Bulguksa Temple
Hillside Buddhist temple from the Silla era, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stone bridges, stairways and two famous pagodas stand before its painted wooden halls.
Gyeongju
Bulguksa Temple, royal tombs and other UNESCO-listed heritage sites mark the old capital of the ancient Silla kingdom.
Attractive locations
Seokguram Grotto
Stone grotto high on Mount Toham, holding a large seated Buddha carved from granite in the 8th century. It is viewed through a glass screen.
Cheomseongdae
Small stone tower from the 7th century, regarded as one of the oldest surviving observatories in East Asia. It stands in a grassy field close to the town centre.
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
Remains of a Silla royal pleasure garden, with a pond, islands and restored pavilions. It is especially atmospheric in the evening when lit up.
Daereungwon Tomb Complex
Park of large grass-covered burial mounds of Silla kings and nobles. Visitors can walk inside one tomb, Cheonmachong, to see a display of what it held.
Gyeongju National Museum
A large museum of the Silla kingdom's art and archaeology, with gold crowns, ornaments and Buddhist sculpture from nearby tombs and temples. The grounds also hold pagodas and a large bronze bell.
Hwangnidan-gil
A lively street of restored hanok-style buildings near the tomb park, now filled with cafes, small shops and eateries. It is a pleasant place to stroll in the evening after visiting the nearby sites.
Airports
Pohang Airport (G-815/K-3) KPO
It is about 24 km in a straight line from Gyeongju.
Daegu International Airport TAE
It is about 51 km in a straight line from Gyeongju.
Ulsan Airport USN
It is about 31 km in a straight line from Gyeongju.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the South Korea page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan1.2 °C36 mm
- Feb3.2 °C45 mm
- Mar7.0 °C61 mm
- Apr12.1 °C95 mm
- May17.0 °C95 mm
- Jun20.9 °C126 mm
- Jul24.2 °C226 mm
- Aug25.4 °C192 mm
- Sep21.4 °C158 mm
- Oct16.3 °C73 mm
- Nov9.8 °C46 mm
- Dec3.2 °C34 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: Jul, Aug, Sep.
Costs
Prices here are about 57% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 112. Fire and ambulance 119. Korea Travel Helpline 1330 (English and other languages).
local government
Korean National Police (112)
Helps with: South Korea's police emergency number, listed on the Korea Tourism Organization's emergency page for crimes such as theft and assault. The page lists no police unit for tourists.
Who qualifies: Anyone in South Korea, including visitors, who needs police help.
Phone: 112
local government
1330 Korea Travel Helpline (Korea Tourism Organization)
Helps with: The national tourism organisation's helpline for travel questions and visitor help. The page lists support in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and Malay.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in South Korea or planning a trip there.
Phone: +82-2-1330
local government
119 Fire and Medical Emergencies
Helps with: South Korea's emergency number for fire and ambulance, with a separate infectious disease line, 1339, listed on the Korea Tourism Organization's emergency page.
Who qualifies: Anyone in South Korea, including visitors, who needs an ambulance or fire service.
Phone: 119
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Republic of Korea
Helps with: The UN migration agency's Korea office. It works with the Korean government and partners on protecting people on the move and regular migration pathways, and runs trainings and events.
Who qualifies: Government and partner organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: 02-6925-1360
Address: 13th Floor, Hyoryung Building, 32 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04521
embassy
Foreign embassies in South Korea (official diplomatic list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Korean foreign ministry posts a Diplomatic List of resident missions as a downloadable spreadsheet.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy in Seoul.
ngo
Korean Red Cross
Helps with: The site describes disaster emergency relief, support for vulnerable people, life-safety education, medical services and blood programmes. The site is mostly in Korean.
Who qualifies: The page does not say who can use each service. It describes help for people affected by disasters and for vulnerable groups.
Phone: 1577-8179
Email: [email protected]
Address: (26465) 강원특별자치도 원주시 혁신로 50