Gyeongju

Once the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom, which ruled much of the southern Korean Peninsula from the 1st to the 10th centuries, Gyeongju is often described as an open-air museum. This small city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to temples, pagodas, ancient tombs and traditional hanok houses, all set against a backdrop of gentle rolling hills. Unlike many other Korean cities, Gyeongju was spared the destruction of the Korean War, allowing its ancient heritage to remain remarkably intact, a rare continuity that deepens its sense of timelessness today.

Its most distinctive feature is the scattering of tumuli, grassy mounds that rise from the landscape. These rounded forms are, in fact, royal tombs, wooden chambers buried beneath layers of earth and slowly reclaimed by nature. Tumuli Park is home to the largest cluster of these burial mounds, some of which have been excavated and opened to visitors. A short drive from Gyeongju, the enormous Bulguksa Temple, also a UNESCO heritage site, is one of Korea’s most beautiful Buddhist complexes, its stone terraces and pagodas dating back to the height of the Silla period. Just beyond the city, Yangdong Folk Village offers a glimpse of another era; a living community founded over 500 years ago, where tiled-roofed homes and winding lanes beautifully showcase traditional Korean architecture at its most elegant. A gentle walk through the village and a talk with the village leader makes for a lovely journey into the past.

After exploring Gyeongju’s temples and tombs, make sure to pop into a traditional teahouse or café. Order a cup of fragrant Korean tea and try the local speciality, Hwangnam-ppang (or “Gyeongju bread”), a delicate flower-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean paste and a small but enduring symbol of the city’s heritage.

Today, Gyeongju remains one of Korea’s most evocative destinations; tranquil, timeless and deeply rooted in the country’s story.

Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer.
Proverb