Daereungwon Tomb Complex

대릉원

A tumulus park in the city center with 23 royal Silla burial mounds. You can enter the Cheonmachong tomb to see gold crowns and the Heavenly Horse painting. It is Gyeongju's most iconic sight.

Daereungwon is located in the Hwangnam-dong district of central Gyeongju. It is a park of about 125,000 square meters, scattered with 23 huge round burial mounds from the Silla period (4th–6th centuries). The tallest, Hwangnam Daechong, is about 23 meters high and 120 meters long. Its grassy slopes are bright green in spring and summer and golden in autumn and winter. The pines and tomb curves form the most recognizable view in Gyeongju. It is also the only tumulus park in the city that charges admission and is well maintained. The surrounding tomb groups in Jeongdong-ri, Jeonggeo-ri, and Hwango-ri are free to visit. The park's highlight is Cheonmachong. Excavated in 1973, it yielded over 10,000 artifacts, including gold crowns, gold belts, and glassware. Its painting of a 'Heavenly Horse' on a birch-bark saddle flap is the only surviving painting from Silla, which gives the tomb its name. The tomb is open for visitors to walk inside the mound, where you can see the cross-section of the stone-piled wooden-chamber burial structure, along with replicas of the gold crown and photographs of the excavated items. The originals are in the National Gyeongju Museum. Another famous tomb is Hwangnam Daechong, a double tomb holding a couple buried together. Cherry blossoms line the paths between the tombs in spring. The park also contains the tomb of King Michu, the 13th Silla king and the only tomb in the park whose occupant is confirmed, which has ritual facilities. On the western side of the park is a magnolia tree growing between two tombs in Hwangnam-dong, which blooms in late March. In autumn, its ginkgo trees are also popular for photos on social media. Admission is 3,000 won (free or discounted for people wearing hanbok). From the park exit, it's a 5-minute walk to Cheomseongdae and Gyerim, and the Hwangnidan-gil street is next door on the west side. Getting there: about 15 minutes' walk from the Gyeongju intercity bus terminal, or take the city bus to the Daereungwon stop. Renting a bicycle is the easiest way to tour the city. Allow 1 hour. Tips: the tombs are royal burial sites, so climbing the mounds is prohibited. Flash photography is banned inside Cheonmachong. Cherry blossom season and weekends are crowded, so go early in the morning for quiet. The park has rest areas but no food service, so have your meal on Hwangnidan-gil.

Daereungwon Tomb Complex

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