Changdeokgung Palace & Secret Garden (Huwon)

Changdeokgung is the only one of Seoul's palaces on the UNESCO World Heritage list, inscribed in 1997, and it was laid out to follow the hills rather than a strict grid. You enter through Donhwamun gate and walk past the throne hall Injeongjeon to Huijeongdang and Daejojeon, the king's and queen's quarters, which were rebuilt after a 1917 fire with wooden floors and glass windows in an early modern style. Nakseonjae, a plain unpainted complex on the east side, is where the last members of the imperial family lived. Behind the palace lies Huwon, the Secret Garden, a wooded valley of ponds and pavilions with trees more than 300 years old. Highlights include Buyongji pond with Buyongjeong pavilion and the two-storey Juhamnu above it, Aeryeonji, the Yeongyeongdang residence, and the fan-shaped Gwallamjeong. The garden is visited in timed sessions of up to 100 people, with English sessions at 10:30, 11:30 and 14:30 year-round plus 15:30 from March to November. The walk takes about 90 minutes, or about 70 in midsummer and winter.