糖心传媒

Forget the barrage of high-rises and space-age skylines you may have gotten accustomed to seeing in most Korean cities. Gyeongju is green, walkable and developed in harmony with its that once formed the capital of the Silla Kingdom, which unified Korea in 668 CE. 

The remnants of their thousand-year-old Buddhist civilization are scattered throughout central Gyeongju like an open-air museum. Whether it鈥檚 your first or umpteenth journey to this place of deep history, these are our suggestions to chase the most unmissable Gyeongju experiences.  

1. See the royal Silla tombs at Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex (瓴届＜ 雽�毽夓洂 鞚检洂)

The Royal Tombs of the Silla empire are unique and stupefying: large, earthen mounds of various sizes that look like a pack of giant turtle shells blanketed by green grass. You can see 23 of these peculiar burials at the sprawling on the northern side of Gyeongju鈥檚 historical center.

The famous Cheonmachong Tomb is a typical example of an upper-class Silla burial chamber. Excavated in 1973, it houses a wooden coffin inside an underground alcove protected under 12.7m (42ft) of boulders and soil, where archaeologists found . Less than 2km (1.25 miles) to the south, the Oreung Complex (鞓る��) contains the Park clan鈥檚 royal tombs 鈥� four for the dead kings and one dedicated to Queen Aryeong, the wife of King Park Hyeokgeose. 

Detour: Don鈥檛 miss the Sungdeokjeon Shrine (靾�雿曥爠) to the east of the Oreung complex, and see the ancestral tablet of King Park Hyeokgeose. Behind it, Aryeongjeong Well (鞎岇榿鞝�) marks the birthplace of his wife. 

2. Catch a starry night at the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (霃欔秮瓿� 鞗旍��)

The Silla were masters of garden landscaping, and the beauty of their craft is most evident at the Donggung Palace, the former eastern annex of the Silla Royal Palace. Fortification walls and pagodas surround the quiet Wolji Pond, which gets most dramatic after dusk, when ambient lights and starlight shine on the water.  

3. Walk across Woljeonggyo Bridge (鞗旍爼甑�)

Lost during the Joseon Dynasty and restored in 2018, the Woljeonggyo Bridge spanning the Namcheon Stream is one of Gyeongju's most iconic sights. Its two bastion-like pagoda towers and covered, two-story walkway are perfectly scenic to visit during both day and night, when they light up in striking colors.

Local tip: The bridge is beautiful during cherry blossom season at the beginning of spring, but it's also unmissable at other times of the year when rapeseeds cast a surreal mustard glow in the surrounding fields.   

4. Face an 8th-century Sakyamuni Buddha at Seokguram Grotto (靹濌荡鞎�) 

In the 8th century, the Silla dug the into the slopes of Mount Toham, very close to Bulguksa Temple. The cave鈥檚 masterpiece is a 3.5m (11ft)-high statue of the Buddha looking out at sea, seated over a 1.34m (14.4ft)-tall lotus, a treasure of East Asian Buddhist art. Bodhisattvas, the Ten Disciples, and a pantheon of gods sculpted in hyper-realistic detail are eternally etched all around the Buddha in dramatic high and low relief. The grotto鈥檚 current structure dates largely to a 1913-1915 reconstruction after the ceiling partially caved in, and was substituted with a concrete dome.  

5. Go zen at Bulguksa Temple (攵堦淡靷�)

Set 16km (9.9 miles) to the east of Gyeongju, the (攵堦淡靷�), the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, harks back to the 8th century. Built using a series of wooden buildings set on raised stone terraces, it鈥檚 a prime example of Silla architectural style and contains six national treasures, including the two stone pagodas of Dabotap and Seokgatap.  

Local tip: are possible in a building five minutes away from the Bulguksa Temple, where you鈥檒l focus on Buddhist meditation, culture and ceremonies.

6. Be starstruck by the Cheomseongdae Observatory (觳�靹彪寑)

Constructed during the reign of the Silla Queen Seondeok (632-647 CE) using 362 granite stones, one for each day of the lunar calendar year, this 9m (30ft)-tall stargazing tower is believed to be the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia and a symbol of Korea's early pursuit of science and astronomy.

Local tip: The tower is particularly striking after dusk, when it takes on a whole new dimension flooded with colorful lights.

7. Time-travel to Yangdong Folk Village (瓴届＜ 鞏戨彊毵堨潉)

Located 15km (9.3 miles) north of Gyeongju, village is sheltered by mountains and faces a river and open fields 鈥� a sign of aristocracy in the Confucian culture of the early Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Yangdong is one of Korea's largest folk villages, featuring close to 150 beautifully preserved traditional homes, including Confucian academies and suburbs of one-story thatched mud houses once inhabited by commoners.

Detour: If you have a car, drive about 20km (12.4 miles) east of Yangdong to Homigot Sunrise Square on Pohang鈥檚 coast. There you'll find one of Korea鈥檚 tallest lighthouses and the otherworldly Sangsaeng's Hand 鈥� a two-piece giant bronze sculpture that celebrates the local sunrise festival.

8. Take a history class at Gyeongju National Museum (甑�毽疥步欤茧皶氍缄磤)

Located in the immediate vicinity of the Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex, the sprawling features an incredible collection of Silla-period objects. One of the most famous pieces, the 3.75m(12.3ft)-high Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok (靹彪崟雽�鞕曥嫚膦�), is the largest bronze bell in Korea, linked to a creepy legend according to which it rings with the sound of a child sacrificed during its casting. 

9. Imagine what a lost empire looked like

The Banwol-seong Fortress's site today occupies an open field in central Gyeongju 鈥� it takes a lot of imagination to discern the shapes of the ancient buildings that once made up this palace-fortress, whose walls were shaped as a crescent moon. Take a walk here for a deeper historical perspective.

10. Stand before Gyeongju鈥檚 only stone pagoda 

Set on the eastern edge of Gyeongju鈥檚 historical center, the 6m(19.6ft)-high, three-story stone pagoda 鈥� the only stone pagoda found within the Silla royal capital 鈥� marks the former location of the Mitansa Temple, considered an important urban shrine throughout the unified Silla period.

11. Shop, eat and drink at Hwangnidan-gil (頇╇Μ雼�旮�)

Running perpendicularly to the Royal Tomb complex, Hwangnidan-gil is where Gyeongju looks more gentrified 鈥� a charming street mixing hanok-style traditional houses with hip cafes, boutiques, shops and restaurants. 

Prices here are a little higher than elsewhere in Gyeongju, but the atmosphere makes up for it.

12. Learn an ancient martial art at Golgulsa Temple (瓿�甑挫偓)

The rugged cliffs of Hamwolsan Mountain near Gyeongju are home to the unique stone cave temple of , whose main feature is a 9m(29.5ft)-high seated stone Buddha surrounded by 12 cave shrines that once served as meditation halls. This scenic temple is also known as the "Shaolin Temple of Korea." unlock crash courses in the highly athletic and choreographed Seonmudo, a martial art taught by the resident monks and nuns.

13. Hike Gyeongju National Park (瓴届＜甑�毽疥车鞗�)

A forested wedge to the south of the city center, Gyeongju National Park shelters 468m(1535ft)-high Namsan peak, a sacred mountain to the Silla. It sits at the center of a hiking area criss-crossed by dozens of well-maintained trails draped with scenic stone pagodas, carved Buddha statues and other Buddhist relics scattered along the mountainside.  

Local tip: Start walking from the temples on the lower flanks, such as Cheon-Usa. Consider taking three to four hours hours round-trip to climb to Chilbul-Am temple (旃犽秷鞎�) and see the stone-carved Buddhas and panoramic views.

14. Get tipsy at Gyochon Traditional Village (甑愳磳毵堨潉)

The ancestral home to Gyeongju's Choi clan, an aristocratic family whose wealth spanned 12 generations, offers more than restored hanok architecture. The main reason to visit is to try Gyo-dong beopju (甑愲彊氩曥＜), the local glutinous rice wine. Declared an intangible cultural heritage of South Korea, it鈥檚 been brewed for generations in the head-house of the Gyerim Choe clan.

15. Theme parks and long walks by Bomun Lake (氤措�疙樃靾�)

The southern shores of man-made Bomun Lake, 10km (6.2 miles) east of downtown Gyeongju, have plenty to attract tourists 鈥� from theme park Gyeongju World to the (鞖办枒氙胳垹甏�) to the massive Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park (瓴届＜鞐戩姢韽�雽�瓿奠洂). The latter alone packs a punch of exhibits and activities such as the 2km (1.25-mile) Lumina Night Walk, a narrated circuit through illuminated Hwarang forest, which comes alive with the story of a warrior who saves the Silla Kingdom. The Expo Park鈥檚 highlight is an elevator ride up 82m(269ft)-high Gyeongju Tower, creatively built to contain a cutout of the ancient 鈥檚 nine-story pagoda. Or avoid the tourist spots altogether and go to Bomun鈥檚 shores for scenic bike rides or long coastal walks.

Local tip: The roads into and surrounding the lake are lined with cherry trees and a sight to behold in early spring 鈥� a moment celebrated by the , usually held in April.