Namsan, the southern mountain of Gyeongju, is a modest granite ridge rising just under five hundred metres above the old capital of the Silla kingdom, and it is crammed with more Buddhist art than almost any mountain in Korea. For centuries the monks and craftsmen of Silla, which unified much of the Korean peninsula in the seventh century and ruled from Gyeongju until the tenth, carved Buddhas into its boulders, built stone pagodas on its ridges and placed temples in its valleys. UNESCO took in the whole mountain when it listed Gyeongju's historic areas, and walking its trails is like moving through an open-air museum among the pines.
Some of the highlights are the seated Buddha in Samneung valley, the carved rock faces at Chilburam, where seven Buddhas emerge from the granite, and the slightly smiling Buddha of Bulgok, sitting in a niche like a person sheltering from the rain. At the foot of the mountain lies Poseokjeong, a curving stone water channel where, legend says, Silla nobles floated cups of wine and recited poems. Nearby are royal tombs, great grassy mounds that dot the landscape of Gyeongju itself.
Gyeongju is a pleasant, low-rise city, more relaxed than most in Korea, with its central area of royal tumuli, the Cheomseongdae observatory tower and the lovely Donggung palace with its pond lit up at night. Bulguksa temple and the Seokguram grotto, both on the slopes of Tohamsan to the east, are among the most celebrated Buddhist sites in Asia.
The riding is relaxed. Roads around the base of Namsan are quiet and lined with fields and small villages, and the climb up Tohamsan to Seokguram is a good twisty road through forest. Further east, the coast near Gampo and Yangnam has cliffs and fishing harbours. Korean roads are well maintained, but watch for speed cameras, which are everywhere and usually announced with signs, and for slow farm vehicles on minor roads. Gyeongju has plenty of fuel stations and restaurants; try the local ssambap, rice with a spread of leaves for wrapping, and Gyeongju bread, small pastries filled with red bean paste. Spring cherry blossom season is spectacular and crowded.