Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway and Jeong-dong: An Unhurried Half-Day
Start at City Hall Station, walk the palace wall toward Jeong-dong, then choose a gallery or a break according to your time and the weather.
Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway and Jeong-dong: An Unhurried Half-Day
Start at City Hall Station, walk the palace wall toward Jeong-dong, then choose a gallery or a break according to your time and the weather.
Before you go: the walkway is not the palace
Use City Hall Station Exit 1 to find the Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway. Visit Seoul lists the outdoor path as free and says it connects with Jeongdong-gil and the Seoul Museum of Art. [visitseoul-walk] Walking outside does not include palace admission. Check the royal heritage office before entering: Deoksugung normally closes on Mondays, with holiday exceptions. [royal-hours]
City Hall Station Exit 1 and the surrounding pavement (Photo: [LERK](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seoul-metro-City-hall-station-entrance-01-20181126-073624.jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)).
Follow the wall into Jeong-dong
Begin near Daehanmun and follow the wall toward Jeong-dong. This is a suggested route based on Visit Seoul’s walkway and neighborhood guides, not a marked timed tour. [visitseoul-walk][visitseoul-jeongdong] Leave room for other pedestrians when taking photos. Do not mistake the palace’s restricted internal walkway for the public outside route; access can change on site.
The Deoksugung stone wall beside a tree-lined pedestrian path (Photo: [An Yeonggwan](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deoksugung_Doldamgil.jpg), [KOGL Type 1](http://www.kogl.or.kr/info/licenseType1.do)).
Add a gallery or take a break
Extend the walk toward the Seoul Museum of Art, or simply find somewhere to sit. The connection is documented by Visit Seoul, but check the museum’s own site for the exhibition and opening status on your day. [visitseoul-walk] Choose an open café as you go rather than making the walk depend on one business.
Exterior entrance of the Seoul Museum of Art; exhibitions may change (Photo: [Ollie Palmer](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seoul_Museum_of_Art_(SeMA).jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)).
If time is short or rain arrives
With limited time, walk the wall and the entrance to Jeong-dong, then return instead of racing through the palace. For a half-day, add either the palace interior or one exhibition. In rain, watch the paving and shorten the outdoor leg; postpone the walk in heavy rain or strong wind. Confirm any indoor alternative is actually open.
Before heading back
Recheck your route to City Hall Station from wherever you finish. Station exits, palace notices, exhibitions and weather can change. Do not assume the leaves will peak on a particular day: this is a focused neighborhood walk, not a citywide foliage forecast.
Official sources and photo credits
• [visitseoul-walk] [Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway](https://english.visitseoul.net/area/Deoksugung-Stone-Wall-Path/ENP023563)
• [royal-hours] [Visiting hours](https://royal.khs.go.kr/ROYAL/contents/R702000000.do)
• [visitseoul-jeongdong] [Jeong-dong art stroll](https://english.visitseoul.net/artsinseoul/Jeongdongtour/ENN0eaxe9)
• Photo 1 (cover): [Joongwon Lee - SKKU DOA](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeongdong-gil_(%EC%A0%95%EB%8F%99%EA%B8%B8),_One_of_the_most_popular_pedestrian_alleys_in_Seoul_by_the_lovers.jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)