Bulguksa, early
Ask about it
The temple and the Seokguram grotto above it are UNESCO-listed. Be at the gate when it opens; by ten the school groups have arrived.
Old Silla capital · two nights
A capital under grass
Gyeongju 경주 · The south-east
For close to a thousand years Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom. Its kings were buried under grass mounds that still sit in the middle of town, between the bakeries and the bus stops.
Rent bikes. The sites are spread out across flat ground, and the best hours are early and late, when the light is low and the mounds throw long shadows.
35° 50′ N, 129° 13′ E
The mounds
Ask about itDaereungwon is a park of royal tombs. One, Cheonmachong, is open inside and shows how the mounds were built.
Pond at dusk
Ask about it
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond are lit after sunset, and the pavilions reflect in the water. Go late, after the first wave of visitors.
What we’d do
Private, with a guide where it helps. Times are a guide.
-
Bulguksa at opening, then Seokguram
Temple
Half day
-
Bikes between the tombs and the observatory
Ride
3h
-
Donggung and Wolji after dark
Evening
1.5h
-
Yangdong village, a lived-in clan village
Village
Half day
-
A morning with a Silla historian at the national museum
History
2.5h
Kingsundergreenhills
Royal tombs, Gyeongju
35° 50′ N, 129° 13′ E
At the table
Food calendar- 01Ssambap (rice with a basket of leaves)
- 02Gyeongju bread (red bean)
- 03Haejangguk (hangover soup) in the morning
Get in touch
Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 UK time
The Executive Centre, Level 43, Three IFC, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07326, South Korea