The arrival of spring here in Korea is signalled by the arrival of blossoms, which are always a welcome sight after cold Korean winters! Getting out to see the blossoms is always a huge event here. There are a multitude of festivals all across the country held just to celebrate them. However most, if not all, of the festivals were cancelled this year because of the pandemic.
The forecast for the next few weekends was looking pretty dire, with rain due both days, so we decided to head out to try and get a glimpse of the blossoms before the showers knocked them from the trees early 😦
Changdeokgung is a beautiful place to visit all year round (summer post coming soon!) however the blossoms there are especially beautiful! I wanted to see the secret garden too, however we got there too late and all of the tours were already sold out. (There are limited spaces due to social distancing guidelines)
Despite the torrential rain, there were actually quite a few people there, mostly couples but there were a couple of families with children there too.
There are a lot of nooks and crannies to explore here, so make sure you take your time to explore!
The palace grounds are home to a variety of trees that blossom beautifully during the early weeks of spring, including cherry blossom, azalea, forsythia and some of the most beautiful maehwa (ume plum blossom) that I have seen!
Changdokgung is attached to another palace, Changgyeonggung – which can be accessed through a gate inside the grounds for another 1000w. This makes the whole place quite large (especially if you take the secret garden tour) so wear some comfortable shoes!
Changdeokgung is easy to access by subway or on foot from Gyeongbokgung or the Insadong area!
Directions by Subway: Anguk station, exit 3 (line3) is the closest station, follow the signs to the palace!
(Image taken from Changdeokgung official website)
A Slice of Korea 