We landed in Busan directly from Seoul after a 1-ish hour plane ride. It went by so quickly, we didn’t even take a nap, which is saying a lot. By the time we got out of the airport, it was around 9:30pm already. When we got to the subway station, we spotted this super cute looking vending machine with a bunch of cartoon looking bears, bunnies, and so on. Upon closer look, it looked like it sold Kakao-inspired transportation cards.
We remembered reading about them in some articles we looked up online about Korea, and since we’ve been purchasing one-time use paper cards our whole time in Seoul, we thought this was the perfect chance to get reloadable transportation cards, which in turn, discount your fares. It took around 6,000 won to buy the card, which we thought would be tacked onto our transportation balance on the card. Lo and behold, when we tried to tap the card at the subway entrance, the gates gave away some loud beeps, flashed red, and in a stern Korean voice, the machine probably said something to the effect of “dumb foreigners, there is nothing on the card”.
We kid — in reality it probably said something super polite per usual but we (read: Anna) stood at the gates for a couple of seconds longer than socially acceptable to connect the dots. On the bright side, we ended up keeping these cards as unexpected souvenirs, but you can exchange them for the 6,000 back at the customer service stations if you’re done using them.
Day(?) 1 The First Night
We went straight to our airbnb, which was a nice 1-bedroom studio apartment with a spacious bathroom and an actual kitchen. The apartment had a large window that took up the whole wall where the bed was resting against and we were high up enough where we could see the lit streets below us and the rooftops of the buildings across from us.
We weren’t particularly hungry, but felt like we should eat since we didn’t have dinner. We decided to stick to someplace nearby when Praisella found a restaurant a short walk way serving pork noodle broth, a popular Korean dish.
Pork Noodle Broth
Restaurant: Songjeong Samdae Gukbap
29 Seomyeon-ro 68beon-gil, Bujeon 2(i)-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea
+82 51-806-5722
It turns out the restaurant was located in an alleyway lined with literally 5-6 restaurants selling all the same exact thing — pork noodle soup. And to make the decision even EASIER for us, all of the banners on the restaurants boasted the names of the TV stations they were featured on.
Since we couldn’t read any Korean (Anna’s K-drama experience was limited to understanding “andwae” and “togiyo”), we just kept pacing back and forth the whole alleyway. Finally we decided to translate the restaurant name we found on Google Maps (that was spelled out with English pronunciation) into Hangul characters using Google Translate. It kind of worked (I think 3 out of the 4 characters matched the name of one of the restaurants). We decided that a 75% match was close enough and went in.
We were immediately seated by a Korean auntie. The menu was short and simple enough so it was easy to choose what we wanted — we just ordered the normal pork noodle soup. We were served the side dishes first followed by the broths shortly after and dug right in. Despite it being in the middle of the summer (and having drank so many broths since arriving in Korea lol), it was D E L I C I O U S. The broth was light yet rich and milky (?) at the same time. We were served red chilli paste and soybean paste on the side to adjust the seasoning of our broth however we liked, but I found myself liking the broth by itself without any additions to it.
By the time we were finished, it was almost midnight already. We tried to walk back to our airbnb, but couldn’t take our original route through the subway stations underground — they were already closed and locked for the night. We also couldn’t just cross the streets like normal because get this — there were no crosswalks!! The streets were a little too wide and there were too many cars driving around for us to sprint across in a couple of seconds.
On top of that — unlike Seoul, which would have been bustling with both lights, people, and overall activity, at this time in Busan, the streets were dark and almost eerily silent with the lack of people wandering about at night. This was one of the first differences we noticed between Seoul and Busan. There were pockets of activity on certain streets where the karaoke rooms and bars were, but for the most part it was mainly just us two on the road and the occasional drunk as we wandered around the road trying to find a walkable path back to the airbnb.
Needless to say, after walking around for about 20 minutes, we finally got to the side of the neighborhood that was where our airbnb was located and Naruto-sprinted across a 6-lane street at a 5-way intersection (yes, you read that correctly), because it was either that or we would sleep on the streets that night.
Before we headed up to our airbnb/apartment, we swung by the convenience store located right next to the apartment complex for some snacks and drinks (and of course this meant plenty of banana milk for Anna). It’s safe to say after all the panic-running after a late night dinner, we passed the eff out that night.
Day 2
Oryukdo Skywalk
The original plan was to wake up early enough to be able to eat a real breakfast before the Skywalk but alas, that did not happen as usual (don’t know why we keep lying to ourselves lol). We rolled out of bed, took a way longer time than we should’ve to pick our outfits for the day, and then each took a shower. By the time we got out of the door, it was already 10 and we sprinted to catch out bus to the Oryukdo Skywalk, which is a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that peeks over the point between the East and South sea.
Before you can get onto the bridge, you’re required to slip on these glove-like cloths over your shoes, presumably, to dull any sharp impact made to the glass from shoes. You also need to leave any umbrellas or bags you bring with you on the benches located right at the entrance to the skywalk.
It’s a lot smaller than we imagined it to be and is definitely more of a walkway than it is a bridge. But it was breathtaking nonetheless. It was thrilling to be able to see the views below you through the glass (and extremely terrifying for P’s fear of height thing). As you walk out towards the point of the walkway farthest away from land, you can see the floor change from an earthy and rocky terrain of the cliff fade into the reflective waves of the sea.
Tip: If you can get away with it, take a selfie lying on the glass floor to capture the views below you! You’re technically not supposed to though so make it quick before the staff calls you out.
Tip 2: To the right of the skywalk, there’s a lookout point with a gorgeous view at the stairway that leads you back down to the ground floor
Gamcheon Cultural Village
We found this spot on instagram while we were looking up places to visit in Korea — and once we got here in person, we could see why.
This village is the place of artists and dreamers. Literally, the whole village looks like it’s been painted over or awashed with buckets of pastel blues, greens, and pinks. Every road is decorated with hand painted drawings on the wall or with colorful tile art. It feels like a magical experience and really invokes this nostalgia for childhood as you walk down the streets and alleyways of the village.
At the entrance to the village, there are a lot of small restaurants and shops. We had lunch at the first restaurant we saw selling cold wheat noodles, which is a specialty here in Busan and perfect for the hot weather.
This restaurant does like 3 businesses in one (major hustle points for them) because at the front on the left they also sell street food and on the right they sell ice cream.
Anna ended up getting their shrimp and crab cake stick along with the noodles and it tasted amazing — definitely try it out if you come here!
There’s a lot to explore in this village, and honestly this could be a whole day thing if you wanted it to be. Since we had other spots to hit after this, we only took about 3 hours here. The whole experience is really a prolonged walk/hike and photo-op session rolled into one. There’s so much wall art to admire and boutiques to check out.
We did have a hard time finding the perfect angle to take our photos though. We were trying to get the classic IG photo with the colorful houses of the village in the background but for some reason our photos didn’t quite hit the mark. There are designated photo spots throughout the village but all of those official spots have incredibly long lines and we didn’t have the patience to wait in those.
We did find a secret photo-op spot tucked away from the majority of the other tourists though. It’s hard to explain where exactly it is, but we took a couple of photos (like the one above). At this point, we were getting tired, but if you have the patience to get the right angle, we think this could make for some really pretty photos! This spot was next to the building below.
Songdo Beach
We took the bus to get to the beach but when we got off it looked like there was a subway station near our stop so you can probably take the subway here too. On the side of the subway station exit, there’s a small sign that points that the beach is to the right — and those are all the directions you’ll see haha. We actually were quite confused on how to get there because neither Google Maps nor the Naver Map showed clear walking directions to get there. But basically — once you spot that subway station exit, turn right at the corner and keep following the sidewalk. The sidewalk path will naturally curve until you eventually head towards the left (it’s like a backwards C path) and you’ll see the sand. It is a bit of a walk though, maybe about a 15 minute walk before you see it.
We both went to UCSB (well Praisella did before going to USC) and we’ve been around Southern California so we’ve seen our share of beaches, from Santa Barbara to LA to San Diego — but this beach definitely tops the list (next to San Diego). The sand on Songdo Beach was super clean looking, bright, and soft to our steps and the beach was lined with a view of buildings lining the edge. Over the waters there were cable car lines moving steadily along the waters. It was a charming sight and a great moment to just stop, relax, and soak up the sunshine (and maybe squeeze in a swimsuit photo-op session or two heh).
Tip 1: Along the walk to the beach, there are a couple of mom and pop restaurants selling tteokbokki (sweet and spicy rice cakes) and fish cakes. Grab some with you to munch on once you get on the beach! The one we went to though doesn’t let you take the sticks with you, so we stuck our fish cakes on top of a chopstick as a skewer haha. Then, swing by the convenience store to grab a few cans of cool Cass beer to pair with those yummy snacks.
Tip 2.1 : Bring a beach blanket or towel with you to make your sunbathing experience a more comfortable one. We couldn’t find a beach blanket at the convenience store we were in so we bought a similar look-alike that turned out to be a dish towel ( l m a o ). Let’s just say it did not do the job well.
Tip 2.2: As a follow up to that beach blanket note, if you don’t have one with you, it looked like there was a beach supply store right in front of the beach. It had a bunch of pails and shovels hanging in the front of the store so they might sell beach blankets. If not, buy a cheap $10 one from Forever 21 or Ross before heading on this trip to save on time and money.
BIFF square/market
We originally wanted to go to the seafood market but it turns out they would be closed by the time we got there so we decided to head here instead.
BIFF square had a similar market layout to the Myeongdong streets in Seoul but the vibe is definitely different. The vendor sellers swapped out for cute grannies instead. In addition to the typical street foods, there were also dried seafood for sale. Anna really wanted to take some back home for her parents but was worried about it being against international TSA rules to bring back dried meats.
Tip 1: If you’re up for trying different foods out, definitely buy a pack of dried seafood to try out before you jump on a flight! It’s made from the seafood directly caught in Busan.
Tip 2: There were a lot of bustling soju and kbbq tent restaurants throughout the market. These restaurants/tents would house a lot of fold up tables and stands, some with colorful umbrellas on the tables with locals just chatting around with their friends. For some reason, we weren’t really hungry so we skipped out on this but it looked like a fun and vibrant atmosphere to be in. Try it out if you can for dinner or late night drinks in true local fashion.
Day 3
Haedong Yonggung Cliffside Temple
Today was technically our last day (half a day) in Busan before we were scheduled to fly back to Seoul. Right after we checked out from our airbnb, we dropped off our luggage at the storage lockers at a subway station close to the temple so that we wouldn’t have to lug it with us to the temple. We chose a subway station that would also be en route to the airport after we finish with our temple visit. The storage lockers were a little confusing to work at first, but they do have some instructions on there. If we remember correctly it was around $5-10 USD, so make sure you have enough change on hand.
Tip: Once the locker opens, try to put in all your stuff quickly. Anna spent a while deciding what to bring in her mini backpack to the temple and what to leave behind so the locker opening timed out and she had to use more money to open a different locker (lol).
This was a surprise favorite for the both of us. This spot came upon recommendation from one of Anna’s friend’s dad and we didn’t think too much of it but boy are we glad it went. From the bus stop, we just followed the crowd of people who got off. There was a short walk upwards a hill with sidewalks before the scene changed to one of a makeshift market of sorts. That’s how you know you’ve made it — it’s the unofficial entrance to the temple.
Statues of the 12 zodiac animals greet you at the end of the market that leads towards the path to the temple. Once you go past those statues, you’ll follow a path and a lot of steps before you see you first breathtakingly gorgeous view of the temple on the cliff.
Honestly the pictures don’t do it justice — there’s something really serene and mystical with the waves crashing below the unassuming temple.
Tip: You need to cross a bridge to actually get to the main temple — but before you do, try your hand at tossing in some coins for luck into the statues carrying pots below the bridge. If you make your coin in, you’re in for some luck! (Sad to report that both of us have terrible hand eye coordination and were unable to secure some much needed luck for the rest of the year). Either way it’s super fun trying to get your coin in and laughing at strangers who couldn’t (let’s be real, you’re gonna be that stranger who can’t get it in so there’s a whole system going on lol).
We wandered around the temple grounds until it was close to noon when we noticed a line forming at one area. People coming out from the line were holding food so we figured that this was the place to get lunch. We got in line, which moved VERY quickly. Before we knew it, we were ushered to the front of the line by these Korean ahjummas (ladies) and two bowls of food — one bowl of seaweed soup and one bowl of vegetarian bibimbap — were plopped into our hands from what appeared to be a kitchenette/serving station.
We looked around for a cashier to pay for the food but there was no register set up and it didn’t look like anybody else was paying for the food we got. Needless to say, we were VERY confused but also pleasantly surprised and decided not to question it anymore — not that we could because the kitchen ladies couldn’t speak English too.
Our theory is that we either stumbled upon some tour group who was including this meal as a part of the experience or this was a complimentary meal from the temple in return for all the donations that accompanied the prayers of all the visitors. Our hunch that it’s the latter because one of the kitchen grannies later did a round around the temple courtyard and came up to us to give us rice cakes for dessert when she noticed we finished our bowls. We brought our bowls back to the kitchenette and dropped it in the sinks for dirty dishes. You’re supposed to wash it yourself but we looked so confused, one of the serving ladies took the bowls from us and watched it herself.
Either way, the food was super delicious and made us feel warm inside and felt home-cooked. It was the icing on the cake to our whole temple experience and further showed us just how hospitable the locals were. It was a great way to end our Busan experience.
Tip: Aim your travel time to the temple to arrive around noon to see if you can try some of the temple food as well! You can donate some money at one of the shrines like we did in repayment.
Closing Note
All in all our Busan experience was really great. It’s definitely a different vibe from Seoul so if you have time in your South Korea itinerary, we would say it’s definitely worth working in this stop in your trip. For Busan, 2-3 days should be enough as we’ve managed to hit all the main spots during our short stay of technically a day and a half. If we had more time, we would’ve wanted to check out the Jagalchi market, which is the largest seafood market in Korea. We hear that the live octopus is a local favorite here so definitely try it with their dipping sauces if you have time.
If you went to Busan before, did we miss any major or secret spots? Let us know in the comments below!
Also throwback to their amazing banana milk. I miss it every day :’(
Going to Seoul too? Check out our Seoul guide!
