Location: Gyeongju
Top Things to do in Gyeongju
Top 10 Free Things to do in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Gyeongju (Korean: 경주, pronounced [kjʌŋ.dʑu]), historically known as "Seorabeol" (Korean: 서라벌, pronounced [sʌ.ɾa.bʌl]), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 1,324 km (511 sq mi) with a population of 264,091 people (as of December 2012.) Gyeongju is 370 km (230 mi) southeast of Seoul, and 55 km (34 mi) east of Daegu. The city borders Cheongdo and Yeongcheon to the west, Ulsan to the south and Pohang to the north, while to the east lies the coast of the East Sea. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek range—are scattered around the city.
Restaurants in Gyeongju
1. Gyeongju National Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 578 reviews
Reviewed By TravelerTrecker
This is large, impressive museum dedicated to the Silla culture. It has several buildings that are very well organized following a chronological order and with dedication to several aspects of the life of the Sillas including domestic and common aspects and royals features. The exhibit on the tomb treasures is impressive! Curation is excellent! Labels are in Korean and English. The Silla's bell is just beautiful. The bell is outside the museum and the exhibit is great, with excellent illumination. At night is really beautiful! We did not have to pay. It was a Korean holiday when we visited and because of this, the museum closed one hour later! We visited the museum in the afternoon. We spent 3 hours at the museum. when we arrived to the museum, it started to rain; rainy days are perfect for museum visits. The rain lasted for two hours; when we went to see the gardens, it was dry and pleasant. Because the museum closed late at 700 pm, we were able to see many sculptures, pagodas, and the bell located in the museum gardens with almost nobody around. The gardens looked beautiful at sunset. Lightning was really good. We learned a lot! The museum deserves at least 3 hours. We visited on September, 2019.
2. Gyeongju National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By GriffnLeanne - Morrinsville, New Zealand
I caught the 500 bus to samneung and walked to Geumobong Peak then down to Yongjang village then caught the same 500 bus back to Gyeongju. My favourite day to date in Gyeongju. Hiking was good .. quite a long 3 hour hike .. with plenty of stops and things to see on the way , tombs, Buddha, views and more. Plenty of people on the track so felt quite safe doing this alone. Take water and lunch with you. Thoroughly recommend if you like the outdoors and hiking. The tourist information booth gave me a map of the hiking route which was really helpful as well as telling me what bus to catch
3. Cheomseongdae Observatory
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 621 reviews
Reviewed By mackensey1999 - Seoul, South Korea
I would recommend visiting here at sunset and then look at the tombs nearby or ride a bike, in time to see the LED lights at night. Beautiful and historical.
4. Bomun Lake
5. Royal Tomb of Queen Seondeok
6. Geumgwanchong Tomb
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Jerometm - Seoul, South Korea
Amazing, the park is nice and the visit of the inside of the tomb needs to be on your list. Great experience.
7. Gyerim Forest
8. Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 141 reviews
Reviewed By Jerometm - Seoul, South Korea
We enjoyed much walking in the street of the village, beautiful Hanok houses. Worth to spend a few hours, especially during weekdays or early morning during weekends.
9. Woljeonggyo Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 57 reviews
Reviewed By TravelerTrecker
This bridge is a very good reconstruction of the original one. The bridge is an stunning architectonic example of the Silla civilization. The bridge combines white, red, and green colors. The roofs are stunning. It has two floors and you can walk through the bridge for free. The bridge looks impressive at day and night times and you can take wonderful pictures with the reflection of the bridge on the river. Also cross the river through the stone paths nearby. It is very safe and from these paths you can take phenomenal pictures of the bridge. The bridge is close to the traditional Korean neighborhood and the National Museum. Everything is walking distance. We visited during day time and had a coffee with view to the bridge. We went back at night; we had dinner in a close by restaurant and the view of the bridge was lovely. Weather was good!
