How Long Should You Rent a Hanbok Near Gyeongbokgung?

Foreign woman wearing a hanbok checks her phone inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

When you look at hanbok rentals near Gyeongbokgung, you'll usually see several rental options to choose from.

You might be able to rent one for just a couple of hours, choose a longer option, or keep it for the whole day.

If it's your first time, it's easy to plan your day around the number of hours shown on the booking page.

But a two-hour rental does not necessarily give you two hours inside Gyeongbokgung.

It depends on whether the time you spend choosing and changing into your hanbok counts toward your rental time, and how long it takes to walk from the rental shop to the palace.

Before deciding how long to rent one, first work out how much of that time you'll actually have inside the palace.

First, Check When Your Rental Time Starts

Arriving at the hanbok rental shop does not mean you can head straight to Gyeongbokgung.

You first need to choose a color and design you like, check the size, and change into your hanbok. If you decide to have your hair styled, getting ready can take longer.

If you're planning to enter Gyeongbokgung for free while wearing hanbok, it's also worth checking whether the hanbok you chose qualifies for free admission before you go.

Some rental shops suggest allowing about 30 minutes to choose your hanbok, change, and get your hair done.

That doesn't mean it always takes 30 minutes. It may take less time if you choose quickly, or longer if you compare several outfits or spend more time choosing a hairstyle.

The first thing to check is whether that getting-ready time counts toward your rental time.

At some shops, your rental time starts only after you've finished getting ready and left the shop. In that case, the time you spend getting ready is separate from your rental time.

At other shops, the rental time starts at your reservation time. In that case, the same getting-ready time reduces the amount of time you actually have inside the palace.

When Your Rental Time Starts Matters

For example, let's say it takes about 30 minutes to choose your hanbok, change, and get your hair done, and about 5 minutes to walk from the rental shop to the Gyeongbokgung entrance you plan to use.

Even with the same two-hour rental, the time you actually have inside the palace depends on when your rental time starts.

Case 1 — Your two hours start after you finish getting ready and leave the shop

  • Getting ready: 30 minutes (not included in the rental time)
  • Walking to and from the Gyeongbokgung entrance: 10 minutes
  • Actual time inside the palace: about 1 hour 50 minutes
  • From arriving at the shop to returning to the shop: about 2 hours 30 minutes

Case 2 — Your two hours start at your reservation time

  • Getting ready: 30 minutes (included in the rental time)
  • Walking to and from the Gyeongbokgung entrance: 10 minutes
  • Actual time inside the palace: about 1 hour 20 minutes
  • From arriving at the shop to returning to the shop: about 2 hours

The difference comes down to one thing: whether your getting-ready time is included in the rental time. So even though both are two-hour rentals, Case 1 leaves you with about 30 minutes more inside the palace than Case 2.

In these examples, your time inside the palace starts when you enter through the entrance you plan to use and ends when you come back out through the same one.

That time includes walking between palace buildings, looking for photo spots, waiting for people to pass, and taking photos of each other.

If your rental shop is farther away, you'll have even less time inside the palace.

Before booking, check a map to see how long it takes to walk from your rental shop to the Gyeongbokgung entrance you plan to use, then work out how much time you'll actually have the same way.

When a Two-Hour Rental Works—and When a Longer One Is Better

If your main goal is taking photos, the rental shop is close to Gyeongbokgung, and getting ready does not count toward your rental time, a two-hour rental can work.

If you have about 1 hour 50 minutes inside the palace, you can take photos at a few spots and still have some time to look around.

But if getting ready is included in those two hours, that changes things.

With the same 30-minute getting-ready time and a 5-minute walk each way, your actual time inside the palace drops to about 1 hour 20 minutes.

You can still take a few photos, but two hours will feel tight if this is your first visit and you also want to explore Gyeongbokgung.

If it's your first time at Gyeongbokgung and you want to see the palace as well as take photos, a longer rental of around 3 to 4 hours is a better choice.

Choosing a longer rental isn't about using every minute. It's about being able to move around without constantly checking the time. 

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