Gyeongju Day Trip from Busan: KTX, Local Buses or a Tour

Train times are from Korail's KTX timetable from 1 September 2026. Both trains in the table run every day.

How do you get from Busan to Gyeongju?

Take the KTX from Busan Station to Gyeongju Station. The ride takes 28 to 36 minutes, depending on whether the train stops at Ulsan, and costs 10,100 won in standard class or 14,600 won in first class.

Gyeongju Station is the high-speed station that was called Singyeongju until 28 December 2023. Older guides and some booking pages still use the old name, and it is the same place.

Daily morning trains leave Busan Station at 7:22am, arriving 7:57am, and at 8:39am and 8:59am, arriving 9:14am and 9:29am. Extra trains run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Book on Korail's English site or Trip.com, and on a weekend book early.

Related guideHow to Book the KTX: Tickets, Fares and the 2026 ChangesKTX tickets open at 7am a month before travel. Since 1 September 2026 the KTX and SRT are one network and fares are 10% lower: Seoul to Busan is 54,400 won.

Is there a train from Bujeon, and what about the bus?

Yes, but it is slower and less frequent. Three KTX-Eum trains a day run from Bujeon Station on the Donghae Line, leaving at 7:50am, 1:58pm and 7:40pm and taking about an hour and five minutes, for 12,500 won. The ITX-Maeum and Mugunghwa trains on the same line take 85 to 105 minutes.

Intercity buses to Gyeongju leave from Busan Dongbu Bus Terminal at Nopo and from Busan Seobu Bus Terminal at Sasang, according to Busan city. The buses arrive at Gyeongju's bus terminal in the city rather than the out-of-town KTX station, and buses 10 and 11 to Bulguksa start from that terminal. Check the fare and journey time when you book, because we could not confirm either from an official timetable.

How do you get from Gyeongju Station into the city?

By local bus, in 20 to 25 minutes. Buses 50, 51, 60, 61, 70 and 700 all stop at the station and reach the main downtown stops, including Hwangnidan-gil and Seongdong Market by the old station.

The fare is 1,500 won, 50 won less with a transit card, and one transfer within 30 minutes is free. Buses 50 and 70 are the frequent ones: Gyeongju's transport centre lists them every 30 and 25 minutes, from 5am to 10:55pm.

Skip the taxi for this leg. Gyeongju Smart Tour notes that the station sits far enough out for a surcharge to apply, so the ride downtown comes to more than 20,000 won. Taxis make more sense once you are in the centre.

How do you get to Bulguksa, and when does it open?

Go there first, straight from the station: Bulguksa opens at 9am, and a morning start leaves the rest of the day for the centre. Bus 711 runs from Gyeongju Station via Tongiljeon to Bulguksa, starting at 7:07am and running roughly every 70 minutes until 8:23pm. Bus 700 also goes to Bulguksa from the station, but only a few times a day, first at 7:50am and last at 2:50pm.

If you miss both, ride into the centre and take bus 10 or 11. They leave Gyeongju's bus terminal every 20 minutes from 6am to 9:40pm, and reach Bulguksa in 35 to 45 minutes.

Bulguksa and Seokguram are both free, and have been since 4 May 2023, when the revised cultural heritage law removed admission fees. Entry closes at 6pm from March to September, 5:30pm in October and 5pm from November to January.

Is Seokguram worth adding?

Only if you are there early, because the bus back is hourly. Bus 12 runs from Bulguksa up to Seokguram, the grotto is a 10-minute walk from the car park, and buses back down leave on the hour. A missed bus costs an hour of a day that has none spare.

Seokguram warns that its grounds can close during weather warnings for heavy rain, typhoons or snow, which matters in typhoon season.

What should you see in the centre?

The tombs, Cheomseongdae and Woljeonggyo Bridge, in the afternoon. Take bus 10 or 11 back from Bulguksa, then keep the rest of the day in the centre.

Cheonmachong, the tomb in the Daereungwon park that you can go inside, costs 3,000 won for adults. Cheomseongdae, the stone observatory, is free. Woljeonggyo Bridge, the rebuilt Silla bridge over the river, is free too and open from 9am to 10pm.

When should you go to Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond?

After dark, as the last stop of the day. Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond are open from 9am to 10pm, with the last ticket sold at 9:30pm. Adult admission is 3,000 won.

Plan to leave by about 9pm if you want the 9:46pm train. That gives you time for a bus or taxi out to Gyeongju Station.

What time is the last train back to Busan?

11:46pm, arriving at Busan Station at 12:13am, on Korail's timetable from 1 September 2026. That train runs every day.

The daily trains before it leave Gyeongju Station at 9:21pm, 9:46pm, 11:02pm and 11:12pm, and each takes about half an hour. Our pick is the 9:46pm, which reaches Busan at 10:14pm, because it leaves a later train as a fallback if a bus runs late.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays more trains run in the evening. On any day, book the return when you book the morning train.

Should you take a tour or go on your own?

Go on your own if Bulguksa, the tombs and the pond at night are the plan. The KTX costs 10,100 won each way, the buses cost 1,500 won a ride or less, and the paid sights in this plan cost 3,000 won each. The day depends only on catching two trains and a few buses.

Our pick changes to a tour in two cases. The first is when you want Seokguram as well as Bulguksa and would rather not plan around hourly buses. The second is a group, where the bus changes and the taxi surcharge from the station add up.

Before booking, check which sites the tour visits, whether it stays for Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond after dark, and where it picks up in Busan.

When is one night in Gyeongju better than a day trip?

When you want more than the three stops above. The Gyeongju travel guide makes the case for a night: the sights are scattered, several are best at either end of the day, and a day trip spends its daylight on the easiest two.

One night puts Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond in the evening without watching the clock, and Bulguksa and Seokguram in the morning before the tour coaches. It also leaves time for the National Gyeongju Museum, which is free, according to Gyeongju City.

Related guideKorea in 7 Days: Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan by KTXA first week in South Korea: four days in Seoul, a night in Gyeongju and a last day on the Busan coast, linked by the KTX, with opening hours and fares checked.

If Busan is your base for several nights, where to stay in Busan compares the areas, and a hotel near Busan Station keeps the morning train close.

For the rest of the city, the Busan travel guide covers the subway, the airport and the coast.