While You're Here
Opening Hours & Holidays
When things are shut — the weekly closing days, the break in the afternoon, and the two holidays that close half the country.
The short answer
Check opening hours in Naver Map, not Google — Google is often wrong here. Then watch for three things: weekly closing days at museums and palaces, the afternoon break at restaurants, and the two big lunar holidays.
Palaces and museums have a weekly closing day
This catches people out constantly, because the closing day is not the same everywhere.
| Place | Closed |
|---|---|
| Gyeongbokgung | Tuesdays |
| Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung | Mondays |
| Most other museums and galleries | Mondays |
Gyeongbokgung closing on Tuesday rather than Monday is the single most common wasted morning in Seoul. If you're planning a palace day, make it any day but those.
The afternoon break
Many restaurants close between roughly 3pm and 5pm, between lunch and dinner. This is called break time, and it's normal — the place isn't shut down, it's just resting. Similarly, kitchens stop taking orders well before closing time, often an hour before.
The two holidays that matter
- Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (autumn harvest) are the big ones. Both follow the lunar calendar, so the dates move every year — check before you book.
- Each runs about three days, and much of the country travels home. Small restaurants and shops close, sometimes for the whole period.
- Trains and intercity buses sell out weeks ahead, and the motorways are extraordinary.
- Palaces and some museums often open free of charge over these holidays, which is a genuine bright spot.
Other public holidays are single days and barely disrupt anything — department stores and attractions stay open, and often get busier.
What stays open regardless
- Convenience stores. Genuinely 24 hours, genuinely everywhere. This is the safety net for food, cash and basics.
- Chain cafés and fast food, on ordinary holidays at least.
- Subways and buses, on a reduced holiday timetable.
- Pharmacies are the exception — many close on Sundays and holidays. Look for a 24-hour one, or ask at a convenience store.
Two more scheduling traps
- Large supermarkets (Emart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) close two Sundays a month by law. Which Sundays varies by district, and some areas have moved it to a weekday. Convenience stores and smaller shops are unaffected.
- Small independent places often take one fixed day off a week, and it's frequently Monday. Naver shows it; wandering over on the day does not.