Busan Travel Guide
I travelled to Busan from February 16-22 (7D6N) for a before-school trip and from March 27-28 (2D1N) to see cherry blossoms. Below is guide on how I divided up my days in Busan! To be honest, beyond accommodation and flights/bus tickets, I don’t really plan anything for a trip until I get to the destination. I’ve been lucky that so far, things have worked out really well — being a mix of both spontaneous and planned adventures :) Feel free to mix and match, or even cherry pick, from the guide below! I’ll be including photos, prices, and backstories/blurbs :)
How to get to Busan —> airport, bus, and train are all good options, but I recommend taking a flight bc it’s the quickest (1h vs 4-5h) and cheapest option usually!
Where we stayed in Busan: Seomyun —> great center for transportation! though sorta far from the beaches
Day 1 (Feb 16)
Morning flight to Busan —> arrive around lunch time —> store things in a locker in the subway stn near Airbnb
Lunch at Kaisoso (카이시소소) in Seomyun —> I found this place by searching for “맛집” on Naver Maps (a sure way to find tasty restaurants in any area). they had pretty good maze soba here. my friends later returned for second rounds of meals here.
Shopping at Seomyun Underground Center —> it’s so hard to not shop here, esp when you pass by often (via subway stn)… cute clothes for only ~$10 (see the above pic for the cute white shirt I copped!)
Drink tea at a traditional tea house —> I found one nearby by searching for “찻집” or “전통찻집”
Dinner at 준마참치 (tuna sashimi restaurant) in Seomyun —> Busan is near the sea, so seafood is fresh and plentiful
Day 2 (Feb 17)
Lunch at 포항돼지국밥 in Seomyun —> I tried 돼지국밥 (pork rice soup) for the first time, which is one of Busan’s specialties. One quirk of Korea is how alcohol and food are specialized by regions, so in Busan, you can find some streets lined with pork rice soup restaurants.
Haeundae Beach —> this is perhaps Busan’s most famous beach, and apparently, it gets packed in the summer. the beach is vast with soft sand.
Beach Train from Blue Line Park (Mipo Station) —> I saw the Blue Line Capsules from Instagram, but we didn’t learn until we arrived that you need to reserve a spot for the capsules (smaller than the train and on an elevated rail path). Spots fill up fast, so book ahead!
Get off at the Cheongsapol Daritdol Observatory stop —> it’s the final stop on the Beach Train, and it’s so beautiful! You can buy wooden fish at a nearby gift shop to write your wishes on them and hang them up. The observatory deck hangs over the water and has a see-through bottom, so the beautiful waters are in sight! It’s especially pretty during sunset. There is also a mailbox nearby for you to send letters to your friends!
Eat fresh seafood by the shore —> Near the Cheongsapol Observatory is a fishing/seafood village about a 15-20 min. walk away. I got the 해물모듬 platter which introduced me to raw sea squirt (super bitter), live octopus (yum), and more!
Grab dessert and eat it on Gwangalli Beach —> Gwangalli was on the bus ride back to Seomyun, so I decided to stop by for some desserts. I went to Eon’s Bakery to get some strawberry cake, and it was so fluffy and delicious. Eating the cake alone under the stars on the beach with the illuminated bridge was definitely a highlight for me.
Day 3 (Feb 18)
Head to BIFF Square for lunch —> usually, the Busan International Film Festival is held here every October, but they have a year-round market running that is oh so yummy! Here, I got the chance to try sugar cane juice, butter squid (a whole giant cup for $5), sea conch skewers, and ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡, or brown sugar seed pancakes), which is a Busan specialty!
Check out Jagalchi Market nearby —> Jagalchi is a quick 10ish min walk away and will introduce you to the fishing culture of Busan. They sell many diff types of fish here, but what we bought were custom designed wooden stamps! I got my Korean name on mine.
Explore Gamcheon Culture Village —> known for their cute and quaint little coloured houses, the Gamcheon Culture Village is a fun area to explore after lunch. I reco spending 1-2 hours here!
Go clubbing in Busan —> Busan has a nice nightlife near Seomyun, so pre, try out a pocha, and then go clubbing!
Head to a photobooth —> What better way to end off a night than a photobooth? I love heading to these after a night out in the city, and usually, I’ll write down the city and date that the photo was taken.
Adventures that Continued On
Although I wasn’t able to finish documenting the rest of my Busan travels, I want to share what I did end up writing back then! Not going to lie, I wish I did more proper documentation in my journal and blog of details scopes like this. Perhaps in the future I’ll do retrospective of my favourite areas of Seoul?!?
Last written March 29, 2022