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Gyeongju · Area guide

Hwangnidan-gil & Daereungwon

황리단길·대릉원

Royal tombs, Cheomseongdae and Wolji Pond at night, all on foot from your door.

Grass-covered royal tumuli above a lily pond in the Daereungwon area, Gyeongju
Grass-covered royal tumuli above a lily pond in the Daereungwon area, Gyeongju. Photo: Heera7 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo credits

The short answer

Stay in the old town if this is your first time in Gyeongju. Daereungwon, which VisitKorea calls one of the best-known sights in the city, is a park of 23 ancient tombs with trails winding between them, and Cheomseongdae, Gyerim Forest and Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond follow on as a single walking course. Gyochon Village and Woljeonggyo Bridge are among the landmarks nearby. Most of these sights stay open until 21:00 or 22:00, and this is the one base where you walk home from the night view instead of waiting for a bus.

The coaches come in close by, at the downtown terminals. Express buses from Seoul and Busan and the intercity bus from Gimhae Airport all end at the downtown terminals, and city buses 10 and 11 start there for Bomun Lake and Bulguksa. The trade-off is the train: Gyeongju Station (KTX, formerly Singyeongju) is not the old downtown station, so rail arrivals ride city bus 50, 51, 60, 61 or 70 into the city.

Best for

  • First visits to Gyeongju
  • Wolji Pond and Woljeonggyo after dark
  • Travelling without a car
  • Arrivals by express or airport bus
  • Hanbok, hanok cafés and Hwangnam bread

Think twice if

  • Travellers who want a lakeside resort
  • Families planning whole days at Gyeongju World
  • Seokguram at opening time

Getting here

Stations and lines
StationLines
Gyeongju Express Bus TerminalCity buses 10, 11 (start here) · Express buses from Seoul and Busan
Gyeongju Intercity Bus TerminalCity buses 10, 11 (start here) · Intercity bus from Gimhae Airport
Jungang MarketCity buses 10, 11
Wolseong-dong Community CentreCity buses 10, 11 (for Cheomseongdae and Daereungwon)
Gyeongju Station (KTX)City buses 50, 51, 60, 61, 70

From Gyeongju Station (KTX)

KTX trains from Seoul Station reach Gyeongju Station in around two hours, and SRT tickets are sold to the same station. The city extended its circulation routes 50, 51, 60, 61 and 70 to serve the station, and they carry you into the city; the nationwide Smart Bus app shows live arrivals for each.

From Seoul

Choose between train and coach. The KTX from Seoul Station takes around two hours to Gyeongju Station, then city buses into town. The express bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal drops you at Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal, right in the old town's transport hub, where buses 10 and 11 begin. With luggage and no wish to change, the bus puts you downtown; for the fastest trip, take the train.

From Busan

Take the express bus from Busan Central Bus Terminal, at Nopo Station on Busan Metro Line 1, to Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal: about 50 minutes by the city's figure, and the most direct way into the old town. Since 30 December 2025, KTX-Eum trains on the Donghae Line also run from Bujeon to Gyeongju, arriving at Gyeongju Station (KTX), where city buses 50 to 70 take you on.

From Gimhae Airport

VisitKorea's route is the intercity bus from Gimhae Airport to Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal, about one hour. Buses 10 and 11 start at the terminal from 06:00 and run about every 20 minutes until the last departure at 21:40; ride them to Jungang Market or the Wolseong-dong Community Centre stop for Cheomseongdae and Daereungwon.

On your doorstep

One easy day from here

  1. Morning Start at Daereungwon when it opens at 09:00 and step inside Cheonmachong, then walk on to Cheomseongdae and Gyerim Forest.
  2. Midday Cross to Gyochon Village and Woljeonggyo Bridge, then see the Cheonmachong treasures at Gyeongju National Museum.
  3. Afternoon Rent hanbok and spend the afternoon on Hwangnidan Street among the hanok cafés, with Hwangnam bread to take away.
  4. Evening Return to Cheomseongdae after dark, reach Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond before the 21:30 last admission, and finish at Woljeonggyo, open until 22:00.

Before you book

Questions visitors ask

Is the old town the best base for a first visit to Gyeongju?

Yes. Daereungwon, Cheomseongdae, Gyerim Forest and Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond link up as one walking course, Gyochon and Woljeonggyo are on the official Night City Tour with them, and the night views are on foot. The express and intercity bus terminals are here too, with buses 10 and 11 starting out for Bomun Lake and Bulguksa.

Can I see Gyeongju at night on foot from here?

Yes, and it is the reason to stay. Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond is open until 22:00 with last admission at 21:30, Woljeonggyo Bridge until 22:00, Daereungwon until 22:00, and Cheomseongdae until 22:00 in summer and 21:00 in winter. The official Night City Tour covers the same ground: Wolji Pond, Cheomseongdae, Gyerim, Gyochon and Woljeonggyo.

How do I get from Gyeongju Station (KTX) to the old town?

By city bus. Routes 50, 51, 60, 61 and 70 were extended to serve the station and run into the city, and the nationwide Smart Bus app shows live arrivals. If you come by express or intercity bus instead, you arrive downtown at the terminals, where buses 10 and 11 start.

Are these sights UNESCO World Heritage?

Yes. Daereungwon belongs to the Tumuli Park Belt, and Cheomseongdae, Gyerim Forest, the Wolseong palace site and Anapji, today's Wolji Pond, to the Wolseong Belt of the Gyeongju Historic Areas, inscribed by UNESCO in 2000. The same inscription covers Mount Namsan, the Hwangnyongsa ruins with Bunhwangsa, and Myeonghwal Mountain Fortress.

A place before a plan.

Where to stay in GyeongjuSave your address in Korean

Sources & review

Editorial review: · Korea Standard Time