It’s South Korea’s second most populated city (after Seoul of course) and a popular tourist destination because of its beautiful beaches. Luckily, the beaches in Busan are also known for being popular at night which is great for me since I sunburn in about five minutes and both times I visited were in winter! The first beach I visited was Gwangalli Beach. It has a beautiful nighttime view of the Gwangan Bridge. The other beach I visited was Haeundae Beach which has a main street with a pedestrian area and loads of restaurants and bars. Both beaches had vendors selling fancy light-up balloons, giant sparklers, and some fireworks. It was nice to grab a beer from the nearby convenience store, sit down by the water and watch people shoot off roman candles (not towards each other however which would have been more entertaining.)

Apart from the beaches, Busan has lots of other great outdoor activities. I walked the Igidae Coastal trail which I think was around 4.5 Km long (I say ‘I think’ because my ability to read the map was limited, lol). The trail was a little more intense than I had anticipated so of course I was not dressed appropriately at all! But the weather was great and the views were worth it. I started the trail at the Oryukdo Skywalk which is a free attraction where you can walk out on a glass path over the water and see the Oryukdo Islands. 

Since Busan is such a large city, many of the places I wanted to visit were not very close to each other. The public transportation is cheap and convenient but the routes to get from one place to another can be quite time consuming. For instance, a visit to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is over an hour of travel time from Busan Station. But what is an hour of your time when it comes to being able to visit the ‘most beautiful temple in Korea’? (There is a sign that says it, so it must be true, right?)

This temple is commonly called the ‘Temple by the sea’ because….you guessed it, it’s on the coast. Truth be told, it is a beautiful temple, but the setting is what really sets it apart. I think a more fitting title than “the most beautiful temple in Korea” would be “a very pretty temple in the a beautiful seaside setting with lovely panoramic ocean views.” I think people would still want to visit that!

In a part of Busan that once housed refugees of the Korean War, is where you’ll find the Gamcheon Cultural Village. This area consists of small houses crowded through tiny streets and mazes of paths that are only accessible by foot. In 2009, there was a project aimed at transforming the once poor area into an artistic, creative, and colorful community that now draws tons of tourists. It is a lovely place to wonder around, get lost on tiny walkways, and climb the decorated stairs. Local artists have created public art pieces that are found throughout the area. There are also lots of places to shop and eat throughout the village, but keep in mind, these are people’s homes. It is important to stay quiet and be respectful of their space—which is quaint, vibrant, and a pleasure to explore.

Busan also has lots of shopping. They have many different markets like the Gukje Market near the Busan Film Festival Festival (BIFF) Square. The Jagalchi Market which is a fish market where you can buy fresh seafood downstairs and the little restaurants upstairs will cook it for you (or not cook it if you’re into that too). Busan is also home to the Guinness World Record’s largest department store which is the Shinsegae Centum City Department Store—its a whopping 31 acres (3,163,300 square feet) of retail therapy!! It had a whole ice skating rink on one floor, a dinosaur exhibit, and just about every store you can think of. 

Across the street from Busan Station I saw what is called “Texas Street” which is an odd mix of old American western style decor and building facades. In a strange and unusual scenario, most of the buildings in this wild wild west have signs that are written in Russian. And keeping with the theme of ‘unusual’ if you walk on Texas Street for a few blocks it turns into “Chinatown.” And again, most of the signs are in Russian, even Chinese restaurants!