Things to Do in Busan

This is probably the best beach of South Korea that remains overcrowded during summer. With white sand beach and the surrounding neighborhood, this beach has become a popular place to spend few hours with family for the tourists. Many festivals and cultural events are also held on this beach, mostly in the month of June to August. At Folk Square of this beach, you can enjoy traditional games like neoldduigi (seesaw jumping), Korean wrestling, tug-of-war, tuho (arrow throwing) and Yutnori. If you are coming to Busan, the name of this place should be in your itinerary list. Make sure you try the free foot spa service available in the tourist information center.

One of the best beach of South Korea, Haeundae Beach is flocked-to by visitors for carious activities. Haeundae Beach Tickets are mostly included in tours that also accommodate adjoining attractions, like some of ours’. Get the best deals on Tickets for Haeundae Beach and nearby tourist hot spots as you buy tickets for Haeundae Beach from our tickets section. Rest assured, these are the best Haeundae Beach ticket prices you will find anywhere.

Located on the northeast coast of Busan, this temple is the southernmost temple of South Korea. It is also considered as one of the three sacred places of Goddess Buddha. Its uniqueness is its location as most of the temples of Busan are located on the top of mountain, whereas Haedong Yonggungsa temple is right in front of the sea. This temple was built by the great Buddhist teacher, Naong in 1376, during Goryeo dynasty.

Haesu Gwaneum Daebul (Seawater Great Goddess Buddha), Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, Yongwangdang Shrine, Gulbeop Buddhist Sanctum (enclosed in a cave) and a three-story pagoda with four lions is the overall structure of the temple. Other feature of the temple to watch out is 108 steps. These steps add up the beauty of the temple. While moving down the steps, you can stop mid way and watch the beautiful sunrise (if you are going early morning).

It is best to come in the month of April, when the birth of Buddha is celebrated. The entire temple is lit up with electrically lit lanterns.

This park is located in Jung-gu, Busan. It is said to be one of the 3 popular mountains in Busan. Earlier it was known as Songhyunsan, which means a mountain having a view of the beautiful sea through its dense pine forest. Later the name was changed to Youngdusan, where Yongdu means dragon’s head. It is said that the mountain park looks like a dragon head.

The most popular and visible feature of this park is the Busan Tower. It is a symbol of Busan stand 69m above the sea level and has a height of 120m. The tower resembles baldaquin of Dabotap Pagoda (of Bulguksa temple, Gyeongju). At the top of the tower, there is Observatory from where you can get a perfect view of the entire city. Beside this, other attractions within the park are :-

• Museum of World Folk Instruments – It’s a two story building containing different musical instrument like instruments made of fruits, human knee bones and rat skin
• Exhibition Hall of World Model Boats – It contains 80 models of traditional Korean yellow-hemp sailboats, turtle ships, luxury cruise ships and classy warships. 

It is the largest fish market in Korea. Located beside Nampo Port, it is the only place where you can get fresh seafood, both in raw form as well as cooked. The first thing that will catch your attention is, most of the sellers are middle aged or married women. They are referred as Jagalchi Ajumma or ajumma. The prices of fish are quite cheaper as compare to other supermarkets. It is quite colorful and vibrant place to spend some time. In the indoor area, fish restaurants are there where you can taste different dishes, made of raw fish and live fish. There are many restaurants, where you can bring your own fish and they will cook it for you.

If you are traveling in October, visit this market as it hold Jagalchi Cultural Tourism festival.

Popularly known as the Santorini of Korea, Gamcheon cultural village is the most colorful village you would have ever seen. It is the most art-filled village of Busan, located at the top of hills of Saha-gu in Busan. Once you land up at the bottom of the village, the colorful narrow alleyways will guide you to reach every important sights of this village. People say that the best way to travel around this place is to get lost. Every year, it attracts around thousands of tourists and photographers from all around the world.

To know about the Gamcheon cultural village history, visit the information center first. From there, buy a tour map that will guide you to locate the tourist sites. While moving around the village, you will see colored wooden fishes on the walls of the street that actually acts as directions. Make sure you visit the Observatory center to get panoramic view of the village. Beside this, there are lots of museums, cafes and restaurants to spend time. The Gamcheon Culture Village food is a must try.

Beomeosa temple (Fish Sutra temple) is one of the greatest and worshipped Buddhist temples of Korea. Located on the top of Mt. Geumjeongsan, this temple is a worth place to pay visit. This temple has been destroyed and reconstructed many times. The present one that you see is not the original temple. It has 3 levels - the 1st one has three gates, the 2nd has Pojaeru and the 3rd level has the main hall. The entire craftworks of the gates, i.e. Cheonwangmun Gate, the Iljumun Gate and the Daeungjeon Hall (the main hall) are quite impressive. The moment you enter the main hall, you can almost feel the devotion of the devotees. On the ceiling of the temple, you can see flower carving depicting the legend of flower falling from the heaven whenever Buddha used to teach his devotees.

Visitors can sign up for Beomeosa templestay program that features like chanting services, 108 prostrations, Dado (tea ceremony) and Seon Meditation program.

Located at southern tip of Haeundae Beach, Dongbaek Island is one of the places to visit in Busan. Previously, it was an island. But with the accumulation of sediments, the island is now connected with the mainland by a landbridge. The long walking path around the island let you navigate the island. History says that the island honors Scholar Choi Chi-won. While walking, around the island, you will come across a bronze statue of the scholar and a monument in his memory. You will also pass by other attractions like the mermaid statue (representing the heart breaking love story of princess Topaz, the Nurimaru APEC House and the Carved stone.

Gwangalli Beach or Gwangan Beach is one of the popular beaches in Busan. Located at Gwangan-dong, Suyeong-gu, the beach looks like a half carved moon with Gwangan bridge crossing over it. It is the fine sand of the beach that makes this place special among the tourists. At night the beach looks more beautiful with the bridge illuminated. At day time, you can enjoy fishing in the clean water of sea and prepare it on the spot itself. For adventurous tourists, you can rent a yacht from Olympic Yacht Rental. Water activities like jet skiing, Water-skiing, wakeboarding, windsurfing and banana boating can be enjoyed.

The beach has an outer concert stage where popular event, Busan Ocean festival and many other events are being held. For entertainment, museum, theatres, a cultural center and an art gallery are there. For foodies, lots of restaurants, coffee shops and nightclubs are there in alley where you can dine with your friends and families. It’s a great place to spend half a day for people of 20s and 30s.

One of the largest aquariums of South Korea, Sea Life Busan Aquarium is the much ‘talked about’ tourist attraction of Busan. Right from 3 years old child to grown up individuals, people belonging to different age group do come to visit this aquarium from all over the world. The aquarium will take you into an awe-inspiring journey into the world that lies far below the sea.

It is being divided into 3 levels. A resting place, an outdoor park and a parking space is on the ground floor. A theme restaurant, resting room and a souvenir shop is on the first underground level and the aquarium is on the levels B2 and B3. Here, you get to see around 250 marine species and around 10,000 aquatic animals like jackass penguins, clawed otters, electric eels, sharks, piranhas, giant turtles, colorful jellies and fishes. Visiting this aquarium will give you both an engaging and educational experience. This is why visiting Sea Life Aquarium is one of the best things to do in Busan, and how to get to Busan Aquarium should be the first question when you land in Busan.

Located on the southernmost tip of Yeongdo-gu, Taejongdae park is a natural park and one of the popular tourist attractions of Busan. Its white lighthouse overlooking the green sea and the observation deck makes the entire park look exotic. You can just walk down the lighthouse, have your own time and can enjoy having fresh raw fish on the rocky shore. However, the distance between the entrance gate and the lighthouse is quite long. So, if walking is not your genre, you can take a tour course or buy tickets of Danubi trains. Whether you come with your family or with your spouse, you are definitely going to fall in love with the scenic beauty of this place.

On clear sky day, you can even spot Tsushima or Daema, Island of Japan from the rocky cliff. At the edge of the rocks, food tents are there where you can take a quick bite and can again walk around the park. From the dock, mini cruise ship trip are also there to move around the cliffs.

• Taejondae tour course (1 hour): Plaza → Natural Observation Path → Sports Park → Taejongsa Temple → Lighthouse → Lighthouse Jagal Madang → Lighthouse Cruise Ship → Observatory → South Port Viewing Point → Gumyeongsa Temple → Taewon Jagal Madang → Taewon Cruise Ship → Gonpo Cruise Ship → Plaza
• Couple Tour Course:  Plaza → Lighthouse → Lighthouse Jagal Madang → Lighthouse Cruise Ship → Observatory → South Port Viewing Point → Taewon Jagal Madang → Taewon Cruise Ship → Gonpo Cruise Ship → Plaza
• Family Tour Course:  Yeongdo Bridge → 75 Plaza → Jeoryeong Coastal Walkway → Taejongdae → Dongsamdong Shell Midden → Busandaegyo Bridge  Danubi Train Course Platform→ Taejongsa Temple → Yeongdo Lighthouse → Observatory → Gumyeongsa Temple → Taewon Jagal Madang → Platform 
• Cruise Ship Course: Dock → Jodo Island → Taejongdae → Haemangdong Coastline

Though it is difficult to find, Seokbulsa temple (also known as Rock Buddha temple) is a worth visit place of Busan. Previously it was known as Byeongpungam heritage because of the way the rocks were faced like a screen in between the mountains. However, after the carving of 30-foot Buddha, Boddhisattvas and the guardians done on the mountainside, the name changed into Seokbulsa temple.

A 30 minute hike from the parking area will let you reach to the temple. Many people do not speak much about this temple because it is very difficult to reach. But after you reach, when you arch your neck to get a proper view of the entire temple, you are going to be in awe of its beauty. It will make you accept that your hiking has not gone into waste. For exploration, there are numerous buildings and cave alters surrounding the temple. From the courtyard, you get stunning view of Busan.

Moving away from Haeundae beach, following Dalmaji street, you will located Songjeong beach. It is a clean and ideal beach to spend quality time with friends and family. The striking feature of this beach is the white sand, which is a mixture of debris from the river. The seashell grains lie beautifully along the beach like tiny marbles. During summer, you can enjoy activities like motor boating or can go for cruise trip. At the entrance of the beach, Jukdo is there were you can get relaxation facilities. On the northeast end of the beach, you can enjoy fishing, cook it and have them too. As the location of this beach is a bit far away from Busan, it is quite peaceful as compare to any other beaches of Busan.

This is one of the popular shrine of Busan, build in honor of the Koreans who died while fighting against the Japanese invasion (1592 – 1599) headed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. It was a small number of unprepared Koreans who fought against the Japanese troop armed with matchlock guns. This shrine was first built in 1605. Later on, it was moved in 1652. At present, a lecture hall has also been added. The whole shrine spreads over 90,000 square meters (approximately). It includes a main hall, a small park, 15 other structures, a pond and a hiking trail leading to the remains of Dongnae Fortress.

The main shrine is dedicated to the 22 officers, soldiers and 61 volunteer fighters who died heroically while resisting Japanese troop. The Chungnyeol tower memorializes the heroic deeds of those Korean patriots who took part in the war.