Gyeongju
For almost a thousand years the capital of Silla, with grassy royal tombs in its parks, a stone Buddha on Mount Toham facing the sea, and a lakeside resort that hosted APEC in 2025.
- Arrival
- Gimhae, Busan · PUS
- To the city
- About 80 km from Gimhae as the crow flies
- Private jets
- Customs at Gimhae; Pohang is domestic
- Best time
- May · October
The city
A capital of mounds and pagodas.
Silla ruled from Gyeongju from 57 BCE to 935 CE, and most of what it left dates from the seventh to the tenth centuries. Royal tombs rise as grassy hills in Tumuli Park, where excavations brought out gold, glass and ceramics. Nearby stand the Cheomseongdae Observatory and Anapji Pond, and on Mount Namsan, to the south, the ruins of 122 temples lie among stone Buddhas and pagodas.
The resort district around Bomun Lake gathers the large hotels; in autumn 2025 it received the leaders and chief executives of the APEC summit. May and October are the kind months: afternoons in the low twenties and little rain. July and August are hot and wet, and winter days rarely pass 8 °C.
- Bulguksa A wooden temple raised on stone terraces, built in 774 and listed by UNESCO with the grotto above it.
- Seokguram An eighth-century grotto on Mount Toham, its seated Buddha looking out towards the sea.
- Tumuli Park Three groups of Silla royal tombs, some domed, some shaped like half-moons or gourds.
Arriving
Fly to Busan, drive north.
Gyeongju has no international airport of its own. Gimhae, on the edge of Busan about 80 km to the south-west in a straight line, is the usual gateway; Pohang Gyeongju, on the coast to the north-east, handles domestic flights.
- Beijing 1 h 55
- Taipei 2 h 10
- Bangkok 5 h 10
- Singapore 6 h 20 long-range jet
- Istanbul 10 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
May, and October.
The seasons are sharply marked. Winters are cold, with highs of 5 to 8 °C in December and January; the monsoon brings close to 200 mm in July and August. May and October fall between, mild and fairly dry.
- 5° J 31
- 7° F 41
- 12° M 58
- 18° A 92
- 23° M 79
- 26° J 146
- 29° J 190
- 30° A 181
- 25° S 147
- 21° O 57
- 14° N 48
- 8° D 20
Where to stay
Around Bomun Lake and below Bulguksa.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Lahan Select Gyeongju The former Hotel Hyundai on Bomun Lake, chosen for the APEC summit dinner in 2025, with two presidential suites added for the occasion.
- Hilton Gyeongju Beside the lake and the Gyeongju World park, with an indoor pool open all year.
- Sono Calm Gyeongju A resort on Bomun Lake, reopened as a five-star in September 2025 after thirteen months of works.
- Commodore Hotel Gyeongju At the centre of the Bomun complex, with lake-view and mountain-view rooms.
- Gyeongju Kolon Hotel A short walk from the gates of Bulguksa, convenient for an early start at the temple and the grotto.
- The-K Hotel Gyeongju One of the city's three four-star hotels named in the regional press before the APEC summit.
Where to dine
A course dinner in Gyochon.
The MICHELIN Guide Korea covers Seoul and Busan only. Yoseokgung serves Korean set courses in the old Choi family house, listed as fine dining in Korea travel information.
- Yoseokgung 1779 Korea Trip Tips, fine dining Korean set courses Gyochon village, beside Wolseong
Flying to Gyeongju?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.