Gyeongju 경주 - Historical City - Capital of Silla Kingdom

Gyeongju (경주/慶州) is probably one of those cities that you want to go, but because there isn't enough information on the city / no online reservation for the city tour / too troublesome to get to, and you end up not going. That's what happened to my sis, but I decided I must go see this historical city :)

Gyeongju is about 1 hour away from Busan by express bus. You can take the express bus from Nopo station on Line 1.

Busan Express Bus Terminal Bus Bay

The express bus costs KRW4500, and the bus is really comfy with adjustable seats!
It was a scenic ride to Gyeongju, with mountain ranges after mountain ranges! 

I chose Route 3 of the Gyeongju City Tour from Cheonma Gwangwang (천마관광). See below for the brochures I scanned :) I was interested to go to Anapji Pond, Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. Some people have suggested cycling around the city, but trust me, the bus tour is a better choice, as the road up Seokguram Grotto is a snaking uphill road.

For more information, click here. We got help from a local to make a booking for us. You just need to call them and leave your name, date of tour, route and pick-up location. You only need to make the payment on the day itself when you're at the reception or on the bus.

The city tour costs KRW15,000, and you can choose your pickup location as per the timing on the schedule. We chose to board at 11am from the express bus terminal. If you're taking the KTX, you can choose the pickup from Singyeongju station (신경주역/新慶州驛) at 11.20am.

Once you reach the express bus terminal, look for the brown building above which is just next to the terminal. 

More brochures on the sites below.

At each site, the guide will do a explanation in Korean (which is why I got the brochures). However, she speaks English and you can ask her questions separately after her explanation to the rest.

Poseokjeong Site (포석정 / 鲍石亭）

Cheonmachong (천마총 / 天马塚)

Around Cheonmachong

Around Cheonmachong

Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성대 / 瞻星台）

The area around the observatory was really beautiful. We saw lots of families having picnics, flying kites when we were there. It's a huge park surrounded by greenery and mountains.

As part of the tour, we were brought to this shop to buy the famous Gyeongju bread 경주빵, which is basically red bean buns! I love love love red bean, so it was a sure buy for me :D It didn't disappoint me! 

Since it's spring, rapeseed flowers (or canola) were in bloom! Really pretty!!! I had my chance to take photos with the blooms in Jeju :)

Lunch is not included as part of the city tour (if not it'll really be worth every won!). We went to this restaurant (more like canteen) which only had a few choices for the meals. Side dishes were free flow and buffet style. The food wasn't really nice plus it was pricey (KRW17,000 for bulgogi and seolongtang), but I guess we didn't have any other choice.

Anapji Pond （안압지 / 雁鴨池)

Given a choice, I would have visited Anapji Pond at night. The pavilions look really beautiful with the calm reflections in the pond at night! But, since it was a day trip out of Busan, it was a bit difficult to arrange for a night trip because of transportation. And although it was spring, it was soooooo warm!! I swear I got tanned just walking around those sites that day! Both me and bf were not in the best photo-taking moods.

Seokguram Grotto (석굴암 / 石窟庵)

Entrance to Seokguram Grotto

Colourful paper lanterns outside the temple

The main Buddha statue can be seen from behind a glass panel, and photo-taking is not allowed. 

The main Buddha statue 

(source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2012/08/293_61458.html)

Cute squirrel that ran past us

View from outside the grotto

Bell at the entrance. We made a small donation to strike the bell, in hope of our wish coming true!

Bulguksa Temple (불국사 / 佛国寺)

Highlight of the tour! It was lucky that we reached in the late afternoon when the sun rays were soft and warm! It was really crowded though.

One of the temple buildings

Stone piles in one of the backyards we found

Seokgatap

Golden hour makes the temple even more enchanting

The best angle to take photos from, according to our guide. She was nice enough to help us with pictures, and even made sure we were standing at the right angle! :)

We chose to go back to the express bus terminal. You can let the guide know where you're staying and they may be able to drop you at your hotel if it's on the way :) Saw this interesting building during the bus trip back. That's a pagoda cutout in the building!

Structure at the roundabout that looks like Cheomseongdae Observatory

All in all, I would say that Gyeongju is worth the effort to go to! If you want to spend more time at each site, booking a cab will probably be a better choice. Go for the cycling option if you're up for a challenge! :)

끝 (kkeut)! Meaning End (of our tour).