Gyeongju National Museum
국립경주박물관
The national museum of Silla. Four of the six gold crowns excavated from the tombs in central Gyeongju are administered here, as is the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok. After Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae — the tombs and the sky — it is the natural place to come and see what was inside the tombs.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 국립경주박물관
- Address
- 186 Iljeong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 38171
- Getting there
- Bus Bus 10 / 11 · Gyeongju National Museum stop (국립경주박물관, Bus 10 and 11)
- Opening hours
- Otherwise 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30) Mar–Oct Sat 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30)
- Closed
- Jan 1 · Seollal · Chuseok · Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec 2nd Mon of the month (A gallery closure rather than a full one: the exhibition halls close, while the garden and the outdoor exhibition ground stay open.)
- Hours notes
- The Saturday evening extension has been in force since 1 March 2026. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
- Admission
- Free
Prices
| Admission | FreeThe permanent galleries, the children's museum and special exhibitions are free. Special exhibitions that charge are excluded. |
|---|
Nearby
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
The best-known night view in Gyeongju, and the only one of the central sites that charges. The city warns that arriving near the 21:30 ticket cut-off may not get you in.
Woljeonggyo Bridge
Free and open late, which makes it the easiest night stop in Gyeongju. The exhibition inside the gate towers covers the restoration itself.
Cheomseongdae Observatory
Small, free and always open. It takes ten minutes, so plan it as the link between Daereungwon and Donggung rather than a destination of its own.
Gyeongju Wonjo Kongguk
A sixty-year-old shop near the front gate of Daereungwon, serving warm soybean soup topped with black sesame, honey and a glutinous-rice doughnut.
Stories about this place
- Gyeongju in a Day on Foot: Daereungwon to Woljeonggyo
A walking day that starts at the Daereungwon tomb park, crosses to Gyeongju National Museum and Donggung and Wolji, and ends at the lit Woljeonggyo bridge. The seven stops add up to 5.1 km in a straight line, and one time decides the whole order: the museum stops admitting at 17:30.
Nearby Food
Related articles
- Gyeongju, Day Two: Bulguksa and Seokguram by Bus
- Bulguksa and Seokguram: How to Check Admission and Opening Hours
- Five Places to Visit Around Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju: Daereungwon, Cheomseongdae, Donggung and Wolji, Woljeonggyo
- Cheonmachong: four National Treasures out of a practice dig
- Geumgwanchong: found while digging house foundations, and the king named on the scabbard is still unidentified
- King Munmu: the king who unified the Three Kingdoms is buried at sea, and nobody has ever looked underneath
Where these facts come from
- Gyeongju National Museum — visitor information (10:00-18:00, with last admission 30 minutes before closing; evening opening extended to 20:00 on Saturdays from March to October, in force from 1 March 2026; closed 1 January, Seollal and Chuseok, when the outdoor exhibition ground is closed too; galleries also closed on the second Monday of March, June, September and December, while the garden and outdoor grounds stay open; admission free to the permanent galleries, the children's museum and special exhibitions, except those that charge) ·
- Gyeongju National Museum — directions (186 Iljeong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 38171) ·
- Korea Heritage Portal — the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, whose record gives the holding institution as Gyeongju National Museum at 186 Iljeong-ro and carries its coordinates ·
- Korea Heritage Service open registry — of the five National Treasures whose names contain 금관, the Geumgwanchong crown and cap ornament, the Geumgwanchong gold belt and the Cheonmachong crown are all administered by Gyeongju National Museum ·
- Gyeongju Culture and Tourism — the 「Bus 10 버스타GO」 route guide. It gives Bus 10's first departure at 06:00 and last at 21:40 from the express/intercity bus terminal, a headway of about 20 minutes, and 35–45 minutes from the terminal to Bulguksa, the turning point, when the bus does not stop in between. For each attraction it publishes the name of the stop to get off at, the stop's ID and the walk from it. Bus 11 runs the same route in the opposite direction, and Bus 10-1 turns back at Gyeongju World rather than reaching Bulguksa. A city bus fare is 1,300 won for an adult, 1,000 for a youth and 700 for a child, 50 won less with a transit card; one transfer is allowed within 30 minutes of alighting and only onto a different route. ·