Deoksugung Stone Wall Road in Autumn: Go at Sunset, on a Weekday

I walked the Deoksugung Stone Wall Road alone, back when I was still a bachelor, on an autumn evening just as the sun was going down. It stopped me in my tracks. It is the place I would send a first-time visitor for a sunset walk.

Go in autumn, at sunset, on a weekday

Autumn is the season for this walk. The leaves turn yellow and orange above the old palace wall, and the low evening light catches the stone and the tiled eaves.

Time it for sunset. Sunset in Seoul is around 18:00 at the start of October and about half an hour earlier by the end of the month, so arrive a little before that and walk as the light changes. A weekday evening was noticeably less crowded than a weekend, and I would choose one if you can.

Take the subway

Public transport is the answer in Seoul, and especially here, where the roads around the palace are busy and parking is not something you want to think about. Take the subway to City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2). Different sources quote different exit numbers (1, 2 and 12 appear), so follow the signs to Daehanmun, the palace’s main gate, which is a short walk from the station.

The walk itself

• It is free to walk the road outside the wall, and it is reported to be open at any hour.
• It is about 1.1 km around the palace wall, and 30 to 60 minutes is a comfortable pace with stops.
• It is lit at night, when the wall glows gold and the walk takes on a different mood.

One bit of folklore you will hear is that couples who walk this road end up breaking up. It is a story rather than documented history, and one explanation sometimes given is that a family court once stood nearby. I went alone, so I was safe either way.

If you also go inside the palace

Deoksugung Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 21:00, with last admission at 20:00, and closed on Mondays. Adult entry is reported at 1,000 won, and entry is free for visitors under 18 or over 65 and for anyone wearing hanbok. To see it before dark, enter before 20:00 and give yourself at least an hour. Some buildings close earlier than the palace gates.

Check the official site before you go. Sources disagree on a few details, and one reports repair work on the south wall through November 2026, with access through Pyeongseongmun Gate restricted for part of that time.

The stone wall road is close to Myeongdong, so it combines easily with Myeongdong and Namsan on the same day, and a day at Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon fits the same trip.

Hours, fees and wall-works dates come from published sources (October 2026) and can change. Confirm with the palace before you go.

Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

Sources: Deoksugung Palace official site; Visit Seoul.