The Blue House Experience

Getting to Cheong Wa Dae

Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) is located behind Gyeongbukgung Palace and it is surrounded by the Bugaksan Mountain. It was the former residence of the South Korean presidents until 2022. The closest subway station is the Gyeongbukgung Station on the orange line 3. You can come out of the #4 exit and walk for about 16 minutes. Here is a list of tours near Cheong Wa Dae to check out while you are in the area.

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Tickets

We visited Cheong Wa Dae in June 2023. At that time, they had two separate lines for tickets. One was for foreigners and one was for the locals. Getting the tickets was easier than I thought and it was free! Note: Cheong Wa Dae became open to the public in 2022, but the current South Korean President plans to move back in 2025 after renovations have been completed. They plan to have some areas still open to the public, but I'm not sure which ones.

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Exploring

It was a hot humid day, but we still managed to look around for a couple of hours before the kids and husband got restless. I recommend more time if you plan on exploring everything. There are several buildings that are spaced out and beautiful gardens to check out. Inside the buildings there are exhibits of furniture and plenty of artwork. Comfortable walking shoes is a must as you will do plenty of walking.

To take breaks, we sat down on the benches and had snacks and water that I brought inside with me. Overall it was a fun experience for both adults and kids! There are plenty of restaurants, coffee, and dessert shops within walking distance. After our visit, we had cold soba noodles and ice cream! If I plan this visit again, I would stay at a hotel nearby and have extra time to explore the surrounding area since there is so much more to see. Here are some hotels nearby.

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