Day Two in Seoul: Changdeokgung Palace & Cheonggyecheon Stream

Changdeokgung Palace entrance with the cute little boy in yellow 😆

On our second day in Korea, we decided to stay in Seoul and explore the nearby Palaces. We’re scheduled to visit the 4 Palaces – Changdeokgung Palace including Huwon Secret Garden, Gyeongbokgung & Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace; Jongmyo Shrine, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong, Samcheong-gil road, Soecheon Village, Chengwadae (Blue House), Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Cheonggye Plaza.

We scheduled a bit too much for the day that we were not able to go to all of those places. We only managed to explore Changdeokgung Palace including Huwon Secret Garden, bought souvenirs from Insadong, and walked along Gwanghwamun Square until we reach Cheonggyecheon Stream and Cheonggye Plaza.

Integrated Pass for KRW10,000(USD10)

We bought the integrated pass for the 4 Palaces and Jongmyo Shrine which costs 10,000 KRW (10USD) since we’re expecting to visit all the Palaces in 1 day, but we were able to visit 2 Palaces only during the trip.

TRAVEL TIP: The integrated pass is still cheaper if you want to visit the Secret Garden in Changdeokgung. The Changdeokgung entrance alone costs 3,000 KRW(3USD) and the Secret Garden costs 5,000 KRW(5USD). 

Changdeokgung Palace was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbukgung Palace in 1405. It was the principal palace for many kings of the Joseon Dynasty, and is the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal Joseon palaces. The palace grounds are comprised of a public palace area, a royal family residence building, and the rear garden.

Injeongjeon Hall

Huijeongdang Hall

Daejojeon Hall

Huwon Secret Garden

Persimmon Tree

It was still drizzling when we finished roaming around the palace. We dropped by the coffee and souvenir shop just before the exit where we bought these super cute hand made mirrors. 😊

Hand mirrors for KRW10,000 each (10USD)

After Changdeokgung, we walked along Jongno-gu street to look for place to eat. We were not particular about the name of the barbecue place since we're so much it in a hurry to get inside cause the rain is getting heavier. The price is reasonable enough, the place is clean and the food is really good. Finally, samgyeopsal! 😉 

Samgyeopsal and side dishes (for 3) - KRW27,000 (27USD) 

Soy bean paste stew - KRW6,000 (6USD)

Enjoying pork on a rainy day 😇

After filling up our stomach, we walked and walked to Gwanghwamun Square up to Cheonggyecheon Stream. There's an ongoing parade at the streets of Gwanghwamun Square when we passed by.

It was still drizzling when we head back home. To wrap up the day, we had dinner at the street near our accommodation, indulging ourselves with Korea's famous street foods. 😉