied visit. Then compare the two venues’ closure calendars before settling on a date.[1][3]
Stone wall and walking path
Deoksugung Palace → Jeongdong-gil and the area around the stone wall of Deoksugung Palace → Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch
This route is for anyone interested in history and architecture, or planning a Seoul outing that includes an exhibition. Rather than packing the schedule tightly, set aside roughly half a day and adjust it to how much you want to see. This is a suggested itinerary, not a guide based on measured walking or visiting times.
Match the opening days first
Both Deoksugung Palace and the museum generally list Monday as their closed day, but their public-holiday exceptions and the way these apply are different. To visit both, check each venue separately to make sure they are open on the same date.
Deoksugung Palace
• Official guidance: General visiting hours 09:00–21:00, last admission 20:00. Regular closing day: Monday
• Check before visiting: Public-holiday and substitute-holiday exceptions, exhibition-building reservations, admission fees
Seosomun Main Branch
• Official guidance: Tuesday–Thursday 10:00–20:00, Friday 10:00–21:00
• Check before visiting: Exhibitions, reservations, and temporary operating changes on your visit date
Seosomun Main Branch on weekends and public holidays
• Official guidance: March–October 10:00–19:00, November–February 10:00–18:00
• Check before visiting: Last admission 1 hour before closing
The address of Seosomun Main Branch is 61, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. The museum states that it closes on January 1 and every Monday, but opens as usual when Monday is a public holiday. Admission is free, although special exhibitions may charge a fee. Deoksugung Palace states that it opens when its regular closing day falls on a public holiday or substitute public holiday, and closes on the first following day that is not a public holiday instead.[1][3]
This information follows official guidance checked on October 12, 2026. Before visiting, check the latest notices and your actual walking route.
Make the palace booking your anchor
There is an important distinction to make before visiting. General admission to Deoksugung Palace and admission to exhibition buildings within the grounds do not have the same conditions. Official guidance specifies that Seokjojeon Hall requires an advance online reservation and a visit accompanied by a guide. If you want to see Seokjojeon Hall, check reservation availability first and plan your palace visit around it.[1]
Palace courtyard
Choose your own stretch of Jeongdong-gil
The Seoul Tourism Organization introduces Jeong-dong as an area where the stone wall of Deoksugung Palace meets early modern buildings. Its official guided walking tour, “Modern Times in Jeong-dong,” includes Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture, Chungdong First Methodist Church, Appenzeller Noble Memorial Museum, and Seoul Museum of Art. If you would like guided explanations of the buildings and the area’s history, this program is worth considering separately.[2]
The walk suggested here, however, is arranged differently from that official guided tour. Rather than adding every landmark, choose the stretches that interest you between Deoksugung Palace and the museum. That better suits the intention of this outing. Decide on your actual walking route after checking entrances and which sections are accessible to pedestrians.
Street beside a stone wall
Look at the museum building before the exhibition
The final stop is the Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch. According to its official introduction, the building brings together the façade of the former Supreme Court and contemporary architecture. You can begin your museum visit by looking at the exterior before entering the galleries.[3]
Imagined art museum
Choose an exhibition with your visit date in mind. No particular exhibition is always on, so check the listings before setting out and build your time around one that interests you. Special exhibitions may have different fees or admission conditions.
Alongside its galleries, the museum lists SeMA L, a space for learning and relaxation, and an outdoor sculpture park among its facilities. Leave yourself a little time after the exhibition to pause in whichever spaces are available that day.[3]
Garden and abstract sculpture
The point is not to fit in more stops. Compare the palace spaces with the streets outside, then carry that attention to architecture into the museum. Leave room between visits to notice those connections.
Questions before your visit
Does admission to Deoksugung Palace include unrestricted access to Seokjojeon Hall?
General admission does not guarantee a visit to the hall. If it is part of your plan, arrange the palace visit around its advance online booking and guide-accompanied admission requirements.[1]
Do Deoksugung Palace and the Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch follow the same closure rules when Monday is a public holiday?
No. The museum opens on public-holiday Mondays, while the palace opens when its regular closing day falls on a public or substitute holiday and closes on the first subsequent non-holiday, so check the following dates separately too.[1][3]
Is the Deoksugung–Jeongdong-gil–Seosomun Main Branch route an official guided walking tour?
No. This is a separate editorial suggestion linking palace, streets and museum; consider the official “Modern Times in Jeong-dong” separately if you want historical commentary. Its stated duration does not apply to this walk.[2]
The images in this article are AI-generated scenes, not photographs of the actual locations.
Sources
1. Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Visiting hours. Checked: 2026-10-12. Source for general admission to Deoksugung Palace, regular closing days, and reservation requirements for Seokjojeon Hall.
2. Seoul Tourism Organization, Visit Seoul, Modern Times in Jeong-dong. Page’s displayed modification date: 2026-08-31. Checked: 2026-10-12. Source for the introduction to Jeong-dong and the existence of the official guided tour. The official tour’s duration of 2–3 hours is not used as the duration of this suggested walk.
3. Seoul Museum of Art, Visitor information for Seosomun Main Branch. Checked: 2026-10-12. Source for architecture, facilities, address, visiting hours, closing days, and fees.
