Gyeongju Travel Guide for First-Timers

Last checked: October 2026

Gyeongju's sights sit in two clusters: downtown, where royal tombs, temples, and ruins are within walking distance of each other, and around Bulguksa Temple, about 40 minutes away by bus. Plan your days around that split. The city was the capital of the Silla kingdom for almost 1,000 years and has three UNESCO World Heritage listings.

Days needed

1–2

From Seoul

2 h 10 min by KTX

Top sight

Bulguksa

Bulguksa entry

Free

Getting there

"Gyeongju Station" is the KTX station outside town. The KTX station called Singyeongju was renamed Gyeongju in December 2023, and the old Gyeongju Station downtown closed in 2021. Some bus stop signs and older guides still use the old names, so check the stop on a map app.

• KTX: trains from Seoul Station run about once an hour, from 07:37 until late at night. Since September 2026, trains from Suseo (the old SRT) also run as KTX. Book in the Korail+ app, up to two months ahead. See how to book the KTX.
• Bus: the bus terminals are downtown, a short walk from Hwangnidan-gil and the tombs. The train station isn't, so the bus can be simpler if you're staying downtown.
• From Gimhae Airport (Busan): a shuttle bus runs to Gyeongju, 07:30–21:40, 9,000 won.

From Gyeongju Station into town

• Downtown and the bus terminals: city buses 60 and 61.
• Bomun Lake and Bulguksa: bus 700.
• Check bus times in a map app before you arrive. Taxis are also available.

Getting around

City buses 10 and 11

• Two buses on the same loop, in opposite directions: bus terminals, Cheomseongdae and Daereungwon, Bunhwangsa, Bomun Lake, Bulguksa, Gyeongju National Museum, Donggung and Wolji, and back.
• About every 20 minutes, 06:00–21:40 from the terminal. From the terminal to Bulguksa takes 35–45 minutes.
• Fare: 1,450 won with a transit card such as T-money, or 1,500 won in cash.

Bus 12: Bulguksa to Seokguram

• Seokguram is up the mountain from Bulguksa. Bus 12 runs between the two about once an hour. In winter the last bus leaves Seokguram around 17:00, so check the time on the sign at the stop.

Bikes, taxis, and tours

• Walking: downtown sights from Daereungwon to Donggung and Wolji are 10–20 minutes apart on foot.
• Tasilla public bikes: 1,000 won for a day pass. Signing up needs a Korean mobile phone verification, so it's hard to use without a Korean number.
• City tour bus: a World Heritage day tour (25,000 won) and a night tour (18:30–22:00, 20,000 won with admission) run daily, by Cheonma Tour. The day tour needs at least 15 people to run.

Downtown: tombs, Cheomseongdae & Donggung

The old center of Silla. Start at Daereungwon in the afternoon and finish at Donggung and Wolji after dark.

Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex

• A park of huge grassy mounds, the tombs of Silla kings and nobles. Free. Open 09:00–22:00.
• Cheonmachong is the one tomb you can go inside, to see how it was built and copies of what was found. 3,000 won, last ticket 21:30.

Cheomseongdae Observatory

• A Silla stone tower built to watch the stars. Free, 09:00–22:00 (until 21:00 in winter), open every day.
• It's lit up at night. The fields around it have flowers in spring and pink muhly grass in early autumn.
• Gyerim Forest is right next to it, free and always open.

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond

• A Silla palace garden with rebuilt pavilions on a pond. It's best after dark, when the buildings are lit and reflected in the water.
• 3,000 won. Open 09:00–22:00, last ticket 21:30, every day.
• The city warns that evenings get very busy and arriving just before the last ticket may be too late. Go around sunset.

Woljeonggyo Bridge & Gyochon Village

• Woljeonggyo: a covered wooden bridge rebuilt on the site of a Silla bridge, finished in 2018. Free, 09:00–22:00. Also lit at night.
• Gyochon Village: hanok houses next to the bridge, including the old Choi family house, where Gyodong beopju rice wine is made. Free.

Hwangnidan-gil

• Low hanok buildings turned into cafés, bakeries, and shops, just west of Daereungwon. Busy on weekends.

Gyeongju National Museum

• Silla gold crowns, the giant Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, and finds from the tombs. Free (some special exhibitions charge).
• Open 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30). From March to October, open until 20:00 on Saturdays.
• Closed on January 1, Seollal, and Chuseok. The galleries also close on the second Monday of March, June, September, and December; the garden stays open.
• Free luggage storage. On the 10 and 11 bus loop.

Also downtown

• Hwangnyongsa Temple Site: the open field where Silla's biggest temple stood. Free. The museum next to it is closed until November 20, 2026 for renovation.
• Bunhwangsa: a working temple with an old stone-brick pagoda. Free, 08:00–18:00 (17:00 in winter).

Bulguksa & Seokguram

Together a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the slopes of Tohamsan, about 40 minutes by bus 10 or 11 from downtown. Allow half a day for both.

• Free since May 2023. Parking is 2,000 won for a car.
• Hours (same for both): 09:00–17:00 from November to January, 09:00–17:30 in February and October, and 09:00–18:00 from March to September. Open every day.
• Bulguksa: Silla's great temple, with stone stairway bridges and two famous stone pagodas, Dabotap and Seokgatap.
• Seokguram: a granite Buddha in a man-made cave grotto, seen through glass. Take bus 12 from Bulguksa, then walk about 10 minutes from the car park.
• From Gyeongju Station, bus 700 also goes to Bulguksa.

The trail from Seokguram up to the top of Tohamsan is closed from November 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 for work on the grotto's slope. The route between Bulguksa and Seokguram is not affected.

Bomun Lake

• A resort area on a lake, with most of Gyeongju's big hotels. An 8 km path goes around the lake; allow about 2 hours for the whole loop.
• One of Gyeongju's main cherry blossom spots in early April.
• Gyeongju World amusement park is here. A day pass is included in the K-Tour Pass.
• Buses 10 and 11 from downtown, or 700 from Gyeongju Station.

Further out

Yangdong Folk Village

• A living village of hanok houses from the Joseon era, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, north of the city. People still live here, so keep your voice down.
• 4,000 won. Open 09:00–19:00 from April to September (tickets until 18:00), and 09:00–18:00 from October to March (tickets until 17:00).
• Free guided walks (in Korean) at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, and 16:00. The exhibition hall is closed on Mondays, but the village is open.
• Bus 203 from the bus terminal.

Munmu Daewangneung & Gameunsa Temple Site

• The underwater tomb of King Munmu, a rock islet just off the coast, and the two big stone pagodas of Gameunsa nearby. Both free, always open.
• About an hour east of downtown by bus 150 from the terminal.

Namsan

• A hill south of downtown covered in Silla Buddha carvings and pagodas. The full trail from Woljeonggyo is about 10 km, 5–6 hours round trip. Free.

What to eat

Try a ssambap set meal near Daereungwon, take home Hwangnam bread, and look for Gyodong beopju, a rice wine brewed by one family in Gyochon Village. The Jungang Market night market opens at 18:00, but not every day.

Dishes, markets, and drinks: what to eat in Gyeongju.

Where to stay

• Downtown (near the bus terminals and Hwangnidan-gil): walk to the tombs, Cheomseongdae, and Donggung at night. Best for one or two nights without a car.
• Bomun Lake: large resort hotels. Quieter, but you'll need the bus or a taxi for everything.
• Hanok stays: guesthouses in traditional houses downtown, and homestays inside Yangdong Village.

Tourist information & luggage

• Tourist information centers (English, Japanese, and Chinese, open every day): Gyeongju Station (054-771-1336), the bus terminal (054-772-9289), and Bulguksa car park (054-746-4747). The 24-hour travel helpline is 1330 (+82-2-1330 from a foreign phone).
• Luggage: lockers at Gyeongju Station (1,000–2,500 won for 2 hours) and the express bus terminal (06:00–21:00, 2,000–5,000 won). Gyeongju National Museum stores bags for free while you visit.

When to go

How locals do it

Koreans often rent a bike to get around the tombs and Cheomseongdae, stop at a hanok café on Hwangnidan-gil, and save Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond for after dark, when it's lit up. Do the same, in that order: bike or walk the tombs by day, café break on Hwangnidan-gil, Donggung and Wolji at night. The public Tasilla bikes need a Korean phone number, so if you don't have one, ask your guesthouse where to rent a bike.

Honest take

Itineraries

Day trip from Busan

1. Morning KTX to Gyeongju Station (30 min), bus 700 to Bulguksa, bus 12 to Seokguram.
2. Bus 10 or 11 downtown: Daereungwon, Cheomseongdae, Hwangnidan-gil.
3. Donggung and Wolji at sunset, then back to Gyeongju Station for the KTX.

2 days

1. Day 1 (downtown): Gyeongju National Museum, Hwangnyongsa site, Bunhwangsa, Daereungwon and Cheonmachong, Hwangnidan-gil, Cheomseongdae, then Woljeonggyo and Donggung at night.
2. Day 2: Bulguksa and Seokguram in the morning, then Bomun Lake, or Yangdong Village if you like old houses.