In May 2023, I made a quick stop at Busan during a 2 week vacation in South Korea. I also visited Seoul and Jeju Island on that trip and you can read about them here (Seoul, Nami and DMZ - links coming up this week) and here (Jeju). I was only on Busan for 2 nights and 2 days but I had fun and would would love to go back for a few days to check out other parts of the city.
Busan is popular for it's temples, beaches and mountains. It is a large port city rich with culture, varying topography and lifestyle scenes.
I landed in Busan on Sunday afternoon and took a 45 minute train ride to my ocean-view Airbnb condo in Gwangalli. The building is right in front of the famous Gwangalli Bridge and there is a coffee shop at the entrance so I grabbed a snack, occasionally people watched and finished a book as I waited to check in.
My room listing said I had a view of the bridge and I meeeeaaaannn… I guess I did.
At night, I walked the beach to the view of the lit bridge, various live music performances and attractions.
I eventually wandered into this traditional, Korean bar. It was loud, busy and staff were super friendly. I thought it would be impolite to record the entire scene so I got a short video of my food and a quick pan around the room.
After sleeping in the next day, I got Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea Latte (₩3,800) from the desert store in the lobby and drank it on the beach as I finalized my plans for the day's activities.
I walked to Gwangil Mansion bus stop and took 3 buses to Gamcheon Culture Village. Side note, the TMoney card is good for buses and subways all over South Korea so I used the card I got in Seoul here and eventually on Jeju Island.
Gamcheon Culture Village is an old village that has turned into a tourist attraction due to the vibrant colors of its houses. It is currently a residential area and is beautifully decorated with street art on some walls and stairs. The village is hidden in a valley so you get beautiful panoramic views from the streets above. You can also get a free walking tour from the market.
It has a wet market where you can see various sea animals alive, pick which ones you want then have them clean and serve you with sides. I’m not sure serve cooked fish dishes.
Shopping happens on the first floor and there are raw fish restaurants on the second floor. You can eat there with a view of the ocean.
However, there are stalls outside the building that are significantly cheaper so you gotta pick what works best for you.
Afterwards, I walked across the street to BIFF Square which is lined with street food vendors and numerous shops for clothing, beauty products and whatever your heat desires.
I had a waffle with vanilla cream for ₩3,000 and that unfortunately filled me up way more than I had anticipated. I had planned on saving room for lunch but oh well... that said, if you're low on money or need a quick, filling bite, this is my recommendation!
After I left the Square, I took the bus to Bupyeong Kkangtong Market. It is a traditional market with even more local delicacies than BIFF Square. So much kimchi, so much Korean candy, so many grilled, pickled, fried, raw, cold, hot, sweet, spicy things to choose from.
I had Chartolpa kimpap (beef kimbap) for ₩4,000 and Samgyeopsal kimbap (pork kimbap) ₩5,000. It was so much fun to watch the lady make it all in front of me, Omakase style, and it remains one of my favorite meals on the trip.
I was properly knackered afterwards so I got a bus ride home and passed out. I woke up too tired to do much - I used to be so sick y'all. I hid it well (towards the end, not so much) when I was with friends but by myself, I allowed myself time to rest and reset as needed. I was tired from the day and knew I had a long day ahead of me so I had to rest from the day's activities and stay rested to build up for the next day. That was just where I was with my health. Anyway, that evening, I walked down the street, got some snacks for dinner, ate in bed as I watched Netflix and went to bed early. For the hell of it, here are night and morning shots of Gwangali Bridge, my view everything I walked in and out of the building.
With my checkout being 11am, I wanted to see Haedong Yonggugsa Temple as early as possible because it was well out of the way and I didn’t want to haul my backpack everywhere. The bus ride was a little over an hour and there's another 10 minute walk from the bus stop to the temple grounds.
On the temple grounds, you also have to walk a bit before you get to the temple itself so be sure to take good walking shoes.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is Buddhist temple built in the 1300s and famous for its distinct setting. Unlike most Korean temples located in the mountains, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is situated along the shoreline in Busan and it is easily the most beautiful temple I have ever seen.
I recommend getting there before 9am because it opens at 5am and the tour buses show up at 9. Overall, this temple was a massive hit and I can’t believe I almost didn’t go due to the inconvenience of the location.
The temple has free entry however, you can choose to donate. If you donate up to 10,000 won, you get the opportunity to write prayers on roof tiles. There were so many prayers in so many languages from several guests. So cool!
Right outside the temple (but still on Temple grounds) there are stores with people selling snacks and gift items.
I got a Hotteok for ₩2,000. I tend to avoid sweets at breakfast BUT this is a pancake with brown sugar and cinnamon filling cut open and stuffed with nuts. It is also one of the most famous desserts from Busan so I had try it. It was delicious, filling, and made me feel so good that I walked back to get another.
I got back to the hotel, rested a bit (ya gurl's health was in shambles), checked out at 11 and took a 40 mins bus ride to Yongdusan Park.
On the 12 minute walk up to the park, I saw a sign for Busan Museum of Movies so I took a quick detour to check it out. This turned out to be an hour-long fun visit and I’m so glad I had all that time to kill.
A ticket to the museum itself is ₩10,000 and a ticket to the Trick Eye experience (immersive, illusionary art) is ₩8,000. But you can get a discounted ticket for both for ₩12,000, which is what I did.
The Museum itself was highly educational, fun and with several immersive, video activities.
I thought I was running in this green screen photo… Yeah, I wouldn’t survive a King Kong apocalypse.
I really enjoyed my visit there and learning about the history and development process of the Korean movie industry. They also have baggage lockers so you can drop stuff off at the entrance and not need to haul it around the museum.
Once that was done, I continued uphill to the park- you can climb stairs or walk around. Either way, you’ll need to go up and it will suck!
Yongdusan Park sits on Yongdu Mountain/Yongdusan and it is one of the 3 famous mountains in Busan. It consists of Busan (Diamond) Tower, Statue of the Great general Yi Sun sin , Flower Clock, Cheongdongyongtap (Bronze Dragon tower), a Buddhist Temple, a bell pavilion, Museum of World Folk Instruments, Exhibition Hall of World Model Boats and so much more. You can go up Busan Tower to view Busan’s skyline through the observatory.
*looks like I deleted the photo 😅
Even though I spent significantly less time in Busan than Seoul and did much less, it was enough for me to decide that I prefer Busan to Seoul. Busan is a tad slower yet manages to offer so much more, along with more opportunities for interaction with locals because even South Koreans love to visit Busan and and explore the city. If I ever make it back to South Korea, I’ll definitely visit Busan again and try to spend way more than just 2 nights there.
- If you visit Busan, try to group your activities by location so you don't spend more time on the road than engaging in said activities. Busan is huge and there is so much to do so you need to be very intentional, especially if you don't have a lot of time.
- Other areas to stay include Haeundae, which is more popular with tourists due to its beaches. Gwangalli, where I stayed, is more popular with locals and visiting South Koreans. Seomyeon is also a good location for a short visit because it is in what can be considered the downtown area of Busan - close all of the shopping, nightlife and eats.
- Korean foods to definitively try are Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake), Sannaki (raw octopus), Hoe (fish eggs), Soondae (Korean blood sausage), Jogae Gui (grilled shellfish), Dwaeji Gukbap (pork soup with rice) and Milmyeon (wheat noodles in a meaty chilled broth) and of course, Soju (rice liquor).
- Don't forget to check out my posts on Seoul and Jeju Island here and here, respectively.