By tight travellers, June 2026
Wanting to get out of the hustle ‘n bustle of the city in South Korea? We just spent 2 days in Gyeongju – South Korea’s “open air museum”. If you’re looking for rich history but smaller crowds make sure to add Gyeongju to your South Korea itinerary.
How To Get To Gyeongju
Day Trips – There are a ton of guided day trip options if you only have 1 day to spare; ranging from £30 for group tours, and £120 for private tours (but if you want to do a private tour, us tight travellers recommend you don’t pay a small fortune and make your own way there!). As always, compare prices across platforms like Booking.com, Trip.com, Klook and Get your Guide. Make sure to use our TIGHTTRAVELLERS5 code for those extra savings!
By Car – Cars are the most flexible options. We’ve done our fair share of road trips and can confirm they are unbeatable, make sure you have an international driving permit, you’ll be scuppered without it; make sure to take parking fees into account. Compare prices on SkyScanner and Booking.com.
By Train – We decided to get the train to Gyeongju (From Busan) and it was super easy and it only cost us £5 each, bargain. You can buy tickets at the station, or if you want to buy ahead of time use 12Go.
Where To Stay
Where We Stayed
Of course we stayed at the cheapest place we could find after comparing across multiple sights. This ended up being Gyeongju Eupseong Stay
Good location, clean, comfy – everything tight travellers want and don’t always get!
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Things To Do
We ain’t kidding when we say Gyeongju is ‘an open air museum’. There are 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites!
Day 1:
Start your day at Daereungwon Tomb Complex (Cheonmachong); a historical park containing 23 royal mounds from the Silla period, plus it is completely free to enter.
Take a wander over to Hwangnidan-gil Street; a busy Hanok street with a lot of spenny cafe’s – you can get some cheap street food though like 10-Won coin bread.
Make a stop at the oldest standing observatory in SE Asia: Cheomseongdae Observatory. It is completely free to view, worth a quick stop.
If you’re interested in learning more about the history head to Gyeongju National Museum (a museum with walls).
End your first busy day at Woljeonggyo Bridge. Another completely free attraction, and it looks amazing mega when it’s lit up in the evening.
Day 2:
Get yoursen on’t local bus and make your way to Bulguksa Temple. Tight travellers can then do a scenic hike to Seokguram Grotto.
Head back into town and ‘av a gander around Jungang Market or the less busy Seongdong Market.
Where To Eat
- Jungang Market
- Seongdong Market
- The Bbalbong (Tteokbokki)
- Domi (pizza)
- Bread Monster (bakery)
- Tigerkatsu
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