Which Seoul Museums Are Open on Monday?

The National Museum of Korea, the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum’s Seoul site all normally open on Mondays. Their regular exhibitions are free.

For a half-day of Korean art and history, choose the National Museum in Yongsan. If you are already visiting Gyeongbokgung or Bukchon, the Palace Museum and Folk Museum make easier stops: both are beside the palace, rather than a subway ride away.

A half-day in Yongsan: National Museum of Korea

The National Museum is the best choice of the three for a broad introduction to Korean art. Give it two or three hours: start with the history galleries, then head upstairs to the celadon and white porcelain. The contrast between green-glazed ceramics and white vessels is a satisfying way into the collection, even without a detailed grasp of Korean dynasties.

Take Line 4 or the Gyeongui–Jungang Line to Ichon Station. Exit 2 and the signed underground Museum Nadeulgil passage lead toward the museum grounds; the galleries are farther inside. See the museum’s directions for the approach.

A shorter stop near Gyeongbokgung: Palace Museum

Choose the National Palace Museum if the palace buildings leave you curious about the people who lived in them. Royal robes, ceremonial objects and household furnishings fill in what the courtyards cannot show. Allow about an hour, either before or after Gyeongbokgung.

From Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5, it is a two-minute walk to the museum. Its entrance is separate from the palace ticket gates, so you can visit without buying a palace ticket. The directions page includes an entrance map.

Near Bukchon: Folk Museum

The National Folk Museum is the better stop for everyday life: seasonal festivals, household objects and the milestones of a Korean lifetime. Allow around an hour. Its Seoul entrance at 37 Samcheong-ro, on the palace’s eastern side, fits naturally with a walk through Samcheong-dong or Bukchon.

Regular exhibitions need no advance reservation or palace ticket. An English guided tour is usually offered on Mondays at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm, starting at the first-floor information desk. This makes the Folk Museum a useful choice if you would like some context in English.

Monday hours and the few dates that change the plan

• National Museum of Korea: 9:30 am–5:30 pm · Last entry 5 pm.
• National Palace Museum: 9:30 am–5:30 pm · Last entry 5 pm.
• National Folk Museum — Seoul: March–October 9 am–6 pm, last entry 5 pm; November–February 9 am–5 pm, last entry 4 pm.

The National Museum’s galleries close on the first Monday of March, June, September and December. The Palace Museum closes on the last Monday of each month; when that is a public holiday, its closure moves to Tuesday. The Folk Museum has no regular Monday closure. All three close on 1 January, Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok.

Two partial closures currently affect the choices above: the Folk Museum’s Hall 1 is closed until 21 December 2026, while several National Museum galleries, including Buddhist Sculpture and Metal Crafts, are closed until 28 January 2027. The National Museum’s celadon and white porcelain galleries remain open.

For a closer look at what distinguishes the collections, see our comparison of Seoul’s three history museums.