Busan – Why You Should Visit South Korea’s Second City

Busan (부산), pronounced "pusan" - A large city in south east Korea home to Korea's biggest port and famous for its beaches, mountains and temples. 

South Korea doesn't seem to have taken off as a major holiday destination, especially amongst western tourists, but those that do venture here tend to gravitate to Seoul. I've spent a lot of time in Tokyo, where queuing for restaurants and squeezing into packed commuter trains is the norm. In comparison, Seoul is a really chilled out capital city, but Busan, South Korea's second city, even more so. 

Busan has a lot of the same things Seoul has to offer but with far fewer tourists, and as very little English is spoken, being there felt like more of an adventure. As much as I enjoy a bustling city vibe, I love cities that are also close to nature and Busan definitely ticks that box. In fact, it ticks it twice, as Busan is close to both the ocean and mountains. Add a thriving cafe scene, fun tourist attractions and a delightful fishing village and you have a city that is not to be missed.  

Read on to discover why you should visit South Korea's second city.  

busan has incredible cafes

I have been raving to anyone who will listen about the cafes in Busan and they were so good that I dedicated a whole post to them. There are tons of uniquely designed independent cafes, all of which have one thing in common - delicious desserts.

What made the cafes even better was that we didn't have to queue for a single one. We mostly did our cafe hopping on weekdays though, so it may be different on weekends. 

I was genuinely impressed with all the cafes we went to (and I consider myself a bit of a cafe connoisseur) but if you only have time to visit one cafe in Busan, I highly recommend Knockout in Seomyeon. This uber-cool hideout is a quirky mix between a cafe and a bar, perfect for both a midday pick-me-up and a late-night drink. 

busan has a coastline and mountains

Despite growing up by the sea, I tend to be drawn to mountains over beaches when I'm deciding where to travel to. As I already mentioned, Busan has the coveted advantage of having both mountains and coastline, making it the ideal destination for hikers and sun-worshippers alike. 

Busan doesn't just boast sandy beaches either, there are also rugged stretches of coastline like the Igidae Coastal Walk to enjoy. We did this walk on our first full day in Busan, joining groups of serious hikers, couples out for a romantic stroll and families teaching their children how to fish. It was a great introduction to the city, as not only is this a wonderful place to get some fresh air, it's also a great place to get some amazing views of the Busan skyline. The only downside to the otherwise lovely Igidae walk is the cockroaches! I am not a fan of bugs so this was a very unpleasant surprise for me. I did some research and I think they were sea cockroaches, making them slightly more interesting, but still pretty horrible. We mostly saw them scuttling between the rocks close to the water, so maybe avoid this area if you plan to bring a picnic! 

We didn't get to do as much hiking as I would have liked but we did make it to Seokbulsa, a mountaintop temple at the end of a pleasant hiking trail. We took the cable car from Geumgang Park and walked from there. At one point we thought we had taken a wrong turn but luckily hiking is pretty much the national sport of Korea so there are always fellow hikers around to ask for directions. 

The temple itself was almost deserted (perhaps because it's at the top of a steep winding road and we chose to climb it during the gruelling midday heat!), which made the imposing stone carvings and prayer rooms filled with Buddhist statues, even more atmospheric. 

It's nice to have the option to escape the city crowds every now and then and Busan gives you brisk coastal walks and forested mountain trails to choose from.

busan is home to beautiful cheongsapo

The charming fishing village of Cheongsapo was probably my favourite area of Busan. We spent the afternoon and evening there, after visiting Haedong Yonggungsa, a stunning Buddhist temple that is built into rocks by the ocean.

Cheongsapo has got the balance just right. The waterfront is lined with both trendy cafes and traditional seafood restaurants, all of which have views of the Cheongsapo lighthouses and the tiny harbour filled with colourful fishing boats. Looking inland to the tower blocks looming on the horizon is the only reminder that you're in a big city.

Cheongsapo's lazy vibe lends itself well to a day spent relaxing in cafes and strolling along the waterfront. It does also have a more typical tourist attraction though. Daritdol observatory is a free observation platform that juts out into the sea offering unobstructed views of Cheongsapo and further up the coast. Those who dare can walk over the glass portion of the observatory but don't forget to use the shoe covers that are in buckets at the entrance. I'm not sure if they are a health and safety precaution or are to stop the glass getting marked, but they added an unexpected level of amusement to our visit. 

Another pleasant surprise were the murals we stumbled across near some disused train tracks as we had a last wander before leaving Cheongsapo. If you go, make sure you say, "hey, hi, hello" to the friendly-looking dog mural. 

busan tower is more fun than you would expect

I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with these kinds of tourist attractions. Maybe it's because I've been up so many of them that the novelty has kind of worn off, or maybe it's because of our soul-destroying experience going up N Seoul Tower a few years ago, where we queued until we could queue no more and barely had time to appreciate the view once we got to the top. Either way, I was willing to give Busan tower a go to get some nighttime views, and I'm so glad I did. 

We got to Busan tower not long before closing so it was very quiet and for the kind of attraction that is so often overpriced, it was very reasonable at 8,000 won (£5/$7) per person. The night views were indeed amazing, but the fun didn't stop there! On the way to the exit, we passed through several rooms decorated according to different themes. Besides the fireworks room, celebrating the annual Busan International Fireworks Festival, they seemed to be completely random but made for some good photo opportunities. The fun continued as we headed outside and realised that a projection was playing on the 80-metre high tower. I had no idea about any of these extra attractions but it looks like the projection is shown three times a night.

Another highlight of our night at Busan tower was the ingenious use of escalators to avoid having to walk all the way up the steep hill to Yongdusan Park, where the tower is located. As lazy as that sounds, we were very grateful for these funky escalators after a long day of sightseeing.

If I was to make any direct comparison between Seoul and Busan it would be their towers, and Busan would win hands down. 

Busan isn't overly touristy

I should start by saying that, besides a meal out near Haeundae Square, we didn't go to many of the areas of Busan that are most famous with tourists. Haeundae Square is lined with restaurants (and a few Irish pubs) and is the location of an impressive water fountain show. While the fountain show was fun, it wasn't our favourite area of Busan and we much preferred Seomyeon, which despite being a major shopping area, had a very down to earth feel. 

Our Airbnb was in Seomyeon and in the two weeks that we were there, we hardly saw any other tourists. We had everything we needed on our doorstep, from fruit and veg stalls to cool cafes to shopping centres and restaurants. Staying in Seomyeon also allowed us to feel more immersed in Korean life as the locals were incredibly friendly and always willing to help despite their lack of English and our lack of Korean - it's amazing how far you can get with gestures!

The only place that felt overly touristy and crowded was Haedong Yonggungsa, but it is known as the most beautiful temple in Korea so it's hardly surprising. We also went on a Saturday afternoon which was probably a mistake. To avoid the crowds, I would suggest going early or late on a weekday.     

you can travel overland to busan from japan

This was a big plus for me as I hate flying and I try to travel overland as often as possible given that flying is so bad for the environment. 

We took the JR Beetle from Hakata in Japan's southern island, Kyushu. The hydrofoil makes the crossing in about three hours and was a very pleasant journey despite travelling on a rainy day. Everything about the journey was easy - there was no luggage limit, check in was smooth, the seats were comfy and the staff were friendly. 

If you're planning a trip to Japan, why not tag a few days on to the end of your trip and head over to Busan? 

What do you think? Would you like to visit Busan? What would you most like to do there?

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