If you are thinking of visiting the second largest city in South Korea, this article with all the recommendations on what to see in Busan You're going to love it. We dedicate a total of three days to explore this coastal city full of contrasts and we believe that it is enough if you want to know the most important thing. Next we are going to detail 10 things to do in Busan together to the restaurants that our flight companion, who was from here, recommended to us. Let’s begin!
Below you can see the index of contents that we share throughout this post:
What to see in Busan, the 10 essentials
As we see it, Busan is worth visiting as long as you have more than 10 days for your trip to South Korea. The city is huge, there are more than 3,5 million inhabitants and the busan tourist places They are quite dispersed. So you should dedicate at least 2-3 days and get around by public transport no matter where you stay. Next, we are going to tell you everything you have what to visit in Busan by zone with restaurants.
1. Jagalchi Market, a place to visit in Busan
This Busan market is the most touristy in the city given the large quantity and variety of live fish and seafood it offers. Definitely, Walking among the fish stalls is quite an adventure. You can buy the fish or seafood you want on the ground floor and they will cook it for you on the upper floor (if you don't eat it raw). Jagalchi's hours are from 5:00 in the morning to 22:00 at night, every day.
A few steps away is the port of Busan, the main port in South Korea, in case you would like to take a leap towards the sea and see it.
2. Gukje Market, a must see in Busan
Another of the busan tourist places It is the Gukje market, opened in 1948. They have everything here: clothing, accessories, street food, fruit, vegetables, household items, souvenirs, toys, K-pop items, etc The general hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m., although it varies depending on each store. Closed on the first and third Sunday of each month.
🍽️ This day we ate at the Gukje market a some fried pork and some pajeon, the typical Korean vegetable omelet. We also bought some fruit.
3. Gamcheon Village, a unique neighborhood to see in Busan (South Korea)
La Gamcheon Cultural Village is a place full of color and art what to see in Busan. Their houses may at first remind you of Brazilian favelas, but once there, you will discover that they are full of street art and color. This neighborhood originated as a shelter for displaced people from the Korean War in the 50s. As time went by, it gained financial support from the government and soon became one of the places to visit in Busan.
How to Get to Gamcheon Village
To get to this busan colorful town you must take the metro line that your Naver map recommends (depending on where you are). Normally it will be to Toseong or Jagalchi station. We walked from our hotel. Then you have to take a mini bus on 1-1 or 2-2, it is small, so that it fits in the alleys. Don't even think about walking, the slopes are terrible and you already have to walk quite a bit to visit this artistic neighborhood.
4. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, the most famous to see in Busan
Now we are going to the other side of the city to visit the Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple, one of the few there are by the sea in south korea. In case you didn't know, most are found in the mountains. He access to the temple is completely free and quite touristy by the way. If you want to know how to get there, let yourself be advised by Naver Map (depending on where you start). The last section can only be reached by bus (number 181) and the stop is about 5 minutes walk from the temple.
5. Haeundae Beach, a swim in the Sea of Japan
This is one of the Busan beaches what to see and, without a doubt, one of the most touristy and which we show you in the first photo of the blog. The walk along the beach is super pleasant and, if it's hot, why not take a dip in the Sea of Japan? Of course, remember that Koreans don't like the sun, so you may be one of the few who wears a swimsuit. On the outskirts of the beach there are street food stalls (try Hotteok – Korean sweet), shops, cafes and bars, but the restaurant that we are going to share with you below is a sure hit, take note!
???? ️ Dongyang katsu, tonkatsu restaurant in Haeundae. This place was recommended to us by a Korean girl (from Busan) who flew with us in the next seat from Madrid to Seoul. It was one of the restaurants we enjoyed the most on the entire trip. you have the directions to get there with Naver map here.
6. Shinsegae Shopping Center, what to see in Busan when it's raining or hot
Just a few bus stops from Haeundae beach you can get closer to the Shinsegae shopping center, the largest in the world. The format is department store type and here you will find all the brands and boutiques you can imagine. You can also reserve this plan for rainy days or hours of stronger heat, like we did.
7. Gwangalli Beach and Gwangan Bridge
The Busan beaches are tourist places full of contrasts and Gwangalli is one of the most famous. Here converge their incredible Buenos Aires, the Gwangan Bridge and its fishing port. When we went there was a lot of life with cinema on the beach, people having a picnic next to the breakwater, packed restaurants, live music on the promenade, etc Very cool atmosphere. Here we try the famous korean barbecue, but we didn't like the restaurant, that's why we didn't share it.
8. Taejondae Park, Busan Geopark
If you're looking for what to do in Busan in 2 days, perhaps you should leave this plan for another visit, since Taejondae is at another end of the city. We found it to be a pleasant park to walk around with incredible views of the sea and the islets that surround the city. It can be easily reached by bus and access is completely free.. There is a little train to get around it, but it can be done perfectly on foot.
9. Sunset at Hwangyeonsang Mountain (Beacon Fire Station)
Another destination on your list places to visit in Busan If you have more than three days it should be the Hwangyeonsan mountain with 427 m altitude. Its main attraction is the opportunity to enjoy one of the best sunsets in the city. Keep in mind that on cloudy or polluted days the sunset can be worse. To get here, the closest metro stop is Geunmyeonsan on line 2, although Naver map will tell you the fastest way from wherever you are. Once here, it is recommended Get a taxi to go up and have it wait for you on the way down!
10. Busan Tower, another thing to see in Busan, South Korea
If you are going to be more days in Busan, another plan to do is to climb its tower. This structure rises to a height of 120 meters, so from its observatory you will have the best panoramic views of the city. It is open all year round from 10:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. and the entrance has a price of 12,000 won (approximately $9). That is, something cheaper than the N-tower that we recommend in our post about what to see in Seoul.
If you are going to visit the Busan Diamond Tower, take the opportunity to explore the Yongdusan park with views of the port. This green oasis in the heart of the city has various temples and monuments that can be visited.
Map of places to see in Busan, South Korea
Busan Guided Tours
Yes to tour the busan tourist places you prefer to be accompanied by a guide in spanish, especially if you are traveling in a group, take a look at this private tour. The Price is per group and has very good reviews from other travelers. Now we continue with more tips for your trip to the second largest city in South Korea.
Restaurants in Busan
In addition to living the experience of eat fish and seafood at Jagalchi market, as well as the Dongyang Katsu of Haeundae that we mentioned before, we want to recommend some restaurants in Pusan (as it was called before). Near our hotel, through the China Town neighborhood y Dong-gu It was full of delicious places to eat. Below we tell you two that we loved:
???? ️ Gimbap Heaven Choryang, Busan/China town station. He is specialized in Homemade Korean food and open 24 hours a day. In addition, it is very economical, We both ate for €15. We leave you the address of Naver map.
???? ️ Maga Mandu, chinese town. We loved this one Chinese food restaurant in Busan. The girl recommended it to us busanense (will you say that?) that we met on the plane. By the way, by this name you won't find it on Naver map, so stay with the address here or type this in the 마가만두 app.
Hotels in Busan, tourism along the coast
As we tell you, to do busan tourism We chose to stay next to the station in the Almond Hotel so that transfers were easier, both upon arrival and upon return. In addition, it is a few minutes walk from Busan markets and well connected to other tourist places. Our The next destination in South Korea was the famous jeju island and the stations are usually the best connected points in the cities. In fact, We arrived at Busan station from Seoul and our hotel is just a 5-minute walk away. Another option where to stay in Busan It is next to the coast, on one of its urban beaches that we have mentioned.
How to get from Seoul to Busan
As of today there are only direct flights from Spain to Seoul. If you want to get to Busan from Seoul the best way is by train. Is economical, fast, comfortable, with good WIFI and you don't have to go through airport controls. This is what we did and what we tell you in our itinerary about what to see in south korea. We traveled on the KTX, the fastest train from Seoul to Busan ever. We bought the ticket at the Seoul station (same day) and it cost us about 45€ per person. The journey takes about 2 hours from station to station, then avoiding transfers from the airport to the center.
You can also fly from Seoul to Busan. However, keep in mind that If you arrive in Seoul through Incheon airport, To fly to Busan you must change airports in Seoul and go to Gimpo, the main airport for domestic flights.
Video with plans to do in Busan and South Korea
You can then take advantage of our video on what to see and do in Busan to organize your trip to Busan and South Korea. We tell you places to see, where to eat, cultural shocks, curiosities, etc. Subscribe here to our YouTube channel to see all the videos of our route through South Korea.
Insurance for traveling to Busan and South Korea
If you don't have a travel insurance that covers medical expenses, accidents, flight delays and loss or damage to luggage, we have a 5% off for you in all IATI policies. We booked all our trips with them and for this 13-day trip to South Korea, including flight days, it cost us less than €60 per person.
5% eSIM discount for mobile data in South Korea
Holafly offers you connection with unlimited data in South Korea and we have a 5% discount for you on all their plans (depending on the number of days you are going to spend in the country). You can see all the options for their eSIM in the previous link.
We hope this Busan guide for yourself has been helpful to you in organizing your itinerary. If you have any questions, we will be happy to respond to your comments on this blog. Remember that you have more Travel inspiration in the more destinations section of our blog. Also, if you ever travel to our island, we have a blog dedicated to where we live: Gran Canaria. It will be a pleasure to guide you through the places we know. Until the next adventure!
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