Last checked: October 23, 2026 · Sources: Gyeongju City, Gyeongju bus information system, Korail, Kobus, T-money intercity bus, Bulguksa and Seokguram — linked below.
From Seoul to Gyeongju, take a KTX to Gyeongju Station or an express bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal. The bus takes about 3 hours 30 minutes and costs 36,700 won in Excellent class. The train station is outside the city, so add a city bus ride. City buses cost 1,500 won and reach the downtown tombs and Bulguksa Temple.
Is it Singyeongju or Gyeongju Station?
They’re the same station. Gyeongju City says the high-speed station took its new name on December 28, 2023, and that KTX tickets are now booked to “Gyeongju” (경주역). Korail’s English booking site lists it only as Gyeongju.
The old downtown Gyeongju station closed in December 2021, together with Bulguksa station, when the Jungang and Donghae Nambu lines moved. Old guides that tell you to take a train to the city centre or to Bulguksa station are out of date.
The current station is at 80 Gyeongjuyeok-ro, Geoncheon-eup, west of the city. Every route below starts from there or from the bus terminal.
Train or bus: which one fits your trip?
| KTX | Express bus | Intercity bus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Seoul Station or Suseo | Seoul Express Bus Terminal (Gyeongbu side) | Dong Seoul Terminal |
| To | Gyeongju Station (Geoncheon-eup) | Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal (downtown) | Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal (downtown) |
| Time | Not officially confirmed — check before you go | About 3h30 (Kobus estimate, 319.5 km) | About 4h (T-money estimate) |
| Adult fare | Not officially confirmed — check before you go | 24,700–57,200 won by class | 36,400 won |
| Departures | Check Korail+ | 11–13 a day | 6 a day |
| Book on | Korail website or Korail+ app | Kobus website or app | T-money intercity bus site or app |
Our take: if you’re staying near Hwangnidan-gil or Daereungwon, the express bus drops you within walking distance and saves the station-to-town bus. The KTX makes sense when your Seoul hotel is near Seoul Station or Suseo, or on a day trip where every hour counts.
How does the KTX to Gyeongju work?
Book Gyeongju (경주) as your destination on the Korail website or the Korail+ app. Since the September 2026 KTX–SRT integration, one search covers trains from both Seoul Station and Suseo, and Korail says KTX fares dropped about 10% on average.
Not sure which Seoul station to use? See Seoul Station vs Suseo for KTX. Korail+ shows each train’s journey time, fare and whether it stops at Gyeongju, so check the trains from Suseo there before you book.
The journey time and current fare are not officially confirmed here — check before you go. On weekends, book ahead.
How do you take the express bus from Seoul?
Express buses leave from the Gyeongbu (경부) side of Seoul Express Bus Terminal and arrive at Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal, 2 Taejong-ro 685beon-gil, downtown. For a Wednesday in late October, Kobus listed these departures:
| Seoul → Gyeongju | Class | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|
| 06:50, 09:00, 11:10, 13:20, 14:30, 20:05 | Excellent (우등, 28 seats) | 36,700 won |
| 08:10, 10:10, 15:35 | Premium (21 seats) | 47,700 won |
| 17:10 | Standard (45 seats) | 24,700 won |
| 22:00 | Late-night Premium | 57,200 won |
The list changes slightly by date — some days add a 12:05 or 09:10 Excellent bus, and some drop the 17:10 or 20:05 — so check Kobus for your date. Children pay about half (18,400 won on an Excellent bus).
Coming back, buses leave Gyeongju for Seoul from 06:30 to 21:30, 11–13 a day, at the same fares by class. For how to buy Kobus tickets with a foreign card, see booking express buses as a foreigner.
What sells out first: when we checked Kobus eight days ahead of an October weekend, the three earliest Saturday buses to Gyeongju were already gone and two Sunday afternoon buses back to Seoul were sold out. A midweek date the same week still had seats on every bus in both directions.
Our take: on weekends, book the morning bus out and the afternoon bus back as soon as you know your dates. Weekday buses had plenty of seats a few days ahead.
Is there a bus from Dong Seoul?
Yes. Intercity buses run from Dong Seoul Terminal to Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal at 07:00, 09:30, 11:40, 14:10, 15:30 and 18:10. All are Excellent class at 36,400 won for adults. T-money estimates about 4 hours but says times are for reference only.
Book these on the T-money intercity bus site or app, not Kobus. In Gyeongju, the express and intercity terminals share one city bus stop, “Express/Intercity Bus Terminal” (고속버스·시외버스터미널).
Which city bus goes from Gyeongju Station into town?
Leave the station for the bus stop “Gyeongju Station (KTX)” (경주역(KTX)). Gyeongju’s bus information system lists these routes from there. All of them stop at the bus terminal first.
| Bus | Useful stops after the terminal | First – last from the station | Gap between buses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50, 51 | Seorabeol crossroads (Hwangnidan-gil), Jungang Market | 05:00–22:55 / 05:10–23:00 | 20–30 min |
| 70 | Seorabeol crossroads (Hwangnidan-gil), Jungang Market | 05:00–22:55 | 15–25 min |
| 60, 61 | Cheonmachong back gate (Hwangnidan-gil), Cheomseongdae | 06:00–19:40 / 06:35–19:20 | 20–120 min |
| 710 | Cheonmachong back gate, Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, Bomun | 06:30–20:46 | 50–60 min |
| 711 | Cheonmachong back gate, Donggung and Wolji, Gyeongju National Museum, Bulguksa | 07:07–20:23 | 60–70 min |
| 700 | Donggung and Wolji, Bomun, Bulguksa | 07:50–14:50 | 60 min or more |
Bus 700 runs only a few times a day. For Bulguksa, bus 711 or a change at the terminal to bus 10 or 11 is usually easier. Express bus 1150 also goes from the station to Bulguksa, but only every 3–4 hours.
What do city buses cost?
| Adult | Youth | Child | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | 1,500 won | 1,200 won | 800 won |
| Transport card | 1,450 won | Free | Free |
With a card, you get one free transfer to a different route within 30 minutes of tapping off. It doesn’t work on the same route number. A T-money card from Seoul works here; see our T-money vs WOWPASS vs Climate Card guide.
The city’s bus information system shows live arrivals at livebus.gyeongju.go.kr, in Korean. Searching your stop in Naver Map in English shows the same buses.
How do you get to Bulguksa and Seokguram?
Buses 10 and 11 run a loop between downtown and Bulguksa every 20–50 minutes. Both stop at the bus terminal and Wolseong-dong Community Center, the stop for Cheomseongdae. Bus 10 runs from 06:00 to 21:40 and bus 11 from 06:15 to 22:00, from their first stop at Hwangnidan-gil Public Parking Lot.
For Seokguram, change at Bulguksa to bus 12. It runs from 08:40 to 16:40, every 60–80 minutes, to the Seokguram car park and back. Seokguram says return buses leave on the hour, and the grotto is a 10-minute walk from the car park.
Our take: do Seokguram first in the morning. The last bus 12 leaves at 16:40, and Seokguram’s last entry is 17:30 in October and 17:00 from November to January, so it’s easy to run out of time if you start at Bulguksa.
What are the opening hours and ticket prices?
| Site | Hours | Adult / youth / child |
|---|---|---|
| Bulguksa Temple | From 09:00; last entry 18:00 (Mar–Sep), 17:30 (Feb and Oct), 17:00 (Nov–Jan); open every day | Free |
| Seokguram Grotto | Same as Bulguksa; open every day | Free |
| Daereungwon tomb park | 09:00–22:00, last ticket 21:30 | Free |
| Cheonmachong tomb (inside Daereungwon) | 09:00–22:00 | 3,000 / 2,000 / 1,000 won |
| Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond | 09:00–22:00, last ticket 21:30; open every day | 3,000 / 2,000 / 1,000 won |
| Cheomseongdae Observatory | 09:00–22:00 (21:00 in winter); open every day | Free |
Bulguksa and Seokguram stopped charging admission on May 4, 2023. Their car parks still charge 2,000 won per car. Bulguksa posted a notice (March 2026) that repairs on its main hall (Daeungjeon) don’t affect entry.
To stay the night, Bulguksa runs a 2-day, 1-night templestay (130,000 won for adults) and has a manager for English-speaking guests. Booking steps and refund rules are in our templestay booking guide.
At Cheonmachong and Donggung and Wolji, children 6 and under and adults 65 and over get in free. Seokguram may close the grotto during heavy rain, typhoon or snow advisories and warnings.
Is Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond worth it at night?
It’s Gyeongju’s best-known night view, and it stays open until 22:00. The city warns that it gets busy with night visitors, and you may not get in if you arrive close to the 21:30 last ticket. On weekends, arrive well before the last ticket.
Cheonmachong and Donggung and Wolji are ticketed separately: 3,000 won each for adults, 2,000 won for youth and 1,000 won for children.
What a weekend costs two adults
Our sums for an express bus trip with Bulguksa, Seokguram and the downtown sights, using the fares on this page:
| Item | Sum | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Express bus there and back, Excellent class | 2 people × 2 × 36,700 | 146,800 won |
| City buses by card: to Bulguksa, up to Seokguram, back down, back to town | 2 × 4 × 1,450 | 11,600 won at most |
| Cheonmachong and Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond | 2 × (3,000 + 3,000) | 12,000 won |
| Bulguksa, Seokguram, Daereungwon, Cheomseongdae | Free | 0 won |
| Transport and tickets | 170,400 won |
A Standard-class bus (24,700 won) cuts the bus line to 98,800 won, but there’s only one a day. The free card transfer can shave a city bus fare off when you change routes within 30 minutes.
Part of our Getting around Korea guide.
Sources
Sources (19)
- Gyeongju City — High-speed station renamed Gyeongju Station (Korean, Dec 28, 2023) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City — New rail opening changes lines and stations (old Gyeongju and Bulguksa stations close, Korean, Dec 27, 2021) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Planes, trains, express buses, city buses (station and terminal addresses, Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City — Live bus information (routes, stops, first and last buses, Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju Traffic Information Center — Bus fares and transfers (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Korail — English ticket booking site (station list) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Korail — KTX–SRT integration: fares down 10%, Korail+ app (Korean press release, Aug 5, 2026) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Korail — One month after the integration (Korean press release, Oct 8, 2026) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Kobus — Express bus timetable search, Seoul Gyeongbu ↔ Gyeongju (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- T-money — Intercity bus booking, Dong Seoul → Gyeongju (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Admission fees and combined ticket (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Daereungwon (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Cheonmachong (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Gyeongju City Tourism — Cheomseongdae (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Bulguksa — Visiting hours and fees (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Bulguksa — Notice: Daeungjeon repairs do not affect entry (Korean, March 2026) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Seokguram — Visiting hours and fees (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026
- Seokguram — Directions and buses (Korean) — checked Oct 23, 2026