Changdeokgung Palace in central Seoul is running three-month moonlight tours until November, offering a rare opportunity to experience the enchanting beauty of the palace at night, which served as the quarters for ancient kings and queens hundreds of years ago.
The well-preserved historical palace was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
A sneak preview arranged by the Korea Heritage Service on Wednesday featured a guided tour that began at 7 p.m. in front of the main gate, Donhwamun. The tour offered detailed explanations about the palace, where around 25 ancient kings had lived.
The 100-minute tour included visits to buildings such as Injeongjeon, where kings met foreign envoys and held important national rituals, and Juhamnu Pavilion near the palace's rear garden, which served as a library and storage for preserving the kings' calligraphy and other writings.
Music performances also gave participants a sense of traveling back in time, with the sounds of traditional Korean instruments like the daegeum (a bamboo flute) and the geomungo (a six-stringed zither).
The nighttime tours run from Thursday through Nov. 10. They are also available in three different languages – Chinese, English and Japanese – on Oct. 20, Oct. 27, and Nov. 3. Those interested can buy tickets online at reservation site Creatrip for 30,000 Korean won (US$22).
For tours on other days, tickets are available through Ticketlink at the same price.
Visitors must be at least seven years old, as the palace's bumpy roads could be dangerous for minors.
