We visited Gyeongju, Busan, and Ulsan, tourist cities in southeastern South Korea, on an inspection tour organized by the Korea Tourism Organization. This is a report in two parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Let’s start with Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Silla Dynasty!
This time, we used Jin Air, a Korean Air Group company, from Narita Airport, and although it is an LCC, the check-in counter is located in Terminal 1 instead of Terminal 3. Jin Air also offers flights to Busan from Kansai International Airport, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.
In fact, Gyeongju City is scheduled to host the APEC Summit this October. The convention center “HICO,” which will be the venue for the event, is located near the Hilton Gyeongju.
The Hilton Gyeongju, which is about an hour and a half bus ride from Gimhae International Airport, is a resort hotel located on the banks of Lake Bomun. It is a bit far from the center of Gyeongju, about 9 km from the city. Large hotels seem to be concentrated around this Lake Bomun, and nearby is the popular theme park “Gyeongju World” with its full range of screaming machines.
Introducing Gyeongju’s historical sightseeing spots, a “museum without a roof
Gyeongju, once the capital of Silla Dynasty, is dotted with numerous historical buildings and sites, and is sometimes referred to as a “museum without a roof. The first two sites visited in the ancient capital of Gyeongju are Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, both located in the mountainous suburbs of the city. Both are registered as World Cultural Heritage sites, and are historical sites where one can feel the high level of Buddhist culture of the time.
Silla, which unified the Korean peninsula in 676, heavily protected Buddhism, and temples were built here and there. Bulguksa Temple, which is said to represent the ideal Buddhist society through its architecture, is characterized by a structure that looks like a stone bridge from the secular world into the Buddhist world (i.e., the temple grounds). It is a popular tourist attraction in Korea among men and women of all ages.
Lunch in Gyeongju was yukke bibimbap, which was ranked an impressive third in the “30 Best Gourmet Dishes in Korea – Gyeongsang, Daegu, and Busan” list. It was served colorfully in a shiny brass bowl.
Pour the rich gochujang sauce over the rice, mix well, and you are done. I always end up overeating Korean food because I think it is “healthy because it is full of vegetables! In Japan, raw beef is only available at a limited number of restaurants, so it is a gourmet dish that I always eat when I visit Korea.
With our stomachs full, it was time to head to the center of Gyeongju. We got off the bus and headed for a hanbok rental store. Yes, this time we enjoyed walking around town in traditional Korean costumes!
For reference, Hanbok rental rates at this store are 12,000 won for one hour, 16,000 won for two hours, 20,000 won for three hours, and 30,000 won for the entire day. There is also a traditional costume called Silla Hanbok that is a bit more expensive. You can feel like a military officer (?). Men’s costumes are also available.
One of the most popular sightseeing courses in Gyeongju is a stroll down Hwangnidanggil, a fashionable street lined with cafes, restaurants, photo studios, and stores in renovated hanok houses. The new, yet somewhat retro “new-toro” style is booming in Korea. I could feel it here in Gyeongju. The streets are full of young people.
Near Hwangnidanggil, which is filled with tourists and students on school excursions, is Taereungwon, an area dotted with ancient tombs of various sizes. You may be surprised to see so many ancient tombs in the middle of a city like this! I was surprised to see so many tombs in the middle of the city! The park is well maintained and is a great place to take pictures.
A short walk south of Daereungwon stands Cheomsongdae, the oldest astronomical observatory in the East, said to have been built during the reign of Queen Seondeok, the 27th ruler of the Silla Dynasty.
Silla is said to have been ruled by 56 kings, two of whom were women, and Queen Seondeok was one of them; there is a scene in the popular Korean historical drama “Queen Seondeok” broadcast in 2009 in which this observatory appears.
Gyeongju also offers a wide variety of nighttime tourist content. After dinner, we enjoyed the beautiful illuminated night view of Donggung, Wolji and Woljeonggyo. Donggung and Woljeong Pond are famous landmarks that were featured in the Korean TV drama “Cinderella I Found: Beauty Inside.
Gyeongju is a historical city that most people in Korea visit on school excursions. It takes only a little over two hours from Seoul Station by high-speed train (KTX) or three and a half hours by express bus. On your next trip to Korea, why not stay a few nights in the ancient city of Gyeongju and plan a historical trip to experience the glory of the city of a thousand years?
© Source travel watch
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