Take the KTX from Seoul Station to Gyeongju Station. Most trains took 2 hours to 2 hours 14 minutes in Korail's search on 12 October 2026. The station is outside the town, so plan a bus or a taxi. The express bus takes about 3 hours 35 minutes and ends downtown. We read Korail's English booking pages and Gyeongju's official page on 12 October 2026.
The two ways
| Option | Time | From to | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| KTX | 2 h to 2 h 14 min on most trains, 1 h 57 min to 3 h 12 min in our sample | Seoul Station to Gyeongju Station | The default |
| Express bus | About 3 h 35 min (official Gyeongju page, undated) | Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal | If your hotel is by the terminal |
The KTX
Getting there: Korail English search, run 12 Oct 2026 for 15 Oct from 14:00, Seoul to Gyeongju: KTX-Sancheon 045 and 9045 at 14:28 to 16:36 (2 h 8 min), KTX 125 at 16:02 to 18:54 (2 h 52 min), KTX-Eum 715 at 16:11 to 19:23 (3 h 12 min), KTX 053 at 16:33 to 18:30 (1 h 57 min), KTX 057 at 16:59 to 19:11, KTX 059 at 17:23 to 19:36, KTX 065 at 18:24 to 20:38, KTX 127 at 18:53 to 21:45 and KTX 067 at 19:20 to 21:20 (2 h)
Note: Economy class was open on all ten. First class was open on three, and sold out on the rest
Booking: Tickets go on sale at 07:00, two months before the train (Korail English ticketing guide, read 12 Oct 2026)
The Gyeongju city page, which is undated, says Seoul Station to Gyeongju Station is 2 hours 10 minutes with a train about every hour from 07:37 to 00:07. Our sample shows more than one an hour in the afternoon.
What the SRT merger changed
Note: Korail merged the KTX and SRT on 1 September 2026, and the old SRT trains are sold as KTX-Sancheon in KORAIL+ (Korail press releases of 2 and 18 Sep 2026, read 11 Oct 2026). In our search, two KTX-Sancheon trains left Seoul Station for Gyeongju
We could not search from Suseo. Korail stopped our search after it said it had detected unusual activity, and we did not try to get around that. Our station guide has the three Seoul stations.
The station name
Korail's English station list shows Gyeongju as a KTX station, and no Singyeongju. Gyeongju city's news release of 28 December 2023 says Singyeongju Station was renamed Gyeongju Station that day, 13 years after it opened, and that ticket systems, station signs and train announcements had all been changed. It says the rename followed the closing of the old downtown Gyeongju Station in December 2021 (Gyeongju City news, read 15 Oct 2026). The city page and VisitKorea still use the older name in places. Look for Gyeongju on your ticket.
The express bus
Getting there: Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal, about 3 h 35 min (Gyeongju city page, undated, copyright 2019)
Booking: Book on kobus.co.kr or at the terminal. VisitKorea's express bus page, updated 5 Jun 2026, says regional restrictions may affect access to Kobus from some countries (VisitKorea, read 12 Oct 2026)
We did not read a bus fare. Our booking guide covers the card problems.
From the station into town
Getting there: City buses to City Hall: 60, 61, 70 and 260 (Gyeongju city page, undated, copyright 2019). The where-to-stay section of our Gyeongju guide, checked 9 Oct 2026, names 60, 61 and 70
Getting there: From the old Singyeongju Station, a taxi to Gyeongju Jungang Market takes about 25 minutes and a city bus about 45. A taxi to Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond takes about 30 minutes and a bus about 50 (VisitKorea, column last updated September 2019)
Note: City buses take a transit card or cash, and a card is cheaper (Gyeongju city page on city buses, copyright 2016)
| Detail | One source says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station to town | Our older guides: about 20 minutes by bus or taxi | VisitKorea, 2019: taxi 25 to 30 minutes, bus 45 to 50 | Not confirmed. Plan 30 to 50 minutes |
| KTX Seoul to Gyeongju | Gyeongju city page, undated: 2 h 10 min | Korail search, 15 Oct 2026: 1 h 57 min to 3 h 12 min | The Korail search |
| Station name | Korail, 2026: Gyeongju | VisitKorea and the city page: Singyeongju | Gyeongju |
| Bus numbers | City page: 60, 61, 70, 260 | Our Gyeongju guide, checked 9 Oct 2026: 60, 61, 70 | Check the stop sign |
| Booking window | Korail ticketing guide: two months | The booking page first showed one month, then two | Two months |
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 12 October 2026: Korail's English ticketing guide, station list and search for 15 October 2026, the Gyeongju city pages on getting there and on city buses (undated, copyright 2019 and 2016), VisitKorea's 2019 column and its express bus page (updated 5 June 2026). On 15 October 2026 we read Gyeongju city's news release of 28 December 2023 on the station rename.
Not checked: any fare for the train or the bus, Suseo to Gyeongju trains, today's bus numbers and times, the ride time from the station in 2026, and whether the old Singyeongju stop signs have changed. We did not ride any of these.
