Busan is not the easiest city when it comes to sightseeing, but who doesn’t like a challenge every now and then? Most of the sights do not only require visitors to take the well-organized subway, but also the untranslated Korean buses or badly signposted roads that lead to the sights. Visitors of Busan should be willing to commute, the ones that are will find a nice city for a short visit.

Day 1

Picking sights to visit in Busan is not very easy. There are a few very famous sights, a couple of which I’ve missed (for example Seokbul Temple). Day 1 was all about picking sights in the corners of the city, which meant long commutes on the metro but it also meant I had day two to focus on the Nampo area.

Arrival
My arrival was smooth. I flew into Busan Airport from Jeju Island (check out my previous posts about the cultural and natural sights of the island). I loved the view when flying into Busan! How nice would it be to explore the surrounding islands!

From the airport I took the subway to Nampo, which is where my hostel was located. Nampo is a great place to be based, because even though the sights in the city are quite scattered, Nampo can hold its own in terms of entertainment. Shopping is at a walking distance, and there’s the option to cool off at a Lotte Department Store. I stayed in the Sky Island Guesthouse, which has the best bunk beds I have seen so far on my travels.

Gamcheon Culture Village
The first sight I visited is one of the most famous ones in Busan. I don’t like it when it’s not super straightforward to reach a sight, but for Gamcheon Culture Village I was willing to make an exception. First, I had to take a metro to Toseong and then I had to locate the 2 or 2-2 bus next to the hospital. It’s actually not as hard as I pictured it to be, so if you’re not a fan of city buses, don’t worry about this one. Don’t try to walk to the village. You probably could, but the inclines are steep and it would take you the better part of the day.

If you google Gamcheon Culture Village you’ll find articles comparing it to Macchu Picchu and Cinque Terre. Let me crush this dream straightaway: it’s beautiful but it’s probably nothing like those places. I say probably because I haven’t seen either of them – ha, the joke would be on me if I go to Macchu Picchu and decide Gamcheon was actually more beautiful! It’s a pity they are trying to make the comparison as it is indeed a beautiful sight to see all the painted houses along the hill.

This area used to be slums, but a few years ago a group of students decided to paint the houses and create art works all around the village. You can buy a map at the entrance which you can use to navigate. It’s very helpful to have a map, but I gave up collecting stamps at the different sights pretty quickly. There are a few famous art works which are fun to look for.

The Little Prince & the fox.

Becoming One Artwork.

In general though, what gives this village its charm is the fact that there are random buildings and art works everywhere. Also don’t be afraid to walk up random stairs to enjoy the rooftop views.

The one downside I would like to point out is the fact it can get crowded with tourists and cars passing through the narrow lanes. There were points where I had to wait for a few minutes because cars had to back up due to oncoming traffic. The colourful village quickly evaporates all anger though.

In terms of time spent at the sight, an hour was enough for me. It was 27 degrees and very humid, and as with any sight in South Korea there are a lot of steps. I once made the mistake to proudly walk down the Avenue of Stars stairs. Proudly, because I was happy I didn’t approach it from the other side where I had to walk up the stairs. I completely forgot that whatever goes down must come up too, so on the other side of the street I had to make my way back up…

Haeundae Beach
From Gamcheon Village I made my way to Haeundae. Haeundae is the country’s most famous beach. I didn’t go to sunbathe, I was hoping to find a nice place to have lunch which isn’t very difficult in this area and I wanted to see this much praised beach. If you’re looking for western eateries, Haeundae beach is a perfect area to find them. There’s also still local food in a market.

After lunch I took a quick selfie at the beach and I made my way to the next destination. I told you my first day was jam packed! I have to say though, the beach wasn’t very inviting so I didn’t mind leaving it after spending a few minutes there.

Igidae
The Lonely Planet promised me that Busan’s natural beauty would be visible in Igidae. It makes sense to go to Igidae after Haeundae due to the location of both places on the metro line, but the Lonely Planet was not right in the directions it provided. It said the park would be a 20-minute walk from the metro, and it wasn’t. After twenty minutes I wasn’t anywhere near the park, so I gave up and walked back to the metro.

Gwangan Beach
My last stop of the day was yet another beach, but it’s a great one to check out in the evening. I found a nice restaurant which offered a great view over Gwangan Bridge and I waited for sunset so that the light show would start.

I shouldn’t call it a show, it’s more that the lighting of the bridge is switched on but it’s nice and the area is teeming with life after dark. The atmosphere is fantastic: People are hanging out and walking their dogs, buskers are performing along the strip and every now and then fireworks are shot into the air.

Day 2

I’ve reached day 2 which is centred around “my area”, Nampo. I managed to visit all these sights on foot, so this is a very doable itinerary for a day of strolling.

Yongdu-san Park
The entrance to the park – yes! outdoor escalators! – is close to the shopping street of Nampo.

The small park is home to the 118m-high Busan Tower.

I never need an excuse to go up towers to enjoy city views, so I queued up straightaway. The view is nothing short of amazing! From the tower you can see Gamcheon Village, the harbour and basically the whole surroundings of Busan.

If you’re in love and in South Korea there are plenty of place to hang love locks. If you thought the bridges in Paris are extreme, check out different sights in South Korea. When I reach my post about Seoul, you’ll see love lock madness gone wrong.

Modern History Museum
I usually like visiting museums when there’s a theme that interests me. I generally skip art museum, but history museum I do like. Especially when they’re concerning a place I know little about. Busan’s Modern History Museum is next to Yongdu-san Park and entrance is free.

The displays are in English as well which is a big plus and it’s a great way to learn more about the city.

Bosu-Dung Book Street
This could’ve been so good. I love books and I was ready to empty this entire street, but all I got were closed shutters. For some reason, this place was not open on the day I visited. Sad face.

Gukje Market
So, instead of filling my bags with books I don’t need, I walked around Gukje Market – a massive traditional market. They sell everything here, from clothes to traditional Korean items.

BIFF Square
Gukje market was more of a thoroughfare than the actual destination, I was heading to BIFF Square. Home to the annual Busan International Film Festival.

Also the place where you can find tons and tons of market stalls with food. I was on a mission to find hotteok. It’s somehow easy to find this stand, because people are queueing up all around it.

Hotteok is a type of Korean pancake with a filling that contains chopped peanuts, honey & cinnamon. So delicious!

Jagalchi Fish Market
I ran through the fish market on my way back to the hostel.

I wanted to see it, but I couldn’t stand to spend more time there than ten minutes. The smells and the torture to the animals is a bit unbearable to me.

To give you an example, a lady smacked an octopus onto the street following which the animal started to run away. That’s when she grabbed it and put it back in the little bucket of water. If you like fresh sea food, this place is probably a must. If you’re like me and you can do without it, you could also skip this sight.

Conclusion

I’m surprised by how much I wrote about Busan. When people ask me what I think of Busan, I usually say it didn’t leave much of an impression. It’s an acceptably nice city, but it’s nothing special. Busan is usually part of traveller’s itineraries because of the handy location. It’s an international hub like Seoul so it would make sense to start a trip in Seoul and end it in Busan, or the other way around like I was doing. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit the city, but if you’re there anyway my two-day itinerary will help to navigate around it.

If you have any additional tips, please leave them below in the comments!

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