While planning a trip to South Korea, we wanted to keep it as easy and stress-free as possible. Rightly so, it was our first big trip with two kids – a 4-month-old and a 5-year-old. Our 5-year-old daughter is a pro traveler by now, but we didn’t know what to expect with a newborn baby. So, apart from Seoul, we decided to visit Busan. Here is the list of the 5 best things to do in Busan in no particular order.
5 best things to do in Busan
Busan felt relatively calmer (and probably less happening) as compared to Seoul. We spent 4 days here, took it slow. We also decided to skip the day trip to Gyeongju, which we had originally planned. Busan is also much bigger than we anticipated, and travelling from one area to another took a long time. As the attractions are clustered in different areas of the city, each day we only managed to cover one area.
Here is the list of the 5 best things we loved in Busan –
Haeundae Blueline Sky capsule ride
This was probably the top-rated activity on my list, and we all enjoyed the experience. These tiny, adorable train cars on an elevated rail take a scenic route from Mipo station to Cheongsapo station and vice versa. Riding at a speed of 30 Kms/hour, the entire journey takes about 30 minutes. Each capsule is private for a group of 2-4 people, which means you won’t be sharing the capsule with anyone else!
Originally, we wanted to book a sunset slot between 4.30 to 5 pm, but that slot was sold out. We booked the 4 pm to 4.30 pm slot and were so glad that the other slot was sold out. The rides and ticketing system seemed a little mismanaged. The queues were long, and by the time we got into the capsule, it was 5 pm. We reached Mipo station at 5.30 pm, and it was almost dark by then.
Gamcheon Cultural Village
Gamcheon cultural village is now an open art museum with many murals, a beautiful view of the colorful houses, and the famous ’the little prince’ statue/ photo spot.
This was our first activity in Busan, and you can easily spend half a day here. There are many shops all around the village selling souvenirs and many street food options. We really enjoyed strolling around and getting lost in the numerous alleys of the cultural village. There are multiple viewpoints all around, so you don’t really need to go to a cafe to enjoy the view. However, going to one and chilling with a nice drink is a bonus.
The Instagram-famous ‘blue house on the stairs’ cafe is located here. Read more about this and other cafes in Busan, in our article 16 Instagram Viral Cafes to Visit in Korea…
We also visited a cozy Korean tea house called Yao, which combines an art gallery and a cafe. However, the tea ceremony and drinks were just alright. Worth a visit for a quick break and relaxation with a good view.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Unlike in Japan (and Kyoto specifically), we visited only one temple in Korea. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is a very popular Buddhist temple in Busan, and it’s beautifully designed as well. It is one of the rare temples situated on the coast, offering a beautiful view. Access to the temple is free and opening hours are from 4.30 am to 7.20 pm (last admission at 4.50 pm).
However, to truly appreciate its beauty without the crowd, we suggest going there first thing in the morning. With two small kiddos, we only managed to go around 1 pm, and it was extremely crowded by then. We combined the temple visit with the Haeundae Blue Line Sky Capsule ride, as both are situated in proximity.
Cheongsapo Daritdol Skywalk
Originally, we had planned to skip Cheongsapo Daritdol Skywalk. However, it so happened that the cafe we had planned to visit was closed. So we decided to walk 20 minutes to Liberta cafe via Cheongsapo Daritdol Skywalk. I’m so glad it turned out this way, as our 5-year-old absolutely loved walking on the glass platform over the ocean.
Read more about it in our article 16 Instagram Viral Cafes to Visit in Korea
Haeundae Traditional Market & Seomyeon Area
We stumbled upon Haeundae Market while visiting a restaurant in the area for dinner. It’s a small Korean night market filled with numerous food stalls. Most of the stalls sell seafood and meat, so we just walked around and sampled the rare non-meat options. But, if you are in the area or returning from the sky capsule and eat meat, then you can consider checking out the market.
Seonyeon area in Busan, on the other hand, is a shopping district or a downtown hub. It’s famous for shopping, malls, loads of restaurants, street food options, and bars etc. Our original plan was to go hiking on this day, but since our daughter was jetlagged and tired, we knew she wouldn’t be in the mood for walking. So, we spent an entire day here. Two places I would recommend here are –
- Eco Jardin Hair Salon: Their 15-step scalp treatment has taken the internet by storm. While many travelers visit the Seoul branch, you could consider Busan as an alternative option. It’s definitely less crowded, but the service remains the same.
- Dine at Tae Tae Tae: This restaurant has a pan asian cusine with a separate vegan menu. Mind-blowing food!
Other places of interest in Busan
In addition to the above-mentioned 5 best things to do in Busan, there are a few other spots we either couldn’t visit or don’t recommend visiting.
Gwangali Beach
Apart from a beautiful beach, it is also famous for its weekly drone show. The show is on every Saturday at 7 pm and 9 pm. Since we were not in Busan on a Saturday, we decided to skip the beach as it was a bit out of our way.
Igidae Coastal Trail
That’s the coastal trail we wanted to do, but had to skip. You can walk the coastline for miles on a purpose-built trail. The trail offers panoramic views of the ocean along with lush greenery. However, the hike doesn’t seem to be easy as it has loads of stairs.
Seokbulsa temple
If you have extra time, I would recommend visiting this mountainside Buddhist temple. It’s a bit far, but the engraving on the stone here is breathtakingly beautiful.
Somang Stairs Monorail
Sometimes the internet makes the most weird and nonsensical places famous. I absolutely don’t recommend going here as it’s just a small cable car built to transport old Korean people to the top of the stairs. Nothing fancy or ever worth the time and effort.
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