Gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla which lasted for the first millenium and ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls" because of the exceptionally large number of historical sites from this period spread in and around Gyeongju.

Impressive tumuli are found in parks within Gyeongju, which form the Gyeongju Historic Areas UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with hundreds of sites - ruined temples, stone statues, pagodas, and lanterns - scattered on Mount Namsan, a mountain that was held sacred by the Silla people and nowadays draws as many hikers on a week-end as popular Yosemite trails, despite the fact that even the easiest trail requires 3 hours of hiking. Slightly further from the city, Bulguksa temple (masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom) and nearby Seokguram Grotto form another UNESCO World Heritage Site.