Bunhwangsa Pagoda & Hwangnyongsa Site

Gyeongju City · KOGL Type 1

Korea's oldest stone pagoda, beside an empty field that was once East Asia's largest temple.

Two sites side by side tell the same story two ways. Bunhwangsa pagoda was built in 634 of andesite cut into brick-like blocks — a technique learned from China — and of its original nine storeys only three remain, with stone lions at the corners. A few hundred metres away is Hwangnyongsa: an enormous field of grass with stone column bases set out in rows. A nine-storey wooden pagoda eighty metres tall once stood here, the tallest in East Asia, until the Mongols burned it in 1238. Standing among the column bases and trying to picture that height affects you far more than an intact building would.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Bunhwangsa Pagoda & Hwangnyongsa Site?

April–June and September–November

How much does it cost to visit Bunhwangsa Pagoda & Hwangnyongsa Site?

Both free (Bunhwangsa's heritage fee was abolished in May 2023)

How long do you need at Bunhwangsa Pagoda & Hwangnyongsa Site?

1.5 hours

What are the opening hours of Bunhwangsa Pagoda & Hwangnyongsa Site?

09:00–18:00

Did you know

Bunhwangsa pagoda was built in 634 and is Korea's oldest surviving stone pagoda.
It originally had nine storeys; three remain.
Hwangnyongsa temple once held a nine-storey wooden pagoda about 80m tall.
Hwangnyongsa was burned by the Mongols in 1238, leaving only the stone bases.

Travel tips

Do both together — they are a few minutes' walk apart.
The Hwangnyongsa field has no shade; avoid midday in summer.
There is an interpretation centre nearby with a model of the nine-storey pagoda.

Source: https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202305011106001

Updated: 2026-08-04