I recently traveled to Gyeongju on a solo trip. It was my first time visiting Gyeongju as an adult, and I enjoyed traveling from a different perspective than when I was younger. Having studied Korean history, I was able to feel the emotion and beauty of Korea, at Bulguksa Temple. What’s more, I understand why the Buddhist statues and pagodas inside the Temple are a World Heritage Site. So I recommend Bulguksa Temple which is the best travel destination to Foreign tourists. I hope you're able to enjoy the memories I had. You'll never regret it. Welcome to visit Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju!

We were holidaying in Busan and we decided to travel out for some sightseeing, which lead us to Gyeongju. Bulguksa Temple is an important and popular temple in Gyeongju. There are quite a few halls and you can see colourful lanterns at various parts of the temple. These lanterns can be rented to make wishes. Rental of lotus lanterns used to be KRW1,000,000, but now cost less. There are also many structures on the grounds that are considered national treasures (stupa that was taken away during the Japanese occupation but was returned, the stone pagoda called Dabotap, etc). There are stories behind various structures and halls, and reading them or joining a guided tour might give better insights. As we visited in a cold December 2023 where temperatures dipped to minus 6 degrees Celcius, the ponds and mini-waterfall were all frozen.

This place is some way out of town. But well worth the effort. So I was able to see Bulguksa Temple through movv's Private Day Tour. For 10 hours, I comfortably watched Bulguksa Temple, as well as downtown Gyeongju and Seokguram Rock by car.

This temple complex is the principal temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. This ancient temple complex has been around since the 6th century and contains some of the greatest national assets as decreed by the South Korean government. There are 5 main temples that were prominently listed on the map. The most important of these is the Daeungjeon Hall, which houses the Shakyamuni Buddha. This building also has the most elaborate and decorative dougongs out of all the temples. In truth, most of the temples including the unlisted subsidiary temple Nahanjeon are very pretty and all house beautiful bronze gilded statues of various buddhas. The most magnificent is probably the statue of Buddha in Museoljeon Hall, which houses a magnificent Buddha statue donated by the Thai Royal Family. There was free entry on the day of the visit thanks to a national holiday. To see so many amazing things for free just made the whole experience even greater.

Bulguksa Temple is undoubtedly the most important sight in Gyeongju, so you MUST visit it. From downtown Gyeongju, buses 10, 11, 700, and 711 go to Bulguksa. You can pay for the ride with cash on the bus. Take the same buses back to the city. We visited on a Monday and didn’t have to pay an entrance fee. The large temple complex consists of many beautiful buildings on multiple levels, many containing larger or smaller versions of Buddha in solid gold. However, the most beautiful Buddha is up in Seokguram Grotto, 2.2 km from Bulguksa Temple. You can take a shuttle bus there, but if you’re up for a hike, you can walk. The trail starts at Bulguksa Maingate and is relatively steep all the way up. Technically, the path is easy enough; it’s shaded, well-maintained, and nice. But it requires good fitness and a bottle of water. The hike up to the grotto (which is basically a kind of shed) takes about 1 hour; the way down is much faster. As mentioned, the stone Buddha up there is stunning. It’s enclosed behind glass and cannot be photographed. But no worries, it’s considered one of South Korea’s most important religious works of immense artistic value, so even without a photo, you should enjoy the view for the 5 minutes it takes. You can also buy ice cream, food, drinks, and souvenirs at the temple area, and there are plenty of free toilets, so you don’t need to prepare much for the trip.