# Gyeongju Day Trip: Bulguksa, Royal Tombs and Wolji Pond at Night
Plan a Gyeongju day trip around two closing times: Bulguksa Temple takes its last visitors at 5 p.m. from November to January, while Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond sell tickets until 9:30 p.m. So go to the temple first and save the tombs and the pond for the afternoon and evening.
Two things worry most first-time visitors: the KTX station is not in the city center, and Korean bus maps are hard to read. This guide gives you the order, the bus routes the city itself publishes, the stop names in Korean, and an English help desk for every stage of the day. Every time and price below comes from Gyeongju City and the temples' own pages, checked on October 21, 2026.
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Contents Plan ahead: Key facts · Day trip from Seoul or Busan | On the day: Morning: Bulguksa · Midday: bus 10 or 11 · Afternoon: Daereungwon · After dark: Woljeonggyo · Getting back | Help: Help in English · FAQ · Checklist
Key facts at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Route | Bulguksa Temple (morning) → Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae (afternoon) → Woljeonggyo Bridge and Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (evening) |
| Closing time to beat | Bulguksa and Seokguram: last entry 17:00 from November to January |
| Evening sites | Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond 09:00–22:00, ticket sales end 21:30 |
| Getting around | Buses 10 and 11 (28 runs a day each) loop from Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking through the express bus terminal to Bulguksa in opposite directions; the Woljeong 3 loop (20 runs a day) links Woljeonggyo, Wolji Pond and Cheomseongdae |
| Bus fare | KRW 1,500 per adult ride in cash, KRW 50 less with a transport card (as of October 2026) |
| Entry fees | Bulguksa, Seokguram, Daereungwon grounds and Cheomseongdae free · Cheonmachong Tomb KRW 3,000 · Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond KRW 3,000 (adults, as of October 2026) |
| English help | Tourist information centers at Gyeongju Station, the bus terminal and Bulguksa, open every day with English support |
Two ways to read this guide. Arriving by KTX at Gyeongju Station: read Day trip from Seoul or Busan first, because the station is a bus ride from everything else. Arriving by bus or staying downtown: start at Morning: Bulguksa.
Gyeongju day trip from Seoul or Busan: the KTX station is outside downtown
Gyeongju lies east of Daegu; the nearest airports are Pohang Gyeongju (KPO) and Ulsan (USN).
High-speed trains stop at Gyeongju Station, which Gyeongju City lists at 80 Gyeongjuyeok-ro, Geoncheon-eup (경주시 건천읍 경주역로 80). Geoncheon-eup is a separate town from the old city center, so plan on a bus or taxi before your first sight. The station used to be called Singyeongju Station, and you will still see that name on older maps and on some temple websites (Gyeongju City magazine).
Train: Gyeongju Station address: 80 Gyeongjuyeok-ro, Geoncheon-eup, Gyeongju. Rail information: 1544-7788. Original (Korean): 경주역 주소: 경주시 건천읍 경주역로 80 … 철도안내 전화번호: (고객센터) 1544- 7788 — Gyeongju City Tourism · Getting here
From Seoul, take the KTX to Gyeongju Station and book on the Korail website. Train times and fares change by season, so they are not listed here: check letskorail.com or call 1544-7788.
From Busan, you have two choices. Gyeongju City's notice on the new rail line lists Jungang Line trains running from Bujeon, Centum and Sinhaeundae through Taehwagang and Bukulsan to Gyeongju. The other choice is an express or intercity bus to Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal at 2 Taejong-ro 685beon-gil (경주시 태종로685번길 2), which is downtown and is the second stop on buses 10 and 11 (Gyeongju City Tourism). In Busan for the fireworks on November 7? Our Busan Fireworks Festival 2026 guide covers that night, so plan Gyeongju for another day.
From Gyeongju Station to Bulguksa, the city's magazine lists express bus 1150, which runs between Gyeongju Station, Bomun Lake Resort and Bulguksa (Gyeongju City magazine). Departure times are not on that page. Ask at the Gyeongju Station Tourist Information Center (054-771-1336, English, Chinese and Japanese support) or check a live bus app before you leave the station.
Morning: Bulguksa Temple first, because it closes earliest
Bulguksa is the one place on this route with an early closing time, so it goes first. Entry has been free since May 2023, and from November to January the gate takes its last visitors at 5 p.m.
Under the revised Cultural Heritage Protection Act, admission has been free since May 4, 2023. Original (Korean): 새로 개정된 문화재보호법에 의해 2023년 5월 4일부터 관람료는 무료입니다. — Bulguksa · Hours and fees
The same page lists 09:00 to 17:30 in February and October and 09:00 to 18:00 from March to September. All times are last entry, the same every day of the week, and the temple is open all year. Pets are not allowed.
Bulguksa's directions page says to take bus 10 or 11, boarding at Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking (황리단길 공영주차장) or the express bus terminal. Bus 11 is the more direct choice in the morning: the city lists only the Gyeongju National Museum and Tongiljeon before Bulguksa, while bus 10 goes via Bunhwangsa and Bomun Lake Resort first (Gyeongju City magazine · New loop routes).
Get off at the Bulguksa stop (불국사), which the city's older bus guide puts 3 to 5 minutes on foot from the temple (Gyeongju City Tourism · Bus 10 guide).
Practical info: Bulguksa Temple
Photo: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Item | Bulguksa Temple |
|---|---|
| Korean name | 불국사 (show this to taxi drivers) |
| Address | 385 Bulguk-ro, Gyeongju (경북 경주시 불국로 385) |
| Bus | 10 or 11 from Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking (황리단길 공영주차장) or the express bus terminal; get off at Bulguksa (불국사) |
| Hours | November to January 09:00–17:00 (last entry); open every day |
| Admission | Free (since May 4, 2023) |
| Phone | 054-746-9913 (temple) · 054-746-4747 (Bulguksa Tourist Information Center, English support) |
| Official site | Bulguksa · Hours and fees |
Optional: Seokguram Grotto by bus 12
Seokguram is a stone Buddha shrine higher up Tohamsan, the mountain behind Bulguksa. It has the same hours as Bulguksa (last entry 17:00 from November to January) and is also free (Seokguram · Hours and fees).
To go from Bulguksa to Seokguram, transfer to bus 12. Buses back from Seokguram to Bulguksa leave on the hour. Original (Korean): 불국사에서 석굴암으로 가는 버스는 12번 버스로 환승하시면 됩니다. 석굴암에서 불국사로 돌아오는 버스는 매시 정각 출발. — Seokguram · Directions
The same page says the walk from the Seokguram parking lot to the shrine takes about 10 minutes. Add it only if you reach Bulguksa by about 11 a.m.: with the 17:00 last entry at both sites, a late start leaves no time for the bus wait plus the walk. Seokguram also warns that entry may be closed during heavy rain, typhoon or heavy snow warnings, so on a stormy day skip it and go straight to the tombs.
Midday: ride bus 10 or 11 back to Hwangnidan-gil
Both loops end where they started, at Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking, so whichever bus comes first at the Bulguksa stop will take you back downtown. Gyeongju City opened this 894-space car park and redrew the tourist loops around it.
Bus 10: Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking → Express Bus Terminal → … → Bulguksa → Tongiljeon → Gyeongju National Museum → … → Express Bus Terminal → Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking (28 runs a day). Original (Korean): 황리단길 공영주차장 → 고속버스터미널 → … → 불국사 → 통일전 → 국립경주박물관 → 경주문화관 → 고속버스터미널 → 황리단길 공영주차장(일 28회) — Gyeongju City magazine · New loop routes
Stay on to the last stop, Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking (황리단길 공영주차장) at 30 Cheomseong-ro (첨성로 30). That puts you on the Hwangnidan-gil café street for lunch, in the same Hwangnam-dong neighborhood as the tombs. Bus 11 makes the same return, also 28 times a day.
The city's fare table lists KRW 1,500 for adults, KRW 1,200 for teenagers and KRW 800 for children per ride, KRW 50 off with a transport card, and one free transfer if you tap the reader when you get off and board again within 30 minutes. It also notes that children and teenagers ride free with a transport card (Gyeongju Transportation Information Center · Fares).
The city's route list gives runs per day but not departure times or the last bus. Check the next bus in a live bus app (the city's older bus guide names the app 전국스마트버스) or ask the Terminal Tourist Information Center (054-772-9289, English support).
Afternoon: Daereungwon, Cheonmachong and Cheomseongdae on foot
Daereungwon is a park of large grass-covered royal tombs from the Silla kingdom. Walking the grounds is free; only Cheonmachong, the one tomb you can enter, charges a fee. Gyeongju City's guide describes Cheonmachong as the only tomb in the Daereungwon group that is open to visitors.
Cheonmachong: KRW 3,000 for adults (entry to Daereungwon is free). Original (Korean): 천마총 (대릉원 입장은 무료) 3,000 — Gyeongju City Tourism · Admission fees
Practical info: Daereungwon and Cheonmachong
| Item | Daereungwon and Cheonmachong |
|---|---|
| Korean name | 대릉원 / 천마총 |
| Address | Daereungwon ticket office, 9 Gyerim-ro, Gyeongju (경주시 계림로 9) |
| Bus | 10, 11 or any Woljeong loop to the last stop, Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking (황리단길 공영주차장), in the same Hwangnam-dong neighborhood |
| Hours | Cheonmachong 09:00–22:00 |
| Admission | Daereungwon grounds free · Cheonmachong KRW 3,000 adults, KRW 2,000 teenagers, KRW 1,000 children (as of October 2026) |
| Official site | Gyeongju City Tourism · Admission fees |
For a late lunch, walk to Hwangnidan-gil (황리단길), listed by Gyeongju City at 1080 Poseok-ro (포석로 1080) in Hwangnam-dong, the same neighborhood as Cheonmachong. The city's page describes cafés, small shops, souvenir stores and restaurants spreading into the side alleys (Gyeongju City Tourism · Hwangnidan-gil).
Practical info: Cheomseongdae
Cheomseongdae is a stone observatory that Gyeongju City dates to the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla. The city calls it one of the landmarks that stand for Gyeongju, and it is free.
| Item | Cheomseongdae |
|---|---|
| Korean name | 첨성대 |
| Address | 839-1 Inwang-dong, Gyeongju (경주시 인왕동 839-1) |
| Bus | Woljeong 3 loop (월정3번); get off at Cheomseongdae (첨성대) |
| Hours | 09:00–22:00 (until 21:00 in winter), open every day |
| Admission | Free |
| Official site | Gyeongju City Tourism · Cheomseongdae |
The city's page gives the winter closing time as 21:00 without saying which months count as winter. Arrive before 21:00 between November and February to be safe.
After dark: Woljeonggyo Bridge, then Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
The evening belongs to two lit-up sights, and one loop bus links them. Go to Woljeonggyo first, then finish at Wolji Pond, which has the latest ticket time on the route.
The Woljeong 3 loop (월정3번, 20 runs a day) leaves Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking for Gyochon Hanok Village, Woljeonggyo, the Gyeongju National Museum, Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond and Cheomseongdae, then returns to the car park (Gyeongju City magazine · New loop routes). It runs in exactly the order of this evening, so you can ride it stop by stop instead of walking.
Woljeonggyo is a wooden bridge over the Namcheon stream, open 09:00–22:00 and free to walk. Gyeongju City's guide suggests viewing it from the stepping stones in front of the bridge at night. It sits at 274 Gyo-dong (경주시 교동 274) (Gyeongju City Tourism · Woljeonggyo).
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond was a royal palace and pond from the 670s. Gyeongju City calls it the number one night view in Gyeongju, and adds that many people still know it by its old name, Anapji.
Opening hours: 09:00–22:00 (ticket sales end 21:30), open every day. Original (Korean): 관람시간 : 09:00 - 22:00(매표 마감 21:30), 연중무휴 — Gyeongju City Tourism · Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
Do not cut it close. The city's fee page warns that, with so many night-view visitors, you may not get in if you arrive just before the entry deadline. Aim to be at the ticket office by about 20:30.
Practical info: Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
| Item | Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond |
|---|---|
| Korean name | 동궁과 월지 (old name 안압지, Anapji) |
| Address | 102 Wonhwa-ro, Gyeongju (경주시 원화로 102) |
| Bus | Woljeong 1, 2 or 3 loop (월정1·2·3번); get off at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (동궁과 월지) |
| Hours | 09:00–22:00, ticket sales end 21:30, open every day |
| Admission | KRW 3,000 adults, KRW 2,000 teenagers, KRW 1,000 children (as of October 2026) |
| Online tickets | Gyeongju historic sites ticketing at gjpass.kr |
| Official site | Gyeongju City Tourism · Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond |
Gyeongju City's fee page lists free entry here and at Cheonmachong for children aged 6 and under and for people aged 65 and over. It does not separate Korean and foreign visitors, so carry your passport if your age is the reason, and ask at the ticket office (questions: Historic Sites Management Division, 054-779-8744).
Getting back: last buses and luggage
The city's route list does not give last departure times, and the Woljeong loops run fewer times a day (13 to 20) than buses 10 and 11. If you stay at Wolji Pond until closing, check the last bus in a live bus app before you go in, and be ready to take a taxi: show the driver 고속버스터미널 (express bus terminal) or 경주역 (Gyeongju Station).
If you are catching a train or bus home tonight, book your return before you leave in the morning. Late trains and buses from Gyeongju are not listed here because their timetables change by season: check letskorail.com (1544-7788) for trains and the express bus booking site linked on Gyeongju City Tourism for buses.
Luggage. Gyeongju City lists luggage storage at the Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal, open 06:00–21:00 for KRW 2,000–5,000, and coin lockers inside Gyeongju Station from KRW 1,000 for 2 hours for a small locker (Gyeongju City Tourism · Luggage storage). The terminal desk closes at 21:00, earlier than Wolji Pond, so pick up your bag before you go in for the night view, or use the station lockers.
Help in English: four desks and 1330
Gyeongju City runs tourist information centers with interpreters in English, Japanese and Chinese, and all of them are open every day (Gyeongju City Tourism · Tourist information centers):
- Gyeongju Station Tourist Information Center: 054-771-1336, 80 Gyeongjuyeok-ro, Geoncheon-eup (경주역로 80)
- Terminal Tourist Information Center: 054-772-9289, 4 Taejong-ro 685beon-gil (태종로685번길 4)
- Bulguksa Tourist Information Center: 054-746-4747, Bulguksa parking area, 61-3 Jinhyeon-ro 2-gil (진현로2길 61-3)
- Tourist center for travelers with limited mobility: 054-777-1330, 767 Taejong-ro (태종로 767)
Step-free routes at each site are not covered in the pages used for this guide. If you use a wheelchair or push a stroller, call the limited-mobility center (054-777-1330) before you go.
For anything else, call 1330, the Korea Travel Hotline run by the Korea Tourism Organization. Busan Metropolitan City's English guide describes it like this:
Information provided 24 hours a day in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese (other languages: 8:00a.m. to 7:00p.m.) — Busan Metropolitan City · Foreigner support
Dial 1330 inside Korea or +82-2-1330 from overseas.
FAQ
Can I skip Seokguram? Yes. Bulguksa, the tombs and Wolji Pond already fill a day, and Seokguram needs a bus 12 transfer plus a 10-minute walk from its parking lot (Seokguram · Directions). Keep it for a second day if you have one.
Is there a combined ticket? Not one listed as current. Gyeongju City's fee page prices each site separately, and the free sites need no ticket (Gyeongju City Tourism · Admission fees).
What if it rains? The city sites stay open, but Seokguram may close its grounds during heavy rain, typhoon or heavy snow warnings (Seokguram · Hours and fees). On a warning day, keep to Bulguksa and the downtown sights.
Can I pay the bus fare in cash? Yes. The fare table lists the cash price, KRW 1,500 for adults, and the KRW 50 discount applies only with a transport card. Transfers are free only with a card tap within 30 minutes (Gyeongju Transportation Information Center · Fares).
Can I drive and park? Yes. Bulguksa parking costs KRW 2,000 for a car, and the city lists free parking for Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (504-1 Inwang-dong) and for Woljeonggyo (153-5 Gyo-dong) (Bulguksa · Hours and fees, Gyeongju City Tourism · Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond).
Before you go: checklist
- Be at Bulguksa before 17:00 (last entry from November to January)
- Save the stop name 황리단길 공영주차장 (Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking): every tourist loop starts and ends there
- Book your return train or bus before the morning starts
- Reach the Wolji Pond ticket office by about 20:30 (ticket sales end 21:30)
- Collect bags from the terminal storage before 21:00
- Save 054-771-1336 (Gyeongju Station help desk) and 1330 in your phone
- Carry a transport card or KRW 1,500 coins and notes for each bus ride
Official sources
Temples
- Bulguksa · Hours and fees: free entry since May 4, 2023, hours by month, parking (checked October 21, 2026)
- Seokguram · Hours and fees: free entry, hours, weather closures (checked October 21, 2026)
- Seokguram · Directions: bus 12 transfer, hourly return bus, 10-minute walk (checked October 21, 2026)
- Bulguksa · Directions: buses 10 and 11 to Bulguksa (checked October 21, 2026)
Gyeongju City and other offices
- Gyeongju City Tourism · Admission fees: Cheonmachong, Wolji Pond and free sites, free-entry groups, night-view warning (checked October 21, 2026)
- Gyeongju City Tourism · Bus 10 guide: older route guide, walking times from stops, addresses (checked October 21, 2026)
- Gyeongju City Tourism · Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, Cheomseongdae, Woljeonggyo and Cheonmachong: opening hours and parking (checked October 21, 2026)
- Gyeongju City Tourism · Getting here, Tourist information centers, Luggage storage and Hwangnidan-gil: station and terminal addresses, rail phone, help desk numbers and languages, storage hours and prices, street address (checked October 21, 2026)
- Gyeongju City magazine · New loop routes, Rail line change and Express buses: buses 10 and 11 and Woljeong 1 to 3 with stops and runs per day, Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking, former Singyeongju Station, Jungang Line from Busan, bus 1150 (checked October 21, 2026)
- Gyeongju Transportation Information Center · Fares: bus fares and transfers (checked October 21, 2026)
- Busan Metropolitan City · Foreigner support: 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (checked October 21, 2026)
Every fact in this article was checked one by one against the official sources listed above.