Free Night Views of Deoksugung and Gwanghwamun: Seoul City Hall's Sky Observatory Stays Open Until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays
A free night view over Deoksugung and Gwanghwamun, right in the middle of Seoul. Since 4 September the City Hall Sky Observatory has stayed open until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes it an easy after-work stop.
Zero admission, no booking
The Sky Observatory on the 8th and 9th floors of the west side of the City Hall main building needs neither a ticket nor a reservation. It used to open only on weekday daytimes; from 4 September it runs until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
The city calls the night opening a trial, aimed at after-work and weekend-evening visitors.
The entrance is next to the robot café
Walk in through the main gate and take the dedicated elevator beside the robot café on the ground floor straight up to the 9th. Turn left toward the Haengbok Plus Café and you are there.
The two floors connect, and floor guides are in Korean and English. There are benches, tables, stepped seating, artworks, plants and a model of Haechi, Seoul's mascot.
Deoksugung below, Gwanghwamun beyond
The floor-to-ceiling glass looks toward Deoksugung, Gwanghwamun and Namdaemun. After dark, the lights of Sejong-daero run from Gwanghwamun to Sungnyemun in one sweep.
The Fact reports about 66,000 visitors in the eight weeks after the July opening. Visitor Lee Jin-woo, 38, told the Seoul Media Hub: "No admission fee, and the whole night view of central Seoul is right there."
Stops to tack on
On Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 to 8:30 pm there is a night walking tour covering the Sky Observatory and the Sky Garden. Book online in advance through the Seoul walking-tour site (dobo.visitseoul.net).
The Jeongdong Observatory on the 13th floor of Seoul Seosomun Building 1 opens 1:30–10 pm on Fridays and 9 am–10 pm on Saturdays. The Sky Garden on the Seoul Library's 5th-floor roof closes at 9 pm Tuesday to Friday and 6 pm at weekends, so it does not fit a 10 pm plan.
Before you go
Hours are 7:30 am–6 pm Monday to Thursday and 7:30 am–10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays; Sunday does not appear in the schedule. In November and December Friday and Saturday closing moves to 9 pm.
For the night view, go on a Friday or Saturday evening. The nearest subway stop is City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2).
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Source Seoul Metropolitan Government Media Hub · three free observation decks at City Hall (2026-09-09) Checked 2026.10.16 19:30
Sources & context
2026-10-16T10:19:48.105Z
Seoul Metropolitan Government Media Hub · three free observation decks at City Hall (2026-09-09) ↗The Fact · Sky Observatory Fri–Sat night opening (2026-09-02) ↗Wikimedia Commons · Mobius6 / CC BY 4.0 ↗Wikimedia Commons · KOGL Type 1 ↗Photo credit
Mobius6 (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 4.0Gwangmyeongmun gate inside Deoksugung, with office towers rising behind the red pillars (April 2024). Not taken from the City Hall observatory. Mobius6 / CC BY 4.0. Proportionally downscaled.
Photo credit
문화재청 (Wikimedia Commons) · KOGL Type 1Daehanmun, the gate of Deoksugung across from Seoul City Hall (May 2013). Not the view from the observatory. Cultural Heritage Administration / KOGL Type 1. Proportionally downscaled.
Lanterns along the Deoksugung stone-wall road at night (17 Oct 2009). Not this year's night opening or an observatory view. Sungslim / CC BY-SA 4.0.
Jungmyeongjeon, a red-brick building on Jeongdong-gil (May 2011). A general photo of the Jeongdong area near City Hall, not part of the observatory. Gapo / CC BY-SA 3.0.