Cheomseongdae Observatory

첨성대

The bottle-shaped star tower from Queen Seondeok's time

Hours

9am–10pm Mar–Oct; to 9pm Nov–Feb

Tickets

Free

Address

169 Cheomseong-ro, Gyeongju

The stone tower, about nine metres high, is said to date from 634. It bulges at the base and narrows upward like a bottle, so it catches your eye from any angle. The meadow around it is open, which makes it easy to photograph on its own. Yellow rapeseed fills the grass in spring and cosmos in autumn. Whether it was truly used for stargazing is still debated.