Busan to Gyeongju

I have bought train tickets online for the next 3 destinations, and printed them to PDF. This is a convenient and time-saving way to go. Gyeongju is the first destination.

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom, which endured from 57 BC to 935 AD. Given the volatility of the region over that millenium, that is serious longevity.

There are 2 separate train stations in Busan; Busan Station for the express KTX service and Bujeon station for the slower services. It is Bujeon where I'm headed today. My train will stop at Gyeongju Station, which is in town and not far from my hotel. The KTX station is quite a long way out of town.

At Gyeongju station I look for tourist information - nothing in English, no staff so no point. I roll my megaluggage down the road towards my destination, which is Sugar Hotel. On the way I have to navigate around a street market, I've found it's easiest to use the road!

I reach the hotel and a young lady who speaks excellent English checks me in, even though I'm an hour early. There are a number of "love motels" in the area, but this hotel is not one of them. It seems to cater to families and business travellers.

I'm told where to go for tourist information. Turns out it's down the road near the bus terminal. I notice a number of scooter rental places in the vicinity. There's a reason for this - Gyeongju can be considered an "open air" museum. If you're not on a tour and you don't have a car, you end up doing a LOT of walking to get around. Hence the scooter rental places.

The lady at tourist information tells me which buses to take to get to the National Museum and where the stop is. I duly follow her guidance and take bus 600 to the museum.

Walking into the museum, it is quickly evident that this city is very much on the tourist trail. Plenty of schoolkids and tour groups. It's FREE to enter the museum, my favourite 4-letter word after **** and 😯😯😯😲.

It has a very good collection of Silla artifacts with consistent English translations. I especially like the history of how the Silla kingdom came to be, it's regional alliances and its demise. I make sure to stand out of the way when a tour group comes through, will get bumped out of the way otherwise.

Outside the museum I take some photos, it is located in quite an attractive setting and has some outdoor artifacts. I then walk around 25 minutes east to Bunhwang-sa temple. That's 1500 KRW for entry. The temple area dates back to 634 AD and features a well-maintained brick pagoda. Later I follow the crowd along a path to the Hwangnyongsa Temple Site, dating back to 553 AD and featuring burial mounds out in the open. There's an interpretation centre nearby, but time is passing so I take bus 10 back to the bus terminal.Read more