Gyeongju Icons: Chilburam, Cheomseongdae, Bunhwangsa, Tumuli

First published: 07/08/25.

Kyle Magnuson 4.5

Gyeongju Icons: Chilburam, Cheomseongdae, Bunhwangsa, Tumuli
Gyeongju (Inscribed)

I first visited Gyeongju in early Spring 2008 and again that following Summer, those memories remain special. Yet, at the time I knew little about what sites in Gyeongju to prioritize. Returning in 2025 meant truly exploring and appreciating the icons of Gyeongju. I planned long in advance that an essential visit would be Chilburam in Namsan Mountain.

Chilburam (Namsan) - The fastest route to Chilburam is starting from the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Yeombulsa Temple Site, a local route that is not included in a lot of the brochures or promoted hiking routes for Namsan Mountain. It only takes 2-3 hours round-trip and that includes times for pictures and options to visit the Sinseonam Hermitage directly above Chilburam.

Tumuli - The variety of tumuli in around the Gyeongju city center is impressive, I enjoyed the view from the OAR Contemporary Art Museum.

Cheomseongdae - A delightful structure (night picture)

Bunhwangsa - Built only a little after the Baekje stone pagoda at Mireuksa, this is a particularly magnificent example of an ancient Silla Buddhist Temple.

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Kyle Magnuson

Comments

3 comments

Els Slots 4 days, 13 hours ago (Aug 8, 2025)

Thanks for the insider tips, Kyle! Can you give me the coordinates of the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Yeombulsa Temple / the starting point of the trail you described?

Kyle Magnuson 3 days, 5 hours ago (Aug 9, 2025)

35.78801, 129.24416 From Yeombul-saji (two stone pagodas) there is a small parking area. From here you will see Chilburam-gil (a small road going toward the mountain). From this spot its 2.4 km to Chilburam (1hr). Naver maps will indicate the trail clearly. After following the road for 10 minutes you will see the signage for the National Park as you enter within its boundary. Once arriving at Chilburam you can simply return the same way (or if you feel a bit adventurous, walk the trail a little further and do a little scrambling up the mountain trail to Shinseonam (directly above Chilburam) to get another iconic view of a Silla Treasure and the mountain landscape (20-30 minutes extra time). To get there and back to Gyeongju, taking a taxi is the easiest and very cheap.

Els Slots 3 days, 4 hours ago (Aug 9, 2025)

Thanks! I have added the starting point to the map.

Kyle Magnuson 4.5