The Golden City of the Silla dynasty. It may be a millennia since its heyday but this small southern city in South Korea packs a lot of culture and character. Here you will find more temples, tombs and shrines than you can shake a stick at, a slowly emerging craft beer scene and, if you are brave enough, a mattress to sleep on the floor of a traditional South Korean hanok.

Getting there

Singyeongju Station – KTX train from Seoul or Busan. This is a 10-minute taxi ride outside of town.
Gyeongju Train Station – Slow train from Gyeongsan is the most likely way you will enter from this station.
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal – The cheapest way to get to and from Busan.

Getting around

Most points of interest are within walking distance of each other. There are some that are further out and will require taxi or a bus. There is no Metro system. Scattered around Gyeongju are places where you can rent bicycles (₩5,000 for two hours), electric scooters (₩15,000 for one hour) and if there are enough of you, you could get a buggy with an umbrella attached to it. It is not worth renting them if you are going to look at any of the attractions as they will not be allowed in any of the sites or parks and would just be a waste of money to leave them outside. Use them to explore the city and to find somewhere for dinner or a drink. You are allowed to drive them on the pavements.

Money

South Korea uses the Korean Won (KRW) which is indicated by a “₩” sign. It is roughly £1 to ₩1,300. Notes come in ₩1,000, ₩5,000, ₩10,000 and ₩50,000 and coins are com in ₩10, ₩50, ₩100 and ₩500 denominations.
Most bank cards are widely accepted and work without issue but can be hit and miss with Mastercard. Contactless transactions are not a thing. They will use the chip rather than the magnetic strip and will require a signature instead of a pin. Some will ask for a signature, some don’t. ATMs are frequent and available in English but withdraws will be charged.
Tipping is not a thing and not expected.
Haggling is not a thing either.
When it gets to the smaller denominations of coins which you will probably only find in taxis, most Koreans with either round up or down to the closest figure to make life easy instead of fiddling about with small change. They will expect you to do the same.

Attractions

Cheomseongdae Observatory – In the middle of a park and free to see, its Eastern Asia’s oldest observatory. Five minutes max is all you will need for this.

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond - ₩2,000 entry. Not a palace in the conventional sense, rather three covered pavilions that used to be connect but now stand independently. Not bad during the day but looks incredible at night. Expect larger crowds at night as well.

Gyeongju National Museum – Concentrating on the Silla period of history and the Gyeongju area, the several building that make up the museum house an impressive collection of artefacts. Entrance is free.

Guwolseong District Historical Site – A neighbourhood of traditional homes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entrance is free.

Daereungwon Ancient Tomb District – Consisting of two of tomb mounds and the only one in Gyeongju that you can actually enter. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bulguksa Temple – Adding to the UNESCO list, Bulguksa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and houses seven national treasures. A ten-minute taxi ride outside of Gyeongju for ₩18,000 or a ₩1,200 bus ride.

Other Points of Interest

Hwangnamdong Ancient Tombs – In a field right next to a main road that you can just walk into.
Bonghwang-ro – A pedestrian street between two parks with a couple ancient tombs just casually scattered around. More often than not you will find small market stalls along it with vendors selling everything from toys to tea and chopping boards to jewelry.
Woljeonggyo Bridge – A covered wooden bridge that that looks great at night.

Restaurants, Bars and Shops

Pretty much every bar and restaurant in Gyeongju had their signs in Korean with no translation, with only a small sign next to them stating whether they were a bar or restaurant. With this in mind I will try my best to direct you towards a few gems by using the street names.

Poseok-ro 980-4 – The main street that runs through the old town. Pedestrians do walk around like they own the place but traffic does come from both directions. You will find some traditional Korean restaurants here (but only one BBQ establishment), a couple burger or pizza places and a Vietnamese restaurant. There are several bars along here, some even have a rood top to sit on. This road will also have you covered for bike and electric scooter rental, vintage and hipster clothes, souvenirs and a 6-foot golden buddha if you have the luggage allowance.
Poseok-ro 1068 beon-gil 29-1 – Just off the road mentioned above, on the opposite side of the road from 7Eleven. At the end of this side street on the right is a lovely bar with an outside space, a decent selection of beers, a couple of sweet ciders and Korean style pub grub. On the left opposite the bar is a pizza and craft beer restaurant.
Hwangnam dong 58-1 – Completing a triangle with the other two streets. This one runs alongside the Daereungwon Ancient Tomb site. A couple small restaurants and ice cream establishments can be found here.

Accommodation

Hanok 1st Street – Across the river to the south of the old town and not far from the Oreung Tombs and the Woljeonggyo Bridge in a quiet area of town. These beautiful traditional Korean houses offer you a traditional experience of sleeping on quilts on the floor, a communal kitchen with free toast, filtered water and noodles and a small but lovely rock garden.

Doobaki Hostel – Just north of the old town and a 5-minute taxi ride from the train station is this quirky hostel. You can choose between shared dorms or private rooms. Some have bunk beds, some have standard beds, some have a mattress on the floor.

Hilton Gyeongju – On Bomunho Lake a 10 minute taxi ride from the centre of town. Luxury with all the trimmings.

Safety

Gyeongju and South Korea in general is a very safe and clean place to visit. As long as you keep your wits about you and show a little bit of common sense you will be fine.

Other Bits

Obey the pedestrian crossing lights. Jaywalking in South Korea is illegal and if caught you could be slapped with a fine. Crossing the road where there is no zebra crossing will result in a larger fine.
Drink soju. This is a Korean spirit made from rice and is usually between 17-20%. If you want to blend in with the locals even more, mix it with beer to create “somaek” (pronounced so-meh). Pour it with two hands, play a game where you take it in turns to finger flick the metal tail from the lid or guess the number underneath it.
Google Maps does not work in South Korea. Download Naver Maps. It is the South Korean equivalent and it will save you a lot of hassle.
The language barrier is a daily challenge in South Korea, and more so in Gyeongju so be prepared for a game of charades.
Gyeongjy is yet to be discovered by the hordes of western tourist so get there before it does!