Jongmyo Shrine

Jongmyo Shrine is the oldest Confucian shrine in Seoul. And the most authentic of all. It is located in the downtown (as far as I understood when I was there). Originally, the shrine was built in the 14th century and it keeps its current form since the 16th century. When you enter it, there is a path that you are not allowed to walk on - this is a path for spirits... As you enter the territory of the park, you pass by several buildings, all of which are built in accordance with traditional pungsu principles (simplifying it, balancing the key elements, as well as balancing the human life with the elements). It is one of the key sites that you should visit if you are in Seoul. It is very peaceful there and I always had a chance to ponder on eternal matters. A perfect place for that...

Jongmyo Shrine is an important historical landmark. It is the ancestry resting place for the tablets of the Joseon Kings and other important figures. The place is smaller than the other 3 palaces, Gyeongbukgung, Changdeokgung and Changyeonggung. Located just outside of Jongno 3 Sam-ga station and close by to Seosulla-gil with its trendy cafes and restaurants. Close on every Wednesday.

Recommend visiting here if you are into visiting historical landmarks or of significance. Joseon Dynasty’s shrine for royal family, it is well maintained, preserved, and shows the height of Confucianism in Korea. The main attraction/building of the shrine (Jeongjeon) finished its 5 year repair and maintenance work, so it is now fully open and there are no scaffolds barring entry. Good time to visit now. Tip: If your schedule allows while visiting, I recommend visiting here on the last Wednesday of the month, as entry fee is waived and you can walk around the site freely and tour around at your pace (on regular days, you have to pay to enter and be on a scheduled tour that a guide leads you through).

An excellent place in Seoul to see the ancient heritage of Korea - so we'll preserved. The shrine is situated on sprawling grounds with thousands of trees with well laid out trails leading the visitors from one building to the next. In popular belief - the middle stone "median" is not meant for humans to walk on since it is believed that spirits of ancient royalty walk there. This heritage site deserves a good couple of hours. A very peaceful experience. Entry is 1000 Won - from the ticket booth located to the outside right of the main gate.

Highly recommended if you are interested in Korean history and culture. You must join one of the tours upon visiting and we happened to arrive just about 5 minutes before the English tour started, which was lucky. The tour guide was very friendly and bubbly. But she was speaking at breakneck speed (less would be more) and the loudspeaker system she used didn't help much. I hardly understood a word (confirmed by my wife). Still, the grounds themselves are astonishing and I'm super glad that we visited.

You need to listen to the guide's commentary to truly understand Jongmyo Shrine. If you look around alone without a guide, you will only see about 5% of what the place offers.

Lovely peaceful shrine complex of about 10 different buildings. Delightful walk through the grounds. Plenty of explanation provided and there are free guided tours regularly during the day. The day I visited it was free entry but it was included in my combination ticket anyway. Great value to see the five palaces of Seoul for only 6000 won.

The English tour at 12pm on Wednesday was excellent. Our tour guide was very animated. Some parts are under renovation currently. Best time to visit is the first Saturday in November this year when the rituals will be performed. Usually they are performed twice a year now on first Sunday of May and first Saturday of Nov. They used to be performed 5 times a year in the beginning. The exhibition hall offers lots more information about the spirit tablets of the kings and officials as well as the rituals and foods of the ceremonies. Well worth visiting the exhibition hall to understand in greater detail what was explained in the tour. There is even a Lego model set created by Colin Jin who used 20,000 blocks to create musical instruments and figurines performing Jongmyo royal ancestral ritual.