Discover the rich history of Gyeongju at your own pace on a private full-day tour of its UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This extensive excursion is perfect for curious travelers seeking a thorough and immersive sightseeing experience. Enjoy live narration from your guide as you visit Bulguksa Temple, Daereungwon Tomb Complex, the Gyeongju National Museum, and more. Departing from Busan or Gyeongju, you’ll enjoy the flexibility to choose a round-trip or one-way tour.

Get the personalized experience of a private tour in Korea
Travel comfortably in a private air-conditioned vehicle
Make the most of your limited vacation time in South Korea
Visit multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Korea

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Private transportation
Parking fees
Tolls

Meal
Entrance fees ($0-$4 per person)
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We offer pick-up at any places in Busan or in Gyeongju.

What To Expect

Gyeongju

8 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

5.0

59 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 59 reviews

Excellent guide!

Kenneth_W, Sept 2023

Wonderful tour of very old Buddhist city. Our guide, Mr. Goh had excellent knowledge of Buddhism and explained everything. We highly recommend Mr. Goh.

Touring with a friend

Natalie_G, Sept 2023

Jade was very easy going and knowledgeable. We easily chat about life and my BTS. He made our trip as if i was his friend visiting. He allowed me to enjoy the time and not rushing. We had good meals, which were important for me.

Gyeongju full day tour

kiwiwikiwi, Sept 2023

Willow was professional, accommodating, and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our private tour - my husband and I are in our 40s and we traveled with parents and aunts (60s-80s but all healthy). Willow transitioned smoothly between English and Korean to provide information to everyone in the group. Given the culture and history of Gyeongju, we were glad to have had Willow as our guide.

Excellent and enjoyable tour

Camie_K, Aug 2023

Wonderful tour with our guide, Dongmin, who spoke English very well and was extremely informative. It was an interesting, jam-packed, and enjoyable day starting off at the Daereungwon Tombs and ending up at the beautiful and peaceful Yangdong village, with multiple stops along the way. Having access to someone who knows the language, culture, and geography and who can help you make sense of what you are looking at was money well spent! Not to mention the air-conditioned transportation on a very hot August day. Highly recommended.

Excellent introduction to Gyeongju!

Maia_J, July 2023

This was such a fantastic experience! Sunny was my guide and we had a great time. She was super knowledgeable and was able to explain most things. If she wasn't able to explain it right away she was able to find out pretty quickly. I would definitely highly suggest this tour, but keep in mind that you wont be able to see everything! Gyeongju is full of history and there are a lot of historical sites to see. I am definitely going to try to come back to Gyeongju the next time I'm in Korea and stay a bit longer. Some areas are also a bit further away than others, like Bulguksa and Seodaemun. I was super grateful that we were able to drive to these places rather than me having to wait for a city bus on my own. A huge thank you to Sunny and BK for arranging the tour!

A truly remarkable and enjoyable experience

Walter_K, May 2023

Our guide, Mr. Peter Lee, made our tour memorable and very enjoyable. He was friendly and was very interested in sharing the history and beauty of Gyeongju. This is one of the most historically important places to visit when you are in Korea. I strongly recommend that you ask for Mr. Peter Lee when you plan your visit.

Great places to visit, but not on a weekend

Daniel_K, Apr 2023

The tour took us to some very interesting sites--two temples, the site of a palace, a bridge, and the most amazing tomb complex we've ever seen. Our guide, Peter, was very knowledgeable about each of these sites and its history. His English vocabulary was very good, but his accent was heavy, and sometimes we had trouble understanding him. Also, by chance, we went on a Sunday, and the two sites in the west were mobbed. Heavy traffic cause some delays--not anyone's fault, but it did detract from the experience. We'd recommend doing this tour on a weekday. The restaurant Peter took us to for lunch was excellent, but because it was a Sunday, there was a very long wait.

Beautiful experience

Mael_G, Apr 2023

What a wonderful experience! Mimi our tour guide was kind and full of energy and knowledge about the places we were visiting, so it make the trip much interesting. The lunch was wonderful and delicious, we were able to experience the local cuisine and a beautiful walk after lunch. Excellent!

Fantastic tour and guide

Aylwin_T, Dec 2022

Our guide, Peter, was proactive to suggest the starting time and planned the itineraries do that we can catch the best effect at each location. He also brought us to very good value restaurants that we would not have found ourselves, and eat the best as locals! Made the difference.

Bit expensive for what is it

Elie_O, Oct 2022

The guide was good, the temple was interesting other that is not so exceptional the rest, we have to pay all the tickets entrance plus the food of the guide that i don’t see why because for the price we pay we not responsible for his meal or drink, all tour i do in South Korea or travel around the world never do that, the drive time was correct, but for this price we can rent a car for the day we cost cheaper

Beware that you have to pay out of pocket for everything

Everleigh_E, Oct 2022

This tour is way too expensive for what it is. Although we had a lovely, knowledgeable and fluent English speaking guide (thank you Grace! You’re awesome) we had to pay for all admission fees to all the sites, including toll fees and gas money and parking fees. Even the guide’s lunch (which we were happy to do so as we like Grace a lot) I’m aware that admissions were not inclusive as the description on Viator had mentioned, BUT if you go overtime, you have to pay additional money for the time. An additional 1.5 hour costed us 50,000 won. But you have to consider traffic and the time to transport between the destinations. Which isn’t a short distance, since we went from Busan and Gyeongju and back. Not to mention rush hour. If you have the means to pay and want a personalized tour that you can enjoy at your own pace, go for this but I’d honestly wish I had booked the much cheaper bus tour that covers the same spots essentially. I know this is a harsh review but I have to be honest. The guide did take us to a great restaurant for lunch though. The highlight of this tour were the pink moss flowers and the tombs and the stone Buddha. The pond was basic and not worth the time to go to

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hello! Thank you for the honest review. I really appreciate your time to write the review. However, the tour price includes gas(fuel) so please don't get this wrong. We don't include any toll, parking fees, Meal including tour guide's lunch, entrance fees which is mentioned on the booking sites already. The reason why we didn't include them are as follows. Firstly, It is private customized tour. That means the clients can decide wherever they want to go or skip the places they don't want to go. Therefore we shouldn't include any entrance fees, parking fees and toll to make the tour more flexible. Secondly, We can include all of the above with enough amount of budget but that means we have to maximize potential spend during the tour and also have to top up the service fees which you again have to pay extra to the platform. I understand the most of the tourist don't want to pay the hidden cost but actually there's no hidden cost if you can read what is included on the price and what is not included. Furthermore, regarding the overcharge, You mentioned that you wanted to visit all the UNESCO sites in Gyeongju and it takes usually 1 full day and another half day to visit all the sites. The overcharge is set by the Association of Korean tour guide which is 30,000KRW per hour to protect the environment and welfare for all the tour guides in Korea. I wish you could understand that. I already told you this before the tour began. This tour cannot compare the price with a bus tour. I am sorry for this. Thank you and have a great day!

Gyeongju and more!

Andrea_M, Sept 2022

Peter is such a great tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. The tour itself is amazing as it does go to various spots that a foreign tourist may have trouble doing on their own. If you’re into history and architecture, this is the tour for you!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you for the great review. I am glad that you enjoyed your day with Peter! Yes, Gyeongju is very historic place where you can learn Korean history and culture. Have a great day!

Best way to do Gyeongju

Olivia_B, Aug 2022

Our tour with BK was fantastic! We had nine people, and BK was totally flexible about the number. He arrived on time at our residence and gave an incredibly thorough tour of all of the sites mentioned in the listing. BK was also very informative and seemed to have a statistic for every question we asked. Beyond all that, we were a goofy bunch of 20-somethings and BK was a good-humored and friendly conversationalist and made for a great day!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi! thank you for the great review! I am goofy too. Maybe that was why it worked well with your group! I really had great time with you and I loved all of you and hated none of you! All the best for your futures!

Great Gyeongju Tour!

Abraham_W, Aug 2022

Very good tour for historical sightseeing. Peter was a great guide and was very accommodating with our time schedule.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you very much for the review! Have an excellent day!

Important sites to see in southern Korea

David_S, Aug 2022

A great chance to see some of Korea's most important historical sites, some dating back to the 7th century. A remarkable culture with a remarkable history.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for the great review! have a nice day!

Well worth it!

Megan_L, July 2022

I highly recommend booking the Gyeongju City tour with Peter Lee. I had an amazing time on my trip. I appreciated the convenience of being picked up at the hotel. Peter, the tour guide, was fantastic. He was friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable about the area. Peter went above and beyond to make sure I enjoyed the tour. I'm so glad I chose this tour. It was definitely worth every penny. I can not wait to bring my family to Korea to experience this tour again. This tour was the best thing I have done in Korea so far.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for your comments! I am really happy to hear that you had nice time with him!

Ancient city with sites of Shila dynasty

Michael_P, July 2022

We have been to Gyungju a few times but wanted an English guide for my daughter to learn about the sites and history. It seemed normally Bulguksa and Sukguram is the first stop for most of these tours but I asked our guide to go to the museum in the morning because of the rain forecast which was to clear up in the afternoon. Bulguksa became our last stop and we felt so fortunate to be able to see/hear the monks go through their evening ritual of the drums and bell. Gyungju is a beautiful city with historical sites still being discovered. Will return to see the progress! Thank you Carrie!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for the review. Yes Gyeongju has so much to discover! Have a great day.

Private tour of Gyeongju

Alice_C, June 2020

Our family of 5 took a private tour of Gyeongju in June 2020 with BK. He picked us up from our hotel in Busan in his well-maintained van for the 1 hour, 15 min drive to Gyeongju. We went to the 4 areas that we had requested to see: Bulguksa temple, Seokguram Grotto, the royal tombs and Donggung Palace (we eliminated the museum and due to time constraints and just did a drive-by of the observatory). The weather forecast predicted 1-2 inches of rain on our tour date so BK was flexible to push back the tour to the next day. When we awoke the morning of the rain, we saw that it was clearing up so BK quickly switched back to our original tour plan which we really appreciated on such last minute notice. His flexibility was definitely a bonus for us. We enjoyed our tour and BK was knowledgeable about the local history of Busan and Gyeongju. His English is excellent as well. Overall, a wonderful trip and we highly recommend him!

Response from Host, June 2020

Hi Alice! It was really pleasure to meet your family in Busan and thank you very much to leave such a great review! I hope you had nice time in Gyeongju even it was only for a weekend. It is sad that you have to leave Korea after 3years but I cross my fingers for your family in the future!

Willow una guida molto...

mbernasconi18, July 2023

Willow una guida molto carina e competente. Il caldo tremendo è passato in secondo piano, tutto è stato molto interessante e spiegato molto bene. Un’immersione nella cultura coreana.