Cheonmachong
The one tomb open inside.
Amy Elise Keel — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 손묵광 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Basile Morin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0
A park in the heart of Gyeongju holding 23 round, grassy mounds: the tombs of the kings, queens and nobles of the Silla kingdom, which ruled from this city for nearly a thousand years. The green mounds rise among the trees and paths like small hills, some of them taller than the houses around them. The tombs were built by laying the coffin, piling stones over it and then earth, which made them hard for looters to break into, so their treasures stayed intact until they were excavated in the twentieth century. Among them are the gold crowns and belts that have become the symbol of Silla, now in the Gyeongju National Museum. The best known mound is Cheonmachong, the Heavenly Horse Tomb, named after a flying horse found painted on a birch-bark saddle flap inside. It is the only tomb you can enter: it has been opened up to show its structure, the coffin and replicas of its treasures, with a separate ticket. The park has been free since 2022 and stays open into the evening; the best time is at sunset, when the paths are lit. By the western entrance is Hwangnidan-gil, a street of cafés and restaurants in hanok houses.
The one tomb open inside.
Green hills among the trees.
Cafés in hanok houses.
Central Gyeongju, about 15 minutes on foot from the bus terminal
Cheomseongdae ObservatoryA small stone tower from the seventh century, counted as the oldest surviving as10 minutes walk4.4
Woljeonggyo Bridge and Gyochon VillageA covered wooden bridge with colourful tiled roofs and tall gate towers at each 15 minutes walk4.5
Donggung Palace and Wolji PondThe remains of the Silla crown prince's palace and its artificial pond, built on18 minutes walk4.6
Gyeongju National MuseumThe museum devoted to the Silla kingdom, which made Gyeongju its capital for nea23 minutes walk4.5Yes, the park has been free since May 2022. Going inside Cheonmachong tomb costs 3,000 won for adults.