Hwangnyongsa

황룡사

Located east of downtown, these temple ruins of 66,0002 are among the largest in Asia. In 553 King Jinheung planned to build a palace here, however as he heard rumors that a yellow dragon had been seen there, he decided to make a temple here. It was completed in 645. The most important things here were a nine-level wooden pagoda and a golden five meter high statue of Jangnyuksang. The temple was destroyed by Mongol invaders in 1238 and now only the ruins of it remains, including two pillars which are named Dangganjiju — "the flag poles".

• free
• history

Address

320-1 Guhwang-dong

Getting there

from Gyeongju Station, take a taxi directly to Hwangnyongsa Temple Site — about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. You can also take a local bus toward Guhwang-dong or the “Hwangnyongsa History Culture Center stop, then walk from there

Hours

09:00 to 18:00 (11:00-19:00 on weekends/public holidays during peak April-October)

Price

Free