A.Half day Morning Tour 

Course : Gyeongju Hotel or Gyeongju station pick up - Seokguram Grotto - Bulguksa Temple – Gyeongju Folk Craft Village - Hotel
Price : ￦120,000($120)-adult / ￦115,000($115)
Time : 09:00 ~ 13:30
Inclusions : English Speaking Guide, Adsmission fee, Car, Parking fee

B.Half day Afternoon Tour 

Course : Gyeongju Hotel or Gyeongju station pick up - Gyeongju National Museum – Anapji Pond - Tumuli Park - Cheomseongdae Observatory 
Price : ￦120,000($120)-adult / ￦115,000($115)
Time : 13:00 ~ 16:30 (Gyeongju Station , 12:30, Hotel Pick 14:00~17:30)
Inclusions : English Speaking Guide, Adsmission fee, Car, Parking fee

C.Fullday city tour

Course : Hotel or Gyeongju station pick up- Seokguram Grotto - Bulguksa Temple – Gyeongju Folk Craft Village - Lunch - Gyeongju National Museum – Anapji Pond - Tumuli Park - Cheomseongdae Observatory
Price : ￦170,000($170)-adult / ￦165,000($165)
Time : 09:00 ~17:30
Inclusions : English Speaking Guide, Adsmission fee, Car, Parking fee, Lunch 1times

D.1Nights 2days

Course :
1st day : Hotel or Gyeongju station pick up - Girimsa Temple - Golgulsa - King Munmu's Tomb – Hotel
2nd day : Seokgurm Grotto - Bulguksa Temple – Gyeongju Folk Craft Village - Lunch - Gyeongju National Museum – Anapji Pond - Tumuli Park - Cheomseongdae Observatory
Time : 1st day 12:30 ~ 17:30 2nd day 09:00 ~ 18:30
Price : ￦270,000($270)-adult / ￦265,000($265)
Inclusions : English Speaking Guide, Adsmission fee, Car, Parking fee ,Lunch 1times

*Remarks : Accommodation is available for  1night at Gyeongju park Tourist Hotel    65.000krw Kolon Hotel 93,000krw(Sun-THU) 11,1000krw(FRI-SAT), 163,000krw(29 JULY-15 AUG,30 31 DEC)

*Description

Seokguram Grotto

Seokguram, located on Mt.Tohamsan, is the representative stone temple of Korea.
The official name of Seokguram, National Treasure No. 24, is Seokguram Seokgul. Designated as World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, it is an artificial stone temple made of granites. The construction started with Kim Dae-Seong (700~774) in 751 during the reign of King Gyeong-Deok (742~765) of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.~A.D. 935) and it was finished in 774, after 24 years, during the reign of King Hye-Gong (765~780).
Seokguram is known to have been built with Bulguksa Temple. According to the history book Samgukyusa of the Goryeo Dynasty (the country that unified the Korean peninsula at the end of the Silla Dynasty, 918~1392), Kim Dae-Seong had built Bulguksa for the parents who were alive, and Seokguram for the parents of his former life.
Seokguram is an artificial stone temple made of granites, and is located on the eastern peak of Mt. Toham (745m sea level). Inside the round-shaped main hall, there are the Bonjon Statue, Bodhi-sattva and his disciples. Seokguram was built to preserve these statues. The Bonjon figure wearing a generous smile is seated on the stage engraved with lotus flower design. The rounded ceiling looks like a half-moon or a bow and has a lotus flower decorated cover on it. As the sunrise from this spot is so beautiful, many people climb the mountain at daybreak.







Bulguksa Temple

Bulguksa Temple is the representative relic of Gyeongju and was designated as a World Cultural Asset by UNESCO in 1995. The beauty of the temple itself and the artistic touch of the stone relics are known throughout the world.
Bulguksa Temple was built in 528 during the Silla Dynasty, in the 15th year of King Beop-Heung's reign (514~540). It was called Hwaeom Bulguksa Temple or Beopryusa Temple back then. In 751, under King Gyeong-Deok (reign 742∼765), Kim Dae-Seong (700~774) started rebuilding the temple and finished in 774, under King Hye-Gong (reign 765~780). After 17 years of construction, the name 'Bulguksa' was finally given to the temple.
The name 'Bulguksa' was kept through numerous renovations of the temple from the Goryeo Dynasty (918~1392) to the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910). But during the Imjinwaeran War (the war provoked by Japan's invasion, 1592~1598) the wooden building was burned, 819 years after first being established.
From 1604, during Joseon Dynasty (King Seon-Jo's 37th year) the reconstruction started again and was renovated approximately 40 times till 1805, to the reign of King Sun-Jo (1790~1834). But the temple still suffered many robberies and damage afterwards.
In 1969, the Bulguksa Temple Restoration Committee was formed and Mulseoljeon, Gwaneumjeon, Birojeon, Gyeongru and Hoerang, which were merely left as grounds of the original buildings, were rebuilt in 1973. Other old or broken sites such as Daewungjeon, Geukrakjeon, Beomyeongru and Jahamun were repaired.
The Bulguksa Temple of today has many cultural relics preserved within it, such as Dabo-tap (National Treasure No.20), Sukga-tap (National Treasure No.21) Yeonhwa-gyo* Chilbo-gyo (National Treasure No.22), Cheongun-gyo*Baekun-gyo (National Treasure No.23) Golden Seated Vairocana Buddhist Figure (National Treasure No.26), Golden Seated Amita Figure (National Treasure No.27) and Sari-tap (National Treasure No.61) among others.


Gyeongju Folk Craft Village



















B.Half day Afternoon Tour

Gyeongju National Museum

Gyeongju National Museum is deep in tradition, with a history of about 90 years. Representing Gyeongju, which used to be the capital of Silla (BC57~AD935), the museum is where you can view the cultural history of Gyeongju district. The exhibit hall is divided into 4 large parts: the Main hall, Annex I, Annex II, and the Outdoor Exhibit Area (Museum Grounds). In the Main Hall you can see earthenware, and in the Arts and Crafts room you can see various artwork and craftwork. Gukeun Memorial Hall exhibits 666 artifacts, which are the personal collection of Dr. Lee Yang-Seon, donated here for preservation. Artifacts from the great tombs still left in the city of Gyeongju are exhibited in Annex I, the Gobun Gallery. There are many glittering accessories, such as golden crowns, crown ornaments, belts, earrings etc. You can experience the superb artistry from the Silla Period through these artifacts. Approximately 30,000 artifacts were excavated from Anapji Pond, the most significant of which are exhibited in Annex 2, the Anapji Gallery. The other galleries exhibit household goods. The various types of items show the life in the Royal Court during the Silla Period. After the galleries, you can move on to the Outdoor Exhibit Area, which is the Museum Grounds. The King Seongdeok’s Bell located there, is the most renowned bell of Buddhist temples. You cannot help but feel solemn as you watch the relic. There are also various artifacts from royal palaces and temples exhibited here. Buddhist sculptures make up a majority of the stone artifacts. If you are a traveler interested in Buddhism or the magnificent culture of royal palaces, this is a place you do not want to miss.


Anapji Pond

As said in the historical book of Samguk-sagi, during the 14th year of King Munmu’s reign (AD 661~681) in the Silla period (57 BC ~ AD 935), a large pond was dug and small mountains were built all within the palace walls. Additionally, beautiful flowers were planted and rare animals were brought in to create an exquisite garden environment. It is at Wolseung (fortress erected in AD 101 during the Silla period) that we can find Anapji pond. In 1974, an excavation revealed large spherical shapes (measuring 200 meters in diameter and 180 meters in height) indicating that 3 islands were located in the pond. Anapji pond can presently be viewed in its near original splendor, thanks to restoration efforts.
Imhae jeonji
As one of the detached palaces, of the Silla royal family’s main palace, this structure was used as the crowned prince’s palace. Imhaejeon is historically the most important building on the property and historical books often refer to the surrounding area as a whole simply as Imhaejin. An excavation resulted in the discovery of several buildings , Hoerang (corridor area), Anapji pond and five towers in the western portion of the site . While some sites have been restored others have been left in the natural form, only leaving the corner stones in sight.


Daereung-won Tumuli Park (Cheonmachong Tomb)

Large ancient tombs of kings and noblemen of the Silla Dynasty can be seen around Gyeongju at the Daereung-won Tumuli Park. There are twenty-three large tombs located here; the most famous ancient tomb being Cheonmachong and Hwangnamdaechong. In an excavation of the area in the 1970's, Cheonmachong was discovered with a painting of mounted horse. This painting is the only discovered painting from the Silla Era. You can also view the inside of Cheonmachong. There are 11,526 remains and crowns of the king inside the tomb demonstrating the lavish lifestyle of the king. Another tourist attraction is Hwangnamdaechong, which is the largest ancient tomb. It houses the bodies of both the king and queen and has over 30 thousand relics and gold accessories. The unique thing about Hwangnamdaechong is that the queen's tomb has more luxurious accessories. From that researchers have concluded that even the queen can have a high social position before marriage. You can feel the ancient culture of Korea 1,500 years ago when visiting these tombs.


Cheomseongdae Observatory

Cheomseongdae is the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia.
Constructed during the reign of Queen Seon-deok (632-647), it was used for observing the stars in order to forecast the weather. This stone structure is a beautiful combination of straight lines and curves, and was designated as National Treasure No.31 on December 20th, 1962.
Cheomseongdae was built in a cylinder shape with stones 30cm in diameter. 362 stones were piled up to make 27 levels. 4.16m up from the bottom there is a 1㎡ square entrance and a space to hang a ladder under it.
The inside is filled with soil up to the 12th level, and the 19th, 20th, 25th, and 26th levels all have long rocks hanging on two areas, shaped as the Chinese letter '井' (jeong).
It stands 9.17m high and the base stone on each side measures 5.35m.
The Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice and the 24 solar terms (also known as the astronomical solar year) were determined by the observation of stars. The pavilion stone is believed to have been used as a standard of deciding directions, north, south, east and west. The 362 stones used to build Cheomseongdae represented the 362 days in a lunar year.


D.1Nights 2days

Golgulsa (Stone Buddha Temple)

Located at the foot of Mt. Hamwol, Gulgulsa is the only temple cave in Korea. The temple was built out of solid rock during the 6th century by Saint Gwang Yoo and some accompanying monks, and was designed according to the architectural structure of India.
The topmost part of the temple stands a sculpture of the Maya Tathagata Buddha and surrounding the sculpture are twelve rock caves used as a prayer sanctuary. Seven of the twelve rock cave sanctuaries are still standing today. Golgulsa’s main attractions are the sculpture of the Maya Tathagata Buddha and the Gwaneum Cave.
The Buddha sculpture displays the characteristic(s)? of the Shilla Buddha, and is 4 meters high. The Buddha has his hair in a topknot, has a calm smile, narrow eyes, small lips, and a long narrow nose. To protect the sculpture of any damage from the wind or rain, a glass ceiling has been installed in the Gwaneum Cave, which is the largest sanctuary of the seven still existing caves.
The main Buddha of this cave is the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and the cave walls are dedicated to the 108 meditations of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The Gwaneum Cave has a wall with tiles in front of it, which makes it look like an ordinary sanctuary. But once inside, the entire interior from ceiling to walls is carved all from stone. Golgulsa is unlike any other temple. The road to the temple offers an exciting thrill similar to that of rock climbing. Safety ropes and railings surround Golgulsa. A risky climb up a long set of stairs finally leads up to the caves, including Gwaneum Cave, Jijang Cave, and Yaksa Cave.
The Maya Tathagata Buddha can only be seen after climbing the rock walls and holding on tightly to the safety ropes, but only past the cave-like rock that juts out.


Underwater Tomb of King Munmu

On the bus from Gyeongju to Bonggil-ri, you will be awed at the sight of the vast blue sea spread before your eyes. As you gaze at the glittering blue sea, a small but beautiful islet particularly catches your attention. This little rocky islet is the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu (661-681 A.D.), who unified the three kingdoms and became the 30th ruler of the Silla Kingdom. The king gave specific instructions to be buried in the East Sea after his death so that he would become a dragon and protect Silla from Japanese intruders. The rocky island, about 200m in circumference, is divided by a cross-shaped waterway, forming a pool at the center, at the bottom of which is a granite 3.6 meters long, 2.9 meters wide and 0.9 meters thick. The remains of King Munmu’s cremated body are buried under this rock. Historians still debate whether the ashes of the King Munmu were scattered or stored in an urn and placed under the granite. The beauty of the landscape of the underwater tomb reaches its peak in the autumn.