Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram, Gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years and is called 'the museum without walls'. Bulguksa, an 8th-century temple with stone bridges and pagodas, and the Seokguram grotto, with a granite Buddha looking out to sea, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In town, see the grassy royal tomb mounds of Tumuli Park, the Cheomseongdae observatory, and the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, beautiful lit up at night. Gyeongju is 2 hours from Seoul by KTX.