Changdeokgung & Huwon

The best-preserved of the Joseon palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung was built to follow the contours of the land rather than impose on it. Its glory is Huwon, the 'Secret Garden' — a 78-acre wooded retreat of pavilions and lotus ponds that royals used for study and rest, visited on a timed guided tour. Spring blossoms and autumn maples are spectacular.