Recently travelled to Gyeongju, a city located in the southeastern part of South Korea, to present a talk in the ICGAC15 meeting at Gyeongju, Korea held from July 3-7, 2023. Gyeongju is a city filled with old relics and history from the Silla dynasty that ruled Korea for about a thousand years from 57 BCE to 935 CE. The capital of the Silla dynasty is now a UNESCO world heritage city.

How to reach there

Travelling in Korea is very easy. I took the KTX train from Seoul to SinGyeongju. It took about two hours. From SinGyeongju station there are frequent buses to the Gyeongju city which takes less than half an hour. However, since the conference was at the Kolon Hotel, which is a little far and located near the southeastern part of Gyeongju, I just took a cab. Gyeongju is very close to Busan and can be reached by either KTX or bus very easily.

Where did I go in Gyeongju

Bulguksa temple: Very close to Kolon Hotel and reachable by Bus No 10 or 11 from the city. It is said to be one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Korea. There are a lot of places to eat here. Cafes and convenience stores are there if you need something.
Seokguram Grotto: A UNESCO World Heritage. From the Bulguksa temple bust, there is Bus No 12 which goes to this place every one hour so and returns also every one hour.
Gyeongju National Museum: Located near the city itself. A Museum with articles from the Silla period. Free to enter.
Woljeonggyo Bridge: Enjoyed a nice walk from the National Museum to the Woljeonggyo Bridge through the Korean rural landscape. From afar the bridge looks beautiful.
Gyeongju Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex: Enjoyed a walk through the tomb complex. Many tombs of the Silla kings.
Golgulsa Temple: From the city, took the Bus No 150 to Andong, the entrance of the Golgulsa temple. From Andong, it is a 20 minutes walk.
Najeong Beach: Took Bus 150 again from Andong to reach the Najeong beach on the east coast of Korea. It took only 10 minutes from Andong.