Best Temples in South Korea

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years, and its temples are the finest Buddhist art in Korea. Bulguksa, on the slopes of Tohamsan, was completed in the 8th century. The wooden halls were burned during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and rebuilt, but the stone base is original: two double staircases, called the Blue Cloud and White Cloud bridges, lead up to the main courtyard, where two pagodas stand side by side, the ornate Dabotap and the plain Seokgatap. Buses 10 and 11 from central Gyeongju take about 40 minutes. Allow an hour and a half, and arrive at opening to have the courtyard before the tour buses.

Seokguram, 3 km uphill, is an artificial granite grotto holding a seated Buddha about 3.5 m tall, looking east toward the sea. It is seen through a glass screen, and photography is banned inside. Bus 12 runs up from Bulguksa, or walk the forest trail in about an hour. The two are listed together as the Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple World Heritage site.

East of the city, Golgulsa has a Buddha carved into a cliff face and is the centre of Seonmudo, a Buddhist martial art; its Templestay programme includes training. In town, the 7th-century stone pagoda of Bunhwangsa sits among the Gyeongju historic areas, and the forest trails of Namsan, part of Gyeongju National Park, pass dozens of rock-carved Buddhas.

Korean Buddhism names three temples as its Three Jewels, one for each of the Buddha, the dharma (his teaching) and the sangha (the community of monks). Seeing all three takes some planning, because they are spread across the south.

Haeinsa, the dharma temple, sits in Gayasan National Park and holds the Tripitaka Koreana, more than 80,000 woodblocks of Buddhist scripture carved in the 13th century. They are stored in the 15th-century Janggyeong Panjeon halls, whose slatted windows and earth floors have kept the wood sound for over 500 years without modern climate control; you look in through the slats, and photos are not allowed there. Buses from Daegu’s Seobu terminal take about an hour and a half. The Sorigil path along the valley below the temple is a pleasant hour’s walk.

Tongdosa, the Buddha temple, in Yangsan between Busan and Ulsan, enshrines relics of the Buddha in a stone platform behind the main hall. There is no statue inside: the altar faces a window onto the relic stupa. From Busan, take Line 1 to Nopo and a bus of about 30 minutes, then walk the pine-lined path to the gate.

Songgwangsa, the sangha temple, near Suncheon, trained 16 National Preceptors under the Goryeo kings and is still a major training monastery. On the other side of Jogyesan mountain, Seonamsa has a famous stone arch bridge and is also a Sansa World Heritage temple. A hiking trail links the two in about three to four hours.

Jogyesa, in the centre of Seoul between Insadong and Gwanghwamun, is the headquarters of the Jogye Order, Korea’s largest Buddhist order. Its main hall is large and busy with worshippers all day, and the courtyard is hung with paper lanterns in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn. It is a five-minute walk from Jonggak or Anguk station and is open around the clock. The Templestay information centre nearby gives advice in English and books programmes.

Bongeunsa, opposite the COEX mall in Gangnam and next to Bongeunsa station on Line 9, was founded in the 8th century and makes a striking contrast with the glass towers around it, with a giant standing Maitreya Buddha on its upper terrace. It runs a short Templestay popular with first-time visitors.

Gilsangsa, in the hills of Seongbuk-dong, was a high-end restaurant before its owner donated it in the 1990s to become a temple; the grounds are quiet, wooded and free. On the slopes of Bukhansan, several temples and hermitages sit along the hiking trails, which our national parks guide covers.

Beomeosa, on the slopes of Geumjeongsan in northern Busan, was founded in the 7th century and is the city’s great mountain temple, with a series of gates climbing to the main hall and hermitages scattered in the forest above. Take Line 1 to Beomeosa station and a short bus or a 20-minute uphill walk. Combine it with the Geumjeongsanseong fortress hike.

Haedong Yonggungsa, on the coast in Gijang east of Haeundae, is one of the few Korean temples built on the sea, its halls set on rocks above the waves. It is beautiful at sunrise and extremely crowded by midday, with a market of food stalls and souvenir stands on the approach. Buses run from Haeundae in about 30 to 40 minutes. In spring, Samgwangsa in Busanjin-gu draws crowds for its courtyard of tens of thousands of lanterns before Buddha’s Birthday.

Woljeongsa, in Odaesan National Park, is approached through a forest of tall fir trees, about a kilometre of soft path that is the best temple walk in Korea. Its octagonal nine-storey stone pagoda dates from the Goryeo period. Higher up the valley, Sangwonsa holds a bronze bell cast in 725, the oldest in Korea; the Seonjae trail links the two along the river.

On the east coast, Naksansa in Yangyang stands on a headland above the sea, with a white statue of Gwanseum, the bodhisattva of compassion, looking out over the water and the small Hongnyeonam hermitage built over a sea cave. It was badly damaged by a forest fire in 2005 and has been rebuilt. Sinheungsa sits at the main entrance of Seoraksan National Park, and Baekdamsa, on the Inje side of the park, is reached by a shuttle bus up a long valley.

The middle of the country holds four of the Sansa monasteries. Buseoksa, near Yeongju, has Muryangsujeon, one of the oldest wooden buildings in Korea, from the Goryeo period, and the best view from any temple: at sunset you look out over wave after wave of the Sobaeksan ridges. In late October the approach road is lined with yellow ginkgo trees. Bongjeongsa, near Andong, has the oldest wooden building of all, the small Geungnakjeon hall; pair it with the Hahoe folk village.

The Jeolla provinces have some of the most atmospheric temples in the country, often in fine forest. Daeheungsa, under Duryunsan in Haenam, is a Sansa World Heritage temple with a long approach along a stream, and a cable car up the mountain nearby. Mihwangsa, south of it, sits under the jagged ridge of Dalmasan near the tip of the peninsula, with sunsets over the islands.

On the slopes of Jirisan, Hwaeomsa near Gurye has Gakhwangjeon, one of the largest wooden halls in Korea, and a red plum tree that draws photographers in late March. Ssanggyesa in Hadong is reached along a road lined with cherry trees, and the hills around it are where tea was first grown in Korea.

Naejangsan’s Naejangsa and Baegyangsa are the great autumn temples, with maples around their halls in early November; Baegyangsa is also known for temple cuisine. Naesosa in Byeonsan-bando has a fir avenue and unpainted lattice doors carved with flowers. Seonunsa in Gochang turns red with spider lilies in late September, Geumsansa in Gimje has a three-storey wooden Maitreya hall, and Unjusa in Hwasun is a valley of stone pagodas and two Buddhas lying on their backs in the rock.

Jeju’s temples are younger and fewer, and Jeju has its own shamanic shrines alongside them. Yakcheonsa, near Seogwipo, has one of the largest temple halls in Korea, a multi-storey Daejeokgwangjeon rebuilt in the 1990s. Sanbanggulsa is a cave shrine high on the side of Sanbangsan on the southwest coast, with dripping spring water and views over the Yongmeori coast. Gwaneumsa, on the northern slopes, sits at the start of one of the summit trails up Hallasan.

Jongmyo in central Seoul is the Confucian shrine to the kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty, and its main hall, Jeongjeon, is one of the longest single wooden buildings in Asia. Entry is 1,000 won; on most days you must join a guided tour, and on Saturdays you can wander freely. The Jongmyo Jerye ancestral rite, with court music and dance, is held on the first Sunday of May. For the Confucian academies outside Seoul, see the Seowon World Heritage sites.

Christianity is South Korea’s other large faith. Myeongdong Cathedral, a red-brick Gothic church from 1898, is the seat of the Archdiocese of Seoul. Jeondong Cathedral in Jeonju, at the edge of the hanok village, stands on a site where Catholic martyrs were executed, and Gyesan Cathedral in Daegu is the city’s oldest. Yoido Full Gospel Church claims one of the largest congregations in the world. The Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, opened in 1976, has halal restaurants on the street below.

Most temples open their gates from around sunrise to sunset, and the main halls are open for worship throughout. Visit at dusk if you can: in the evening ceremony the monks strike the four instruments in the bell pavilion, a great drum, a wooden fish, a cloud-shaped gong and the bronze bell, and then chant in the main hall. The same sequence runs before dawn. The temples that charged a cultural heritage fee stopped in May 2023, so entry is free almost everywhere, though some charge for parking.

A Templestay is the best way to understand a temple. More than 100 temples run programmes, booked through the official Templestay site, which marks those with English. Overnights cost around 70,000 to 100,000 won (about US$50 to 70) including vegetarian meals and temple clothes, and start in the mid-afternoon. Day programmes in Seoul, at Jogyesa and Bongeunsa, are shorter and cheaper.

Buddha’s Birthday falls on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month: 24 May in 2026 and 13 May in 2027. Temples hang thousands of lanterns in the weeks before, and on the day many serve free bibimbap and tea to all comers. In Seoul, the Lotus Lantern Festival (Yeondeunghoe) parade runs along Jongno to Jogyesa on a weekend shortly before. Check the dates before you go. The temples in Gyeongju fit a two-day stay in the city, and the itineraries guide shows how to combine them with Busan and Andong by train and bus.

Korean temples are relaxed compared with those of Southeast Asia, but a few rules matter. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered for Templestays and halls. Take your shoes off before stepping into a hall, enter by the side doors (the central door is for monks), and do not walk directly in front of people praying. Walk clockwise around pagodas. A bow with palms together, called hapjang, is the polite greeting to a monk.

Photography is banned inside many main halls and always at Seokguram and the Haeinsa woodblock halls; look for signs, and never photograph people worshipping without asking. Keep voices low, do not touch statues or ring bells, and stay out of areas marked as closed for meditation. Monks hold three-month retreats in summer and winter, when the meditation halls are off limits. Smoking is banned throughout temple grounds because of the fire risk to the wooden halls.