What to do and see in Gyeongju

What to see in Gyeongju (places to visit):

• Bulguksa temple: one of the most beautiful temples we have ever seen, always beautifully decorated with flowers and lanterns. A wonder to behold.
• Daereungwon Tumuli Park: the city of Gyenongju is riddled with ancient mound-shaped tombs covered by perfect grass. It is in this park where you will see the largest number of tombs, and you can also enter Chunmachong Ancient Tomb and see how they were made and what was inside these tombs.
• Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond: to see it at night and enjoy the wonderful reflections of this ancient palace on the pond. Speechless.

Things to so in Gyeongju (experiences):

• Go to dinner at the Food and Coffee street (Bonghwang-ro): although it sounds like a tourist trap, they are beautiful streets with traditional-style wooden buildings and very cute restaurants, where you also eat very well.
• Try a ssambap, the typical dish of this area that consists of a multitude of dishes, kind of tapas. You will have a lot of things to try and there will always be something you like!
• Do the trek that joins the Bulguksa temple and the Gyeongju Seokguram Grotto through the forest: the latter is no wonder, but trekking can be a way to exercise, get in touch with nature and change the dynamics of the trip!

Bulguksa temple

Brief description: for us, one of the most beautiful and best preserved Buddhist temples we have ever seen. Bulguksa Temple was built in 751, the structure of its buildings, doors and walls presents authentic works of art on wood. In addition, it contains several national treasures, such as the Dabotap and Seokgatap pagodas that sit in front of the main hall, Daeungjeon. ...

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Gyeongju Seokguram Grotto:

Brief description: Seokguram Grotto is an artificial cave-temple that contains a granite Buddha sculpted from 751. Although the temple is not worth it, the Buddha is better than it seems on the outside (although not wonderful :-) and the views from there are incredible. The bus and the path that come from Bulguksa, will leave you where the gigantic Bell of Mercy is, ...

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Daereungwon Tumuli Park:

Brief description: although you can see tumulis throughout the city (mounds about 10m high covered with grass that “hide” a tomb inside), in the Tumulis Park of Daereungwon you can walk among more than 20 perfectly preserved tumulis, and in addition, visit the interior of one of them: the Ancient Tomb of Chunmachong. This tomb was excavated in 1973 by archaeologists ...

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Cheomaeongdae Observatory:

Brief description: unlike a small thing, Cheomseongdae (7th century) is the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia. Although today they are only stone ruins, it is a symbol of the scientific influence that Gyeongju had in ancient Korea. It is located in a park where you can see other tumulis, and also, on weekends it is very normal for events and exhibitions to be ...

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Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (Anapji Pond):

Brief description: Donggung Palace was a secondary palace that belonged to the Crown Prince during the Silla period. Nowadays there are only a few structures left standing, but what is really wonderful is to see how these are reflected during the night over the palace pond, Wolji (called in other times Anapji). A visit that you can not miss. Duration of the visit: ...

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