This post is part of a 3D2N itinerary and will feature D1 of the trip. D2 was Ulsan and D3 was paragliding in Ulsan.
Gyeongju! I’ve been told by so many people that Gyeongju was a beautiful place, so I was actually quite excited to visit it. Because of the BF, I hadn’t really planned properly for this trip, and I was more focused on confirming the paragliding trip with Amber. (videos and pics for paragliding just got sent to me so i’m super excited to share it in another post akjdhgla) I woke up late that day LOl and had to cab down .__. ugh hate it when that happens. It’s the first time I’ve ever overslept on a road trip though. Well anyways.
We reached Gyeongju earlier than expected due to smooth traffic on a weekday. We went on the week where there was election holidays on Wednesday and Friday, and we had no school on Thursday. I actually had no school on tuesday too so technically i had 6 entire days if i wanted to o somewhere far xD It didn’t occur to me till Wed tho. So at the last minute, the night before, I was googling where to go in Gyeongju because Sheryl’s plan to go to the folk village didn’t really appeal to me. I found out that you could bike in Gyeongju since bike rentals are aplenty and it’s better to do that than to go on foot (the area was inaccessible by bus). You could cover downtown Gyeongju in half a day on bike so I decided to do that! Before talking about Gyeongju, let’s talk about how I tasted one of the best Soondubu Jjigaes from one of the local eateries in Gyeongju…
Soondubu jjigae is literally the love of my life along with ramyun, latte, budae jjigae, jjambbong, homilbat…… idk how i’m gonna survive when i leave Korae sometimes, besides latte and ramyun i can’t really get any of those in their full authentic Korean glory ;A;
Bicycle Rental @ Gyeongju
There are tons of bike rental shops but my recommendation would be the one right outside the bus terminal. The ahjumma was very kind and funny and entertained all my demands! It cost 7000 won for a day until 7pm, and she will also give you a bicycle lock along with it, so you can safely lock your bike anytime you want to explore an area. You’ll have to give an ID card in exchange. So the plan initially was to go our separate ways upon reaching Gyeongju. But after seeing my bike and all Sheryl kinda changed her mind haha.
The first bike i had before Sheryl decided she wanted to go! love this color!
The rental shop outside the bus terminal! Will never get tired of seeing the beautiful colors on Korean bikes!
She really wanted to bike too but she can’t cycle and there were no training wheels so we rode tandem bike in the end. It was my first experience and i have to say nah i’m not going to tandem again if i can help it AHAHA. It’s too heavy and restrictive for my liking. So I was going to recommend a biking trail/route, but then we got lost so many times it’s hard to recommend the route we actually went .___. nevertheless, i have the map so i can post here for reference! Visitkorea also had their own recommended route, but I suggest referring to the map and cross-referencing to see if you should follow strictly to their suggestions, as there may be things you will wanna go that was not stated. The map that I was given, cropped to focus on more touristy area: (clicky to enlarge)
This is not the full map, there are several off-areas that may be worth seeing as well, but if you only have a half a day like we did (we cycled from 12-5, factoring in getting lost time and photo time), this would be the recommended focus. If you have the whole day finish the downtown area if you’re up for it haha!! The ones in red are the more touristy areas that you can consider visiting. You can get this map from the tourist information center right outside the bus terminal. But it’s better to plan the route before going there, it was so much trouble stopping the bike and constantly re-routing and checking the map 
Above is VisitKorea’s recommended route. Double check to make sure you go where you want to 🙂
Gyochon Hanok Village
Our first accidental stop was the Gyochon Hanok Village, not a highlighted area on the map but we got off to do photoshoots anyway.
aww not a good quality pic
It was full of locals (?) playing around and tourists like myself taking photos of them haha. It was a little like Jeonju except less touristy.
Woljeonggyo Bridge
As we headed away from the village, we yet again stumbled upon an accidental beauty. It looked so pretty but was under construction so we weren’t sure what it was at first, but on the map it’s clearly Woljeonggyo. I think when it’s constructed it would become a proper tourist spot. Nevertheless, it was a fun spot to take photos!
LOVE THE NEW SHADES FROM EDAE
After spending a mighty long time there photoshoot-ing, we finally cycled off again, this time towards Gyerim area.
Gyeongjuhyanggyo Confucian School
The school was right beside Gyerim Forest so we dropped by to take a look. We left after taking a very brief glance though, didn’t seem like much at least to us. This reminded me of a conversation I had with Sheryl. I know her favorite sights are flowers, but until now i haven’t decided what are my favorite sights. I decided that i probably like rocks and waters (minus beaches), since i tend to enjoy my time a little more at caves, ponds, lakes such as the ones above, and i like climbing rocks. I guess…? idk. Anyways, back to the school.
Didn’t even venture in and walked out xD
Gyerim Forest
No bikes allowed in Gyerim, so we parked our bikes and took a look around. It was just a forest so once again, nothing much for us.
tombs in gyerim forest!
We were off again after a brief look! Then happened to see a reed field OTW so of cuz we did more photoshoots.
Saw a scarecrow and i actually thought it was a real person #convincing
Bunghwangsa Temple
We decided to head to Bunghwangsa Temple which was abit out of the way but seemed to be interesting.
But…. we didn’t go in. HAHAHAHA. Cuz we had to pay and it looked like it was really nothing much…
We saw the path that led to Hwangnyongsa Temple Site but cycled past it because we were actually running short of time because of too many times getting lost and stuff.
Random Lilypad (????) Field
Special mention cuz we spent so much time here taking photos and what not haha. Please enlighten me what field it really is.
Cheomseongdae Observatory
more tombs!
The observatory
Seokbinggo Ice Stone House
Decided to drop by since it was near.
OTW there!
View from the top!
Mysterious trail…
It was nothing much but a huge huge abandoned chamber. We weren’t allowed to go in… After that we decided there was nothing else to see, so we headed to a cafe opposite the observatory area.
Coffee Talk Talk
It was a beautiful place to settle down and rest! As it was chilly and a bit rainy that day, it was perfect for a cup of hot coffee.
Also it seems to be a thing to leave messages in cafes here in Korea. Either that, or in Seoul cafes, to leave the stamp cards there so they won’t forget to bring it. We did that in Suncheon as well and we saw the same system here in Gyeongju. So we did it again!
Officially leaving our marks~
“Thank you Gyeonju, we had fun! It is raining today, so to be drinking a warm cup of coffee like this, it’s super~~~~ nice!” And that concluded our cycling trip!
Gyeongju Bread
On the way to the train station where our hostel was, we dropped by one of the many bakeries to buy one of Gyeongju’s specialties. They have two types of Gyeongju specialties, one is the Gyeongju Bread and the other one is some sort of barley pancake with red bean filling. We bought the latter because the gyeongju bread is a mooncake kind of texture which Sheryl disliked. The bakeries all sold in 10s so we bought 10 to share, for 6000 won. We took bus 11 from opposite the bus terminal to go to the train station. I think other buses go too, but I can’t remember the rest.
When we reached the train station, I was kinda determined to try the Gyeongju bread so we walked a little aways from the train station and managed to find this nice bakery that sold by pieces!!! If you’re traveling alone or with a few people only, you can look for this bakery. Facing the train station, you just need to head right until you see it.
Coffee was cheap too so it seems like a nice place for breakfast! They have a seated area~ The owner was nice to us and offered to give us the Gyeongju bread fresh from the oven!! They made it such a big thing in Gyeongju that I was skeptical of my expectations being met, but I wasn’t disappointed! Perhaps it’s attributed to it being fresh from the oven?
YUMZ. go to this bakery if you just want to try one! If you’re lucky he’ll give you one fresh from the oven~~~ a must-try since it’s claimed to be a famous Gyeongju specialty.
Anapji Pond
MY FAVORITE ❤ I was skeptical about visiting since from outside it looked like normal lighted palaces, plus it was raining at night. But when I really went in, it was so worth it! We cabbed down from the train station/hostel place and it cost only 3000 won, would be better to cab down rather than to take a bus. It looked like this at first:
And then we walked in to the center and we were greeted with sights like these:
Absolutely breathtaking. We strolled one round around the pond and the view from all angles were fantastic. Didn’t regret paying that 2000 fee and walking in the rain. This is the most beautiful night sight i’ve seen since Dolsan Bridge which was a long time ago. It was peaceful too, besides the palace music that was a little too loud and blaring haha. It’s hard to capture beautiful shots on the phone at night so i was glad i had my DSLR. If you’re not trying to capture high quality pics though it doesn’t matter.
In my opinion, Anapji pond was the main attraction in Gyeongju and also possibly the reason why you should stay the night in Gyeongju when you go. You have to see Anapji at night and by then you probably wouldn’t catch buses back to Seoul, but just stay. It’s worth it. And the hostel is very affordable and clean. Which brings me to my next section!
Accommodation @ Gyeongju Tour Guesthoue
We stayed in Gyeongju Tour Guesthouse which was really close to the train station!! I liked this guesthouse! 😀 It was only 18,000 won for a 4-bed bunk bed, i think 16,000 won for a 6-bed one. They have one toilet for every bunk bed room, so we only had to share with two others.
Above two pictures from hostelworld! It was really convenient 😀
We were given sets of towel, pillow case and locker keys in exchange for a 10,000 won deposit.
The room was small but enough room for four people.
Ok so i have real weakness for beds like these. Those that have curtains so you can block out the room’s light or have some privacy. I’m a sucker for such beds and have always loved the idea of just enclosing myself in my own little world. However, Tour Guesthouse’s bad point was that the top bunk was really really close to the ceiling. Neither me nor Sheryl could sit up straight lol. But for one night it was okay, but if you’re staying more days it may be bothersome when you keep hitting your head against the ceiling haha.
my own little world ❤
Just looking at it makes me happy. LIke my own little enclosure/cot. Everything was clean so it feels nice 🙂 I had one of the nicest sleep, that is until i wake up and hit my head against the ceiling…… bathroom was average but decent enough for me.
Breakfast was also really decent 🙂
The kitchen!
A nice wholesome breakfast
Bulguksa Temple
Gyeongju isn’t over yet! We woke up the next morning early to head to Bulguksa Temple, which was rather far away from the main downtown area, which was why we hadn’t included it in our itinerary earlier on.
Entrance
Saw a bunch of kids playing in the rain~ props to the dad for letting them play freely instead of scolding them!
In my opinion, Bulguksa Temple was nothing that special, but it is rather iconic of Gyeongju so it’s obligatory for us. Also we didn’t go up to the grotto because we saw on other blogs that people were disappointed by the grotto after climbing to get there haha.
And that officially concluded Gyeongju, 1.5D1N itinerary! I had wanted to include my half-day Ulsan here but this post has grown too long xD Will be publishing my Ulsan and paragliding posts next! Thanks for reading!
darmawanders 
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