Quick heads‑up, fellow travelers: Hit the Road Ket contains some affiliate links. Book through them and I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you – fueling my caffeine fix and future travels! For more details, see my Disclosures.
Seoul and Busan are great well-developed cities, but if you want to experience the historical Korea, then you should visit Gyeongju. The whole old city is the UNESCO World Heritage site and is often referred to, as a museum without walls, due to high concentration of historical monuments.
Gyeongju was the capital of the prosperous Sila dynasty for a millennium – yes, you read that right, for thousand years from 1st century BC to 10th century AD. The city particularly thrived throughout 7-10th centuries, when Silla dynasty unified the three Korean kingdoms under its rule.
After the 10th century the relative decline of the Sila kingdom, the city became less and less important. It became a center of the Eastern parts of the Goryo kingdom until Joseon dynasty took over.
Understandably, Gyeongju is one of the most visited tourist sites in Korea and it’s absolutely worth your time. Hence, below find detailed tips for planning your itinerary.
When to Visit Gyeongju
The best times to visit Gyeongju are during Spring for blossoms and Autumn for foliage, when everything is in gorgeous colors and the temperatures are mild. Although you can enjoy it at any time of the year:
- During the cherry blossom season in Spring – late March-early April – the city is blooming. There are rows of cherry blossoms everywhere, including at the Donggung Palace, at Bulguksa Temple, around the mounds and just on the streets. There’s usually a Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival every year, if you are in the city at the right time (we barely missed it).
- In Autumn, the fall foliage season – usually late October-November – brings out amazing colours. Bulguksa temple and the Tomb complex have most beautiful colors. Plus, in September the pink muhly around the Cheogdwadae Observatory.
- Summer time can be quite hot and humid. It’s also a rainy season. However, everything is green and you can enjoy summer flowers.
- Gyeongju can be milder in winter than Seoul. Winter is also least popular tourist time. So you could expect a quiet time, if you visit then.
How Long to Spend in Gyeongju
I recommend allocating at least 2 days to this city – in addition to the fact that the city is cute and offers a lot, it’s also beautifully illuminated at night. But if like many other people, you have a limited time and can only spare a day trip for this city – it’s possible, if you create a tight itinerary or skip some sites outside the city’s historical center. Below you will find options both for 1 and 2 day itineraries.
How to Get to Gyeongju
You will be getting to Gyeongju from Busan or Seoul either by train or bus. The Singyeongju Train Station is located about 15 minutes drive from the central areas. The Gyeongju Bus Station is much closer – you can even walk from there.
You can buy train tickets on Korail official website or on Trip.com.
You can buy bus tickets on Bustago official website (which didn’t work for me) or on Klook.
How to get from the Singyeongju Train Station to the city center: Several buses run to the north side of the old town area on the Taejorg-ro. Some numbers are 50, 70, 700. You need to check Naver maps, as the numbers can change depending on the day and the time of day.
We arrived in the evening at the Singyeongju Train Station and got on bus #70, which was the fastest according to Naver. The bus driver got us to our bus stop in a record time of 8 minutes – he was driving at an insane speed. We were holding on for our dear life, although seemed like he knew what he was doing 🙂
How to get from the Gyeongju Bus Station to the city center: You can easily walk to the main sightseeing areas – it’s about 5-10 minutes walk. Most hotels are also located on the north side of the old city, therefore very easily reachable from the Bus Station.
How to Get Around Gyeongju
Public transport works quite well in Gyeongju. There is no metro or trams, so your only option are buses. No public transport moves inside the historical area, so you will have to walk among most of the historical sites in the center.
Things get more complicated, when you are visiting more remote areas. The bus schedules can be scarcer, so make sure to double check on Naver, as well as read the instructions I am providing for each site you are visiting. Gyeongju bus drivers can drive very fast when the roads are open. So standing on the buses can be rather challenging.
Some people mentioned to me that Gyeongju bus drivers were rude to them. We on the contrary had only positive experiences with them. They told us where the stop was, when we asked. They are also always saying Annyeonghaseyo to everyone entering the bus, including us.
We also have other good examples from Gyeongju buses. For instance, one older lady reshuffled other people to make room for us to sit. We didn’t understand much from what she was saying at the time, but when the bus started moving like crazy, we were very grateful we were not standing.
If you prefer to explore the city with more comfort and have the means, hiring a private driver would make things easier. This is especially true for the second day of your itinerary, when you will be exploring Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto and Bomun lake, all of which are not very close to each other.
Where to Stay in Gyeongju
The best option is to stay in or near the central historical part of the city to be able to walk to all major sites easily. There are a number of hanok houses with old style rooms in the central areas, which you could book to experience them. Remember to learn what they offer. Many hanoks have futon beds on the floor. Some of them have heated floors, if it matters to you. They usually have private modern bathrooms but still double check. here are several highly recommended options inside the old city:
- Gyeongju Hwangnamkwan Hanok Hotel offers beautiful traditional Korean rooms with options for normal beds and futon beds. They have private bathrooms.
- Hyuhyudang Hanok offers low beds, but no mattress on the floor situation. You will get private bathrooms as well.
- Namuae is another popular option in the old city. It offers futon beds in a traditional Korean setting. The bathrooms here are smaller though.
The hanok is one time experience for me and as we had already done it. So in Gyeongju I wanted a real bed instead. If you also prefer a hotel or a hostel – many of them are concentrated towards north of Taejong-ro, close to the center.
Where we stayed: Gyeongju Hotel Gonggan was a simple clean place, which provided all the basics at a very reasonable price. They even provide breakfast – although it’s a “make your own breakfast” style, so we skipped it. The hotel is located very near the Gyeongju Bus Station and is 10 minutes walk away from the central areas of Gyeongju. If you are on a budget, I recommend it. There are also a number of other hotels in the area at similar reasonable rates, so you can easily select another, if you prefer.
Other Tips for Visiting Gyeongju
- None of the places you will visit in Gyeongju need to be booked in advance. You can easily show up at any of them.
- Remember to carry cash, when in Gyeongju, as some of the sites here don’t accept foreign cards (at the time we visited some would have accepted cards, just that their terminals were broken). Besides, you may need cash at the small stands for food.
- There are virtually no money exchange offices in Gyeongju. So if you have cash with, you should make sure to exchange before coming here either in Seoul or Busan. However, there are a few ATMs – don’t try banks (not all accept foreign cards), go to 7/11 or another convenience store.
- The city is quite sleepy in the morning hours. Hardly any cafes open before 10am. However, it’s very lively in the evening, especially on weekends, when you will find queues everywhere.
- As in many locations around Korea, you can rent a hanbok here and take a lot of pictures. We met numerous people doing this.
Short Summary of the Gyeongju Itinerary
Arrival Day
I am not counting this day in the itinerary. it would be more efficient, if you take a train either from Seoul or Busan in the evening hours to avoid losing daylight time.
If you arrive early in the morning, you may be able to follow this itinerary from first day (although you may have to remove some things from it, depending on where you are arriving from). You can also easily switch the days around to fit your travel schedule.
Here are all the tips about money, internet, etc.
This article gives detailed information about transport, including relevant cards.
Day 1 highlights: Royal tombs, Cheomseongdae observatory, Gyochon Hannok village, Woljeonggyo bridge, Gyeongju National Museum, Donngung Palace and Wolji pond
If you have only one day in Gyeongju, you can either follow this itinerary or add Bulguksa temple to it. In the latter case, first head to Bulguksa and then explore the central areas.
Day 2 highlights: Bulguksa Temple, Sogkuram grotto, Bomun lake
If you have two days in Gyeongju, follow this itinerary strictly and you will visit most of the city’s highlights.
If you are short on time and want to fit a lot in 1 day, you can consider joining a group tour – day trip from Busan. Doing a day trip from Seoul would be more complicated and not recommended, as travel would eat up too much of your day.
If you have the means, the private tour would allow you to choose, which sites you want to visit and how long to spend there.
See also
