How to Tour the Presidential Palace in Korea (A Guide to the Blue House)

The Blue House in South Korea is similar to the White House in the United States - it's where meetings are held, a place you can find beautifully manicured landscapes, and even where the President lives. At least, the Presidents of South Korea used to until the current President Yoon decided to move to Yongsan in 2022 - since then the Blue House has opened to the public for the first time in 74 years.

My Essential Korea Travel Resources :
​There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. After traveling to South Korea over a dozen times, these are my favorite websites and resources to help plan an incredible trip.

For flights, I recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to South Korea.

Car rentals, although not common in Korea, are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to have a copy of your international driver's permit with you!

I always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform and tend to focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

To keep cell phone service, I always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required).

For fun things to do, Klook specializes on tours in Asia, otherwise Viator also does the trick.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use when visiting a new country.

Lastly, my essential packing list when traveling.

Preparing to Visit the Blue House

Location : The Blue House is located right behind Gyeongbokgung Palace, and you can actually exit Gyeongbokgung at their back gate, cross the street, and head straight into the Blue House Grounds. The closest subway station is Gyeongbokgung Station on the orange Line 3, and from here you'll have to walk the remainder of the way to the Blue House.

What to Wear : The main thing to consider is the sheer size of the grounds. I clocked just over 15,000 steps from my visit - so my best recommendation is to wear comfortable walking shoes. Because this is where all important national and international meetings take place, in addition to where the president lived, I would also recommend wearing something a bit more modest and changing out of your hanboks if you chose to rent them during your visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

What to Bring : When you enter the Blue House grounds, you'll first go through a quick security scan where they'll check you and your bags for any weapons or food, which aren't allowed. Currently, cameras are allowed, however I think it's important to note that the staff onsite were a bit unsure about my vlogging set up.

Get a Guide : Personally, I highly recommend booking a tour of the Blue House. In order to visit on your own, you'll need to make a reservation on their website, otherwise you can risk it to try and get one of the 500 daily admission tickets available onsite each day. If you do end up going on your own, there are signs available inside the main Blue House building that explains each room, but other that that you won't find many signs around the rest of the grounds. This is exactly why I recommend the tour I booked with Jung - who was an excellent guide and told us all about past presidents, cultural differences in Korea, and current political events - stories you wouldn't know if you visited on your own.

My Favorite Tours near Gyeongbokgung :
- Gyeongbokgung Palace & Bukchon Village
- Hanbok Rental & Hair Styling

Points of Interest at the Blue House

1. Grand Garden : When you enter through the Main Gate, the first area you'll want to stop at is the Grand Garden. Here, you can see the Main Building's Blue Roof against the Bugaksan Mountain. Apparently, the location was initially chosen to align with Fengshue beliefs - and in front of the Blue House you can find a river flowing through some of the side gardens. Although you can't walk through the Grand Garden, there are a few photo spots to get the best views of the Blue House.

2. Main Building : The Main Building of the Blue House is the only building you can go inside to tour. Here you'll find multiple rooms with a short description of each on a board outside the room. Although there were a few closed during my visit, my favorites were the Mugunghwa Room (Mugunghwa is the National Flower of Korea) where you can see photos of all the first ladies and a beautiful butterfly chandelier, and the Presidential Office where you can see the desk where the President conducted his/her official duties.

3. Presidential Residence : From the Main Building, you can walk through the Small Garden and up to the Presidential Residence. Even though you can't actually enter, I personally thought this was the most beautiful building on the Blue House grounds. Here you can walk the boardwalk surrounding the Presidential Residence and see a few sneak peaks into the house - places like the dining room and onsite salon.

4. Chimryugak Pavilion : As you make your way back down the hill to Sangchunjae Hall and Nokjiwon Garden make sure to stop at the Chimryugak Pavilion. This building was initially closer to the Presidential Residence, but because they wanted to better preserve it the building was moved here (at least according to my guide). This is a quiet spot away from the crowds to enjoy a few minutes walking around in nature.

5. Sangchunjae Hall : The next building on your tour around the Blue House is Sangchunjae Hall - a building that I thought was very similar to the Chimryugak Pavilion. However, rather than being used as an area to relax and recharge, the Sangchunjae Hall is actually used for the opposite - and is an area where visitors like Barack Obama and other special guests are shown around.

6. Nokjiwon Garden : Right in front of Sangchunjae Hall is the Nokjiwon Garden (photo on left), a beautiful area where many presidents have planted various trees and other plants. There's also a beautiful small creek flowing through this garden, which also houses a gigantic 175 year old Umbrella Pine Tree at it's center.

7. Heliport & Secret Bunker : As you continue your way down the main walking path, you'll find a large stretch of green grass to your right. In addition to being the Blue House's Heliport, this area is also where the current South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, admitted to there being a secret bunker. Although the entrance is unknown, you'll also see two stone turtles - which is rumored to be hiding a possible entrance to the bunker.

8. Chunchumun Hall : The very last stop before you leave the Blue House grounds is the Chunchunmun Hall, an area where to be honest I didn't see too much other than this fun little photo opportunity. Afterwards, you can head right out the Chunchunmun Gate and back out into the everyday streets of South Korea.

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