Taking an intercity bus from Seoul to Gyeongju was as easy as downloading an app and pressing a few buttons. With the Express Bus Mobile application, I simply searched for a location, chose a bus, added my bank credentials, and was given a QR code that I could scan when boarding the bus. As someone who doesn’t speak conversational Korean, this app coupled with Google Translate has allowed me to travel all over Korea with ease.

Eating delicious hwangnam and chalbori bread while making plans for the day

After arriving in Gyeongju on a four-hour bus ride, the first thing I noticed was that there was bread everywhere. Specifically, there were about eight shops selling hwangnam bread and chalbori bread on the street outside the intercity bus terminal. Hwangnam bread is a flaky pastry with a thick red bean filling, and Chalbori bread is comprised of two glutinous pancakes with a red bean paste thinly spread in the middle. I had heard from my Korean coworkers that Gyeongju was famous for hwangnam bread, but nothing could have possibly prepared me for how many shops were selling these sweet treats around Gyeongju. Over the course of two days, I must have walked by at least 30 different vendors! I ended up choosing a reasonably priced vendor who was able to offer half a box of hwangnam bread and half a box of chalbori bread for 14,000 won with a place to sit to plan my day. I grabbed a city map from the tourist information center right next to the terminal, bought my sweets, and began to plan.

Bomun Lake: A stroll by the water

Gyeongju, it turns out, is fairly small and very easily walkable, with the exception being a place called Bomun Lake Tourist Complex which is about nine kilometers from the downtown area. My plan was simple: take a bus to Bomun Lake, walk around to explore, head back downtown to check into the hotel, get some dinner at a local restaurant, then visit some of the historical sites by the hotel before turning in for the night. I like to cram a lot into my days when traveling, and Gyeongju would not be an exception!

After taking local bus 10 to Bomun Lake, I decided to walk around the water. Early November leaves painted the ground with orange and yellow hues, while the cool brisk air made walking quickly a necessity. In the distance, the sounds of roller coasters and children’s laughter created the perfect soundtrack to the afternoon. I could picture this being the perfect place to spend a family weekend – peaceful swan boats, thrilling amusement park rides, beautiful walking paths, and delicious street food being sold nearby.

Bomun Lake: Swan boats out on the water

Bomun Lake: A building with a pagoda cut out of the middle

I ended up by the Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park by the southeast quadrant of the lake, where I found the most beautiful building with a pagoda cut out of the middle.

I met a group of young college-age Korean students struggling to take a selfie by the architectural wonder and offered to take it for them. With their laughter and smiles forever captured on film, I smiled to myself, happy to be fortunate enough to experience this magical day.

Bomunho Lake

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Gyeongju Historic Area: Cheomseongdae Observatory from afar

I ended up taking another bus back to the downtown area that stopped right outside of the Cheomseongdae Observatory, located in the the Gyeongju Historic Area. Although it didn’t look like much, entrance was free, and there is immense historical significance to the observatory. As the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia, this observatory was used to predict the weather by observing the stars in the 7th century in the kingdom of Silla. It is constructed out of 362 stones, which represent the days in a lunar year, and the window in the center separates 12 layers of stones above and below, symbolizing the 12 months of the year and the 24 solar terms.

Cheomseongdae Observatory close up

Gyeongju Historic Area: delicious ssambap at a restaurant in Ssambap Alley

After admiring the observatory, I walked about five minutes to the hotel. I quickly checked into my room and was off to dinner. The hotel, it turned out, was located near an area known as Ssambap Alley. Ssambap, meaning “wrapped rice,” is a meal where leafy vegetables are used to wrap a piece of meat and other fillings. The restaurant I chose to go to served dinner with over 25 different side dishes! Coming from Seoul, it is rare to have so many side dishes, but the table in Gyeongju was decorated with fish, vegetables, fried mushrooms, steamed egg, noodles, and of course, chalbori bread! As I ate the feast laid out before me, I was reminded why I came to love Korean food in the first place. There was nothing like delicious and simple vegetables with a huge variety of options to begin an evening!

Gyeongju Historic Area: Woljeonggyo Bridge and its reflection on the water

After dinner, I still had a few hours before going to bed, so I decided to explore a little bit more of the Gyeongju Historic Area. As it was the main tourist area, I walked around aimlessly for about an hour, taking in the sights before stumbling upon a beautiful bridge that I now know as the Woljeonggyo Bridge. This bridge was constructed in the year 760 and was a transportation route that connected Namsan Mountain to the royal palace by providing a path over the Namcheon Stream. I joined a group of photographers trying to capture the perfect photo of the bridge and its reflection on the still water, shivering in the evening air.

But no photo could match its stunning beauty, and no words can truly describe this perfect night – a night when a casual walk through Gyeongju turned into a breathtaking stroll through time.

Soseoljae Hotel: The sign and entrance to the café

Soseoljae (Cheomseongdae) Hotel was one of the nicest hotels I have stayed at in a long time. As a hanok stay experience (traditional Korean housing) stay experience, I was not expecting luxury, but the room and the entire complex was absolutely beautiful.

Walking into the hotel for the first time was one of the greatest parts of this trip, as my jaw was open for the entire time due to how stunning it looked. The entrance had a cute wooden door with a brightly lit and color-changing sign that complemented the exposed wood aesthetic particularly well.

Soseoljae Hotel: The courtyard as you walk into the complex

Soseoljae Hotel: View of the courtyard from the room

Soseoljae Hotel: View of the café from the room

Once inside the complex, the path opened up to a beautiful courtyard with warm lighting. During the day, you could find traditional Korean games to play in this courtyard, but I checked in during the early evening, so it was very quiet. Check in was done at the café attached to the hotel, and the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. They explained the room features clearly, told me about the free breakfast in the morning, and even recommended a dinner location!

Soseoljae Hotel: Amenities on a table in the room

The room was small but very comfortable. Although the bed was more of a mat on the floor than a mattress, I was used to sleeping like this from other trips and found it quite pleasant. On a small table in the room, the hotel left a few amenities, including water bottles, red bean bread, postcards, and pencils. The floor heating was a nice touch, and the bathroom had an electric toilet complete with bidet and air drying capabilities.

Soseoljae Hotel: A view of the room from inside

Soseoljae Hotel: A view of the room from outside

Another selling point for this hotel was its amazing location. Located just within the Gyeongju Historic Area and right next to Ssambap Alley, it was incredibly easy to see the tombs, observatory, bridge, and other historically significant attractions simply by walking around. There were also many different options for eating delicious and affordable food in the area, with ssambap costing around 12,000-15,000 won depending on the type of protein chosen. I actually ate ssambap for two meals in a row!

To the east of the hotel was the Gyeongju Historic Area, to the north was the Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex, to the south was Gyochon Hanok Village, and to the west were a variety of restaurants and cafes. During my stay, it certainly felt like it was centrally located to all of the major attractions, and the only time I had to take any public transportation was when I decided to visit a lake about 9km away.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I heard that the hotel was a hanok stay experience, but I was pleasantly surprised with everything it had to offer. The cleanliness, helpfulness of the staff, and overall amazing location made for a memorable trip to Gyeongju. The room’s mixture of tradition with modern comforts and a stunning courtyard just outside my door makes Soseoljae a hotel I’d recommend to anyone!