The launch of Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour and Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour next month will accentuate the beauty of the spring nightscapes of both royal palaces in Seoul. (Korea Heritage Service's official Instagram account)

By Lee Dasom

The arrival of spring has signaled the return next month of two evening tours of the royal palaces Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung in Seoul.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) on March 12 said that jointly with the Korea Heritage Agency, it will host Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour and Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour. Both events are held twice a year, once in spring and fall.

The two highly popular programs have seen reservations quickly sell out every year.

The Gyeongbokgung tour from April 2 to May 17 will run twice per evening (18:40 and 19:40) from Wednesday to Sunday. Visitors can sample royal court cuisine, watch traditional musical performances and go on a guided tour of the palace amid a beautiful nightscape.

They can also cross Chwihyanggyo Bridge of Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, which is usually off-limits to the public.

The Changdeokgung tour from April 10 to June 15 will run six times per day from Thursday to Sunday: 19:00, 19:20, 19:25, 19:30, 20:00, 20:05 and 20:10. It includes a guided tour and stops at main buildings such as the halls of Injeongjeon, Nakseonjae and Yeongyeongdang.

Visitors can eat traditional snacks at Yeongyeongdang while watching traditional performing arts on a spring night at the palace.

This year's event will have a lottery-type ticketing system on Ticketlink (www.ticketlink.co.kr). One admission to the Gyeongbokgung tour is KRW 60,000 and that that to the Changdeokgung tour KRW 30,000, with a limit of two tickets per buyer.

Applications for the Gyeongbokgung tour will be accepted from March 13-19, with purchases for those selected to start on March 21. The remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis from March 26.

The application period for the Changdeokgung tour is March 17-23. with purchases for those selected to start on March 26. The remaining tickets to be sold on a first-come, first-served basis from March 31.

Programs exclusively for foreign tourists are available. Those conducted in foreign languages will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis from April 2 via Creatrip (www.creatrip.com).

The Gyeongbokgung tour will be offered in English from March 14-17 and that at Changdeokgung in English, Chinese and Japanese on May 18 and 25 and June 1 and 8.

More information on both tours is available on the KHS website (royal.khs.go.kr) or via phone call (1522-2295).

These are the official posters for Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour (left) and Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour this spring. (Korea Heritage Service)