A Weekend in Gyeongju: Tombs, Temples, and Cherry Blossoms

This past weekend, I took a trip to a city I’ve wanted to visit for years: Gyeongju! 

I made my way to Seoul Station Saturday afternoon and got on the 2:30 PM train to Gyeongju. Two hours later, I arrived at Gyeongju Station and walked to the bus stop located just to the right of the station doors. It took about 30 minutes to reach my hostel, Doobaki Guesthouse, in the downtown area. 

After dropping off my backpack, I left in search of royal tombs. The city of Gyeongju was the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty, so it is home to many of Silla’s existing cultural artifacts, including the burial sites of Silla royalty. 

I first walked to Bonghwangdae, a small park with a few burial mounds that is free to the public. Many people were sitting out on picnic blankets, enjoying the nice weather underneath the shadow of the tombs. The sun was sinking lower, and it was approaching golden hour, so I decided to move on to Daereungwon Tomb Complex. 

Usually, you have to pay to enter Daereungwon, but for some reason, it was free the day I went! I made my way along the winding paths and got a lot of beautiful pictures of the tombs with the early evening sun in the background. 

There is also a photo spot where you can take a picture in front of a single magnolia blossom tree nestled in the center of several tombs. The line was really long, so I decided not to do it, but if you are interested, wake up early and get to Daereungwon right when it opens. 

I left the tomb complex and began wandering along the main street. I picked up a few postcards and some tea from the cutest souvenir shop called Baeri Samneung Park. I also stopped in Eoseo Eoseo bookstore, and even though the majority of the books were in Korean, I still loved browsing through the very-well curated collection. 

After stopping for a quick dinner, I walked to Woljeonggyo Bridge to enjoy the vibrant colors illuminated by lights along the bridge’s exterior. I sat and people-watched for a little bit and then headed back to my hostel for the night.

The next morning, I woke up early to visit Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. By the time I reached the temple at 10:00 AM, it was buzzing with excited tourists from all over the world. I spent the morning wandering through the many sections of the temple and taking pictures of the blooming cherry blossom and magnolia blossom trees. 

I then decided to brave the three kilometer trek to Seokguram. Three kilometers may not sound too difficult, but every section of it was straight uphill, and let me tell you, I was no competition for the ajeossis. 

About an hour and half later, I finally reached the grotto. I stepped inside amongst a swath of tourists to see the massive Buddha statue it houses. Even though the crowd is supposed to continue moving, making way for others to view the interior, I could not help but break away from the crowd and stand towards the back of the grotto’s wooden entryway. I stared and stared at the massive Buddha, marveling at the delicately smooth curves of the stone and the scientific precision of the entire grotto’s construction. It was a dream come true to see this statue in person, and having to hike to it made the experience feel all the more grand.

I eventually left the grotto and took a taxi back to the city. I spent the afternoon at Gabongbangwa Cafe, drinking omija cha and enjoying little desserts that were almost too pretty to eat.

Monday morning, I woke up and made my way to the train station to head back to the big city. 

South Korea is so much more than Seoul and Busan! If you are at all interested in Korean history or Buddhist art and architecture, I would highly recommend you take a trip to Gyeongju during your time here.