1. Introduction

Busan is South Korea’s second-largest city and a great destination for travelers with its abundance of tourist infrastructure. Busan offers a wide range of tourist attractions, delicious dining options and providing visitors with an excellent travel experience. You can enjoy surfing by the sea and savor delicious seafood and sashimi. There are also places where you can experience the traditional market atmosphere, such as the Gukje Market and Jagalchi Fish Market.

The most famous beach in Busan is Haeundae Beach. Take a walk along the beach, enjoy nearby restaurants, bars, and cafes with a view of the sea. There are plenty of famous and large hotels in the vicinity.

These days, Songjeong Beach is well-known for surfing, and if you want to surf, it’s a good idea to stay in this area, where you can find many Airbnb accommodations and guesthouses.

Gwangalli Beach is famous for its night views, so I recommend visiting there to enjoy the scenery at night.

There are three ways to travel from Seoul to Busan:

• KTX (Korea Train Express): It takes about 3 hours by train, with additional time required for transferring to the train station.
• Airplane: It takes approximately 1 hour of flight time, with additional time needed for airport procedures and transfers.
• Car Rental: It takes around 5 hours by car, and it can be quite tiring. (If you travel on a weekend, the time may be further extended).

I’ve been to Busan several times, and I’ve tried all three of the methods mentioned above. For me, it seemed that taking a flight or using a car rental were the more convenient options. It’s a good idea to calculate which mode of transportation can save you the most time based on your accommodation location and then decide on your travel method. Driving to Busan and back can be tiring, but once you’re in Busan, it’s convenient for getting around. Let’s choose the mode of transportation that suits each person’s situation.

I live in Seoul, so I can’t go to Busan frequently due to the distance, but every time I’ve visited, I’ve made great memories with my friends. In this post, I’ll share my most recent trip. Shall we get started?

 

 

2. To Do

I. Lotte world adventure Busan

Lotte World in Busan opened in 2022. While it’s smaller in scale compared to Lotte World in Seoul Jamsil, it’s newly built and well-equipped with rides that are enjoyable not only for adults but also for kids. You can experience exciting performances and parades every day, making it a great place to go with friends or for a family outing.

However, it’s worth noting that this is an outdoor theme park, so it can be challenging to enjoy it if it’s raining or the weather isn’t favorable. I recommend going on a clear day.

Also, these days in Korea, it’s a trend to rent and wear school uniforms when you visit amusement parks like this. There are several school uniform rental shops in the vicinity, so you can rent a uniform for a day and experience the feeling of going back to Korean school days while feeling rejuvenated in a pretty school uniform. (But the fact is that real students go to amusement parks wearing casual clothes and dressing up as much as possible! So, you can assume that everyone wearing school uniforms at Lotte World is an adult. LOL)

I also wanted to try on a school uniform, so I rented one and gave it a try. It felt like I had gone back to my school days, and wearing a fashionable school uniform made me really happy. When I was in school, we didn’t have such stylish uniforms. We had to wear old-fashioned ones.

The weather was also great, so the photos turned out really well.

Let’s all try wearing school uniforms when we visit such places. There are several rental shops around Lotte World, and there’s even one inside Lotte World (In the Lorry castle) .

Tip: While you’re renting clothes, if you’re a big fan of K-pop, how about trying to shoot a dance video? Something like Blackpink or New Jeans.

 

 

II. Haedong yonggung temple

One of the temples in Busan, typically temples are located in the mountains, but Haedong Yonggungsa is right by the East Sea, making it one of the temples with exceptional scenery. Because of this, it is very famous as a tourist attraction, and it may not always exude the tranquility and serenity typically found in quiet temples due to the large number of tourists.

I personally love temples, and I prefer the serenity and peace that can usually be felt in temples nestled in the mountains. However, you can’t experience that kind of tranquility here because of the large number of tourists. I think it’s inevitable due to the high number of visitors. Nevertheless, the temple right by the sea offers a rare and breathtaking view, so I recommend visiting and seeing it for yourself.

• Address in Korean: 부산 기장군 기장읍 용궁길 86 해동용궁사

 

III. Blueline Park (Beach train)

It’s a slow and charming train ride for enjoying the seaside views. I highly recommend it!

The train runs round trip between Songjeong Station and Mipo Station (Haeundae). As you ride along the coast, you can admire the scenery.

There are six stops along the way:

If you walk a bit from Mipo Station, you’ll reach Haeundae Beach.

There’s a beach train that many people ride together and sky capsules that can accommodate up to 4 people per group. Depending on the ticket you purchase, there may be restrictions on how many times you can board and disembark the beach train.

 

I took a package that allowed me to ride the beach train from Songjeong to Cheongsapo, then the sky capsule from Cheongsapo to Mipo. After getting off at Mipo, I had a meal near Haeundae and explored the area, then returned to Songjeong on the beach train.

I think the best option is to purchase a package fare that includes both the beach train and the sky capsule, as it allows you to enjoy the complete experience.

I got off at the stations along the way to take photos and enjoy delicious food. Especially, the sky capsule moves at a considerably slow speed, making it perfect for leisurely enjoying the sea. Since it’s for small groups only, it also offers a sense of freedom.

I didn’t even know such trains existed, but my accommodation was right in front of Songjeong Station, so I stumbled upon it and decided to give it a try. I was really satisfied!

I also didn’t know that Mipo led to Haeundae, but when I got off at Mipo and took a walk along the beach, I realized it was Haeundae. During this trip to Busan, I thought I wouldn’t be able to visit Haeundae, but I ended up there by chance and had some seafood noodles soup. Traveling spontaneously and going wherever your feet take you is part of the charm of traveling, isn’t it?