On my visit, I saw all the palaces. After Gyeonbokgung (which is a huge complex of buildings- biggest?) I found ChangGyeongGung Palace the next best. The building complex is not as large, but the gardens were much bigger with large forests of trees, had shaded forested walking paths and large ponds in the grounds. On a hot day, nice and relaxing. (Note, this is not the secret gardens which are in found in the Changdeokgung Palace next door and are a separate tour/ticket).

Took a free guided tour offered by the city of Seoul and pleased that it was only the tour guide and myself. Although not as many buildings as the other palaces, the grounds and trails were impressive and significantly less crowded. And with admission less than one US dollar, this palace far exceeded my expectations especially after having visited Changdeokgung earlier in the day.

After visiting Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden, we headed directly to Changgyeonggung. This is made easy by the entrance directly connecting one to the other. Changgyeonggung seems much more laid back compared to the other three. Everyone there seemed to be more in chill mode than in tourist sightseeing mode. You can take a tranquil stroll around the lake and then kick off your shoes and relax inside one of the buildings. It felt very soothing and a wonderful way to spend the remainder of your afternoon. We stayed until closing time in fact.

The park area behind the palace buildings is quite nice. I visited in early May and the flowers were magnificent. It's a great place to walk with your loved one. There is even a botanical garden in the back.

Palace buildings are dull and not worth viewing if you have been to Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, but I would recommend this place for the walk through the park area.