9 Best Things to Do in Gyeongju (+Tips to Make it Worth it)

Whenever I’m in South Korea, I often visit the same places — Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island.

When I kept coming across good reviews about Gyeongju, I decided to plan a trip.

I spent 2 days in Gyeongju in South Korea. Was it worth the trip?

Spoiler! Gyeongju is one of my favorite cities I’ve visited in South Korea so far.

BUT I do highly recommend staying overnight, and you’ll see why.

Here’s my guide to Gyeongju: best things to do in Gyeongju, where to stay, sample Gyeongju itineraries, and what I recommend.

First time visiting South Korea? Read my Basic South Korea Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors.

What Makes Gyeongju Special?

It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site with numerous archaeological sites, royal tombs, ancient temples, and observatories.

The people and environment in Gyeongju are also very calmer and a nice getaway from bustling Seoul.

Many of the shops, convenience stores, and even gas stations are hanok-style, or traditional Korean homes.

If you’re coming from Seoul, you can either take the high-speed train or express bus from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal.

From Seoul, it takes 2.5 hours by train, or 3.5 hours by bus.

I wrote a Gyeongju blog post detailing how to get from Seoul to Gyeongju and my recommended route (spoiler: bus).

The main area of Gyeongju, especially for travel, is city center or “downtown” where most of the historical sites are located. It’s walkable from the bus terminals.

I stayed at an airbnb right next to the bus terminal in a hanok house. A lot of the bigger hotels & resorts in Gyeongju won’t be in the main downtown area.

Here are hanoks and hotels in downtown Gyeongju to look at for your trip:

How to Get Around Gyeongju

In case you don’t know, there is no subway system in Gyeongju.

I mostly walked around the main area since the main attractions are close to one another.

When I did take the bus, it was similar to the bus systems in Seoul and Busan. The only times I took a bus was for a day trip to Pohang, and to go to the Bulguksa Temple and Bomun Tourist Complex listed below.

If you choose to only stay in the downtown and city center, walking will suffice.

Gyeongju is nicknamed the museum without walls because most of the Gyeongju attractions and sites are located outside or is part of the city.

You’ll likely be outside for most of your trip in Gyeongju. (So dress accordingly to the weather!)

Here are the main 9 things to do in Gyeongju.

Hwangnidan Street is the main popular street downtown. The cafes, restaurants, and shops are all in renovated or newly-built traditional hanok-style buildings.

The views here at night are also really nice and busy, though most shops close around 9pm.

There are lots of stationary and souvenir shops and photo booths.

One of the main things to do in Gyeongju is see the big green mounds you’ll see everywhere. They are ancient royal tombs and burial sites of kings, queens & nobles from the ancient Silla Kingdom.

There’s 23 royal tombs just in the city center and the whole historic area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Entrance to the Daereungwon Tomb Complex is free, but if you want to visit the museum, it is 3,000 won ($2 USD).

Right nearby is Cheomseongdae, an astronomical observatory from the 7th century. The observatory lights up at night. There is no entrance fee.

In the same area is a large flower park and the flowers you’ll see will depend on the season. I went in early summer and it looked like this:

Donggung Palace is walkable from the Cheomseongdae Observatory. The palace, built during the Silla Dynasty, once served as a secondary palace complex for the crown prince.

In the same area is the Wolji Pond, an artificial pond surrounded by pavilions and gardens. Wolji pond was built in 679 and has 3 small islands.

It cost 3,000 won to enter, or around $2 USD.

You can walk around the whole pond and all the trees are lit up. It’s really beautiful, but especially at night.

Woljeonggyo Bridge is another Gyeongju attraction that needs to be seen at night.

It is the largest wooden bridge in Korea. The name itself means Shadow of the Moon.

It is around a 20-minute walk from the Gyeongju bus terminal area.

Woljeonggyo Bridge was served as a crossing over the Hyeongsan River during the Silla Dynasty.

You can sit by the water and walk through the bridge.

Located right next to Woljeonggyo Bridge is the Gyochon Traditional Village.

Gyochon Traditional Village is a village and living museum showcasing traditional Korean architecture, culture, and customs during the Joseon Dynasty.

All of the shops, restaurants, and homes are traditional hanok-style. It felt like I was on a filming set for a kdrama!

There’s lots of craft shops, teahouses, restaurants, cultural exhibits and workshops, and museums.

The next things to do in Gyeongju are if you’re staying more than one night in Gyeongju. These are located in the northeastern part of the city.

Bulguksa Temple is another UNESCO Heritage site in Gyeongju.

The temple is located on Mount Toham in Gyeongju. Bulguksa means “Temple of the Buddha Land,” and was built during the Silla Dynasty.

The temple complex consists of traditional halls, pagodas, bridges, and stone staircases.

It takes one hour to get to Bulguksa Temple by bus from downtown Gyeongju.

You can also book a Gyeongju tour like this one that provides transportation.

Entrance to the palace is free.

If you have more time, you can also go to Seokguram Grotto nearby by bus to see the large Buddha statue.

A 20-minute bus ride north of the Bulguksa Temple takes you to a more commercial area called the Bomun Tourist Complex with a large lake and nearby resorts and businesses.

This is one of the most popular spots to see cherry blossoms in Gyeongju.

Here’s what to see in the area:

Gyeongju Tower is located inside the Gyeongju Culture Expo. Entrance cost will vary by the exhibit.

Right across is the Hwangnyongwon / Joongdo Tower, which is a actually corporate event hall.

A walk down the road is Gyeongju World Theme Park. I didn’t go in, but you can spend the day there. Entrance is around $40.

Another walk down from the Gyeongju World Theme Park is Bomun Lake and Pavilion. There’s beautiful and peaceful walking paths around the area.

It’s supposed to be quite pretty here during cherry blossom season. I went in summer.

I took a bus to get back to downtown Gyeongju.

2 days in Gyeongju:

Day 1: All of the above, but save the Wolji Pond and bridge for nighttime views for either day 1 or day 2.

If you have more time, here’s more things to do in Gyeongju:

• Gyeongju National Museum
• Jungang Market
• East Palace Garden
• World Car Museum

Gyeongju Tours

If you prefer guided or organized tours, here are a few:

1. Gyeongju 1-day tour by City Tour Bus

2. Gyeongju one-day guided tour from Busan

3. Top Gyeongju UNESCO sites private tour 

More Korea Posts

Where to Stay in Gyeongju for First-Time Visitors (2024)

Best Vegan Restaurants in Gyeongju (2024)

How to Get from Seoul to Gyeongju (with Photos & Costs)

How to Get from Gyeongju to Busan (with Photos & Costs)

How to see Cherry Blossoms in Gyeongju in 2024