Changgyeonggung Palace

Changgyeonggung was built in the fifteenth century as a residence for dowager queens and became the domestic quarter of the Joseon court - less ceremonial than Gyeongbokgung, less designed than Changdeokgung, and today by far the least crowded of the five palaces. Its main hall, Myeongjeongjeon, is the oldest surviving throne hall in Korea and faces east rather than south, unusual and a consequence of the ground. Behind the halls the ground opens into gardens with Chundangji, a pond in two parts, and the Daeonsil, a greenhouse of iron and glass built in 1909 - which is where the difficult part of the site's history sits: under Japanese rule the palace was reduced to a park with a zoo and botanical garden and renamed, and the greenhouse dates from that period. The zoo was removed in the 1980s and the palace restored. A gate at the back connects directly into Changdeokgung's grounds, and the combined ticket covers both.

What you actually see

• Myeongjeongjeon - the oldest throne hall in the country.
• Chundangji pond - the two-part pond in the rear garden.
• The 1909 greenhouse - the iron and glass Daeonsil.
• The Changdeokgung link - the gate through to the next palace.

When to go

April for cherry round the pond, late October and November for colour. Weekday mornings are genuinely quiet, which is this palace's advantage.

Honest expectations

It is smaller and plainer than Gyeongbokgung - visitors expecting grandeur go elsewhere. Some buildings are closed. The Changdeokgung connection needs the combined ticket bought in advance.

Nearby

Changdeokgung is through the rear gate; Jongmyo shrine is south and Daehangno east.