Why this ride
From Gyeongju it runs 352 km to Gyeongju; allow about 5 h 15 of riding. The stops in between: Gaya Tumuli, Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and back through Gaya Tumuli. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple and Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 352 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 15
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
Bulguksa sits on the lower slopes of Tohamsan, a forested mountain above Gyeongju, and it is the most famous Buddhist temple in Korea. It was largely built in the eighth century under the Silla kingdom, at a time when Gyeongju was its capital and one of the largest cities in Asia, and tradition credits the work to the minister Kim Dae-seong. Stone staircases and terraces from that time still carry the wooden halls, which have been rebuilt after fires and wars, most destructively during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s.
Read the complete Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple is where the day begins. Next is Gaya Tumuli.
2. Gaya Tumuli
Right in the middle of Gimhae, a busy city just west of Busan, a low ridge of grassy mounds rises between apartment blocks and roads. These are the Daeseong-dong tumuli, the burial ground of the rulers of Geumgwan Gaya, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula from the first centuries AD until it was absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. In 2023 a group of Gaya burial sites, including these, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Read the complete Gaya Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gaya Tumuli comes up about 104 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
3. Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
The rounded grassy mounds rising behind Changnyeong look almost like natural hills until you notice how regular they are. These are the Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong tumuli, burial mounds of the rulers of Bihwa, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between roughly the first and sixth centuries before being absorbed by Silla. In 2023 they became part of a UNESCO listing that brings together seven Gaya tomb clusters, and they are among the most atmospheric of the group.
Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 177 km into the recorded legs you reach Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli. Next is back through Gaya Tumuli.
4. back through Gaya Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gaya Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gaya Tumuli, late in the day. Next is Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple.
5. Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple to Gaya Tumuli
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple → Gaya Tumuli is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Gaya Tumuli to Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Gaya Tumuli → Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to back through Gaya Tumuli
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → back through Gaya Tumuli is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gaya Tumuli to Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
back through Gaya Tumuli → Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.