Busan is Korea’s second largest city, and since it’s only a 2.5 hour train ride from Seoul, it is definitely worth checking out if you’re in Korea! Being a beach town, it has a completely different vibe than metropolis Seoul. After recently returning from my Korea trip, here is my quick travel guide on top things to do in Busan, Korea:
Busan Tower
If you’re looking for the Space Needle of Seattle or the CN Tower of Toronto, the Busan Tower at Yongdusan Park is your answer! At the top of the observatory, you get an amazing panoramic view of the city and its ports. However, my favorite part about this attraction is the locks of love surrounding the Tower’s base. You can purchase various colors of hearts and padlocks, write notes to each other on them, and then lock them on fences. I mean, look how cute this is!
Gamcheon Culture Village (also known as Taegeukdo or Lego Village)
Although the history behind this village relates to refugees and poverty, it is still full of color and character. Narrow windy alleyways lead to pastel cubicle-shaped homes and quirky art installations surprise you around every corner. Some say this is like the Santorini of Korea, and you could easily get lost exploring and admiring this town for hours.
Changseondong
My absolute favorite thing to do in Korea is to eat street food. Changseondong is the perfect market for that; you can get kimbap, fish sticks, seafood pancakes (the list just goes on and on), and eat it on the side of a cart or as you’re walking. We would get snacks from at least three food carts before eating our actual meal since everything was so irresistible! There’s also a lot of flea market shopping around here that carry high-quality yet inexpensive clothes.
Gwangalli Beach
The clean blue water, fine sand, and a view of Korea’s longest suspension bridge, makes Gwanagalli Beach a great alternative to Haedundae Beach (Korea’s most popular beach). At night, this beach is bustling with live music performances and filled with ex-pats and locals. The bridge also lights up in different colors!
Taejondae Park
Since this park sits along an island, it is best known for its incredible views of the ocean and rocky cliffs. The long walk around the park is lovely as you’re surrounded by luscious greenery and you can enjoy recreational facilities such as a lighthouse and temples along the way.
Other must-do attractions in Busan
- Haeundae Beach: Most popular beach in Korea and a must-see. It’s beautiful but during the summer months, it gets extremely packed! Just remember to bring your swimsuit and sun tan lotion!
- Jagalchi Fish Market: With Busan being Korea’s major port, it is no surprise that Korea’s largest fish market is here. You can see and definitely smell large and fresh seafood, which you can also pick and bring to a nearby restaurant that will cook it in front of you!
- Shinsegae Department Store: Largest department store in the world. It has a wide variety of shops, a theater, a zoo, restaurants, and cafes. On the basement floor, there are tons of pretty and yummy desserts that you should try!
- No tipping: Don’t worry about tipping for anything in Korea. It seriously makes it easier and more enjoyable to travel without having to calculate and think about how much to tip for food, cab, hotel services, etc.
- Transportation: In Seoul we used the subway trains a lot, but in Busan we just used the buses, which was convenient and inexpensive. Cabs were available as well but we didn’t have a need for them.
This seems like such an interesting place and I'd absolutely love to go there. Great tips and amazing photos!
TRENDGALORE
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How fun! I would love to visit one day. Thanks for sharing your guide gorgeous. Have a great Friday!
xo
Pam
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Your pictures are always so pretty!!! I love this list!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
I've been wanting to go to Busan for a while now, and this just makes me want to god so much more. Everything looks so pretty! And your photos are STUNNING! <3
May x • THE MAYDEN
Awww I love these pictures especially of the Bason Tower!
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u know i have never been to Korea and would love to!giulia
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Korea has never been on our list of places to go but we might have to add it, it sounds amazing!
xx 365Hangers
The pictures are amazing Tina and I'm glad you had a great time! I would love to visit Gamcheon Village some day; it's such an inspiration to know that despite the historical happenings the place is still full of color and vibrancy. And street food is what I look forward to when I visit (hopefully next summer) 🙂 xo~ Lena
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never visited Korea, but I think it's a trip to do once in a lifetime
love street food
kisses
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never visited Korea, but I think it's a trip to do once in a lifetime
love street food
kisses
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Happy Friday, love! Such a great post! Love all of your pics and I definitely would love to travel to Korea one day! I've been to Asia multiple times (I'm half Asian).
Happy Weekend!
xoxo, Vanessa
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These are such beautiful shots! It sounds like an amazing trip. Did you have a favorite experience? So interesting about the tipping too.
Wishes & Reality
This is such a great guide, Tina! Your photos are gorgeous and it's so awesome to learn about a part of South Korea I wasn't familiar with. I have heard that street food is the way to go, too. Everything looks so yummy! xx
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What an amazing post! I'd love to see the Santorini of Korea one day…and that street food sounds delicious!
xo Mil
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Wow, this looks and sounds like such an interesting place! I would love to try all that street food! 🙂
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Oh, I'm so jealous of you! I've always to go to Korea, and Busan looks gorgeous! I'd love to go to the Busan Tower and Taejondae Park, it looks perfect <3
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will need to keep this in mind if I visit Korea in the future!
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Those pictures look amazing – makes me want to go on a trip now, haha!
Have a great weekend!
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Beautiful travel pics! I love street food in all the different cities, especially in Asia, street food is cheap, fast not to mention delicious. Too bad we don't get much of that in the US.
xo Sheree
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Wow, it looks really cool there, I would love to go
xo
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Sounds a great place!
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Love the motion & colours in all of the photos!
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ah i'm so jelly, i've never been to busan!
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Awsome trip!!
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Perfect travel guide, beautiful pics!!!
Kisses, Paola.
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These pictures look amazing! Looks like such an amazing trip!
Syd
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You've been to Korea, that's so awsome 😀
Those locks with hearts are like that bridge in Paris, except, this looks just so much yuter <3
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Beautiful post!
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OMG So amazing pictures honey
kisses
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I wonder when I'll be able to go there. It's been in my bucket list for so long already lol. Thanks for these tips 🙂
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Love hearing more about your trip. It looks so amazing.
Amy Ann
Straight A Style
So interesting!
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These are such gorgeous photos!
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Beautiful guide, I took notes!
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Beautiful colors within the pictures – Great photos 🙂
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Great pics!
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What a quaint town. You're so lucky to travel like this!
Xo
Jeanie
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These place look lovely! 🙂
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Wow what a beautiful and bright city. I love the coloured houses and the locks of love!
Corinne x
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Great post, I would love to visit Korea.
xx Falasha
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Hello Tina! Busan seems to be a wonderful place to visit and I love the fact that I can buy fresh fish at the market and have a local restaurant cook it for me. I actually visited Soul five years ago and even thought it was a business trip I have plenty of time for sightseeing and tour around the city and I loved it! Next time I visit soul for work I will make sure I pay Busan a visit! Thanks for sharing and have an amazing weekend! XOXO, Jeannette
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It looks like such a lovely place to visit – and I really like the love locks! It's a shame they've taken them down in Paris, was a lovely ritual to have.
Away From The Blue
Great tips! Thanks Tina, can't wait to visit next week but with the MERS virus going around, I'm quite nervous…. sigh.
This place sounds great for visiting. Thanks for tips.
GlamupGirls
Fantastic pictures and great travel guide! This city is amazing!
jointyicroissanty
Oh Korea sounds interesting.
I would love to visit it one day.
XO
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Korea is great! Want to go there one day, too!! I love the Korean signs so much!
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such a great list, Tina. I love the thought of wandering around the Gamcheon Culture Village. It looks amazing 🙂
Sharon ∞ eight shores
Such a beautiful post – your photos are always so beautiful and bright! It looks like a lovely place to visit and I love how you've shared things to do over there! Love your travel guides! 🙂
Layla xx
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it looks like such a beautiful place!
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Love this! Have an awesome new week!
kisses,
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nice 🙂
kisses from dubai ♥
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Really an awesome place to don't miss out, thanks for sharing
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Busan Tower sounds like a fantatsic place to visit and especially thanks to the paper heart attraction – that would be lovely to see even if you weren't placing your own one there! 🙂
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
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I would be in heaven eating all this food on the street!!
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No tipping? What? lol I would love that. I wish I had the means to up and travel
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I have always wanted to go to korea! so many cute and colorful pictures!
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Wow!! Fantastic photos <33 lovely places 🙂
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These photos are ridiculously good. I love markets & views overlooking the city. Changseondong sounds perfect. :]
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Oh wow.. this is a very helpful travel post!! I would love to visit Korea someday.. it's so beautiful there and I can already tell that I'm gonna have so much adventures in Korea 🙂
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Take care always, love Christine ~ xx
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i'd love to visit busan!!! looks so neat and interesting! 😀
Have a great week!
Animated Confessions
Thanks for sharing! Wow, no tipping? That would be a new experience!
~xo Jenn~
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Adding this to my bucket list — you have SUCH beautiful photos Tina, and I think this is a wonderful way to share your trip!
xo katie // a touch of teal
Such pretty pictures!! I would love to travel there one day!!
<3 Shannon
Upbeat Soles
Looks an awesome place. So different from here, i really want to visit a place like this! Thanks for sharing and have a nice day Tina!
xx
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Korea looks so interesting, I definitely want to check it out someday! I love the locks of love idea! And eating street food is one of my favourite things too, I love trying new foods. Thanks for sharing with us, Tina 🙂 x
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I love this guide! Busan looks like such a lively and beautiful city based off your pictures. I love visiting places that have good street food and that are easy to get around on public transportation, so Korea is definitely on my list of places to visit now, if it wasn't before.
-Helen
Sweet Helen Grace
your travel photos are incredible! i visited busan a few years ago and don't remember the city looking this pretty. 😛 it looks like you had an amazing time! 🙂
love, liz
stylewich.com
Beautiful travel photos! Thanks for sharing all of these tips about Busan! I've never heard of the city before but now I know!
Picture number 4 is A-MA-ZING!!! I’d love to visit Korea one day
Nihaad – the little blog of STUFF
Amazing photos
xx
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