36 Hours

Busan, South Korea

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By Hahna Yoon Photographs by Chang W. Lee

Hahna Yoon is a New York Times editor based in Seoul. She learned to love Busan from her husband, who lived there in the early years of their relationship. Chang W. Lee was born in Busan and lived there for 18 years.

Oct. 1, 2025

If Seoul, South Korea’s capital, is the glamorous, center-of-attention sibling, Busan — the second-most-populous city — is the cool, rough-around-the-edges one. While its beaches are the main draw, Busan’s real charm is in how it wears its past on its sleeve. The influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from all over the peninsula to Busan, the last safe haven during the Korean War, shaped it physically and culturally. Also the birthplace of Korean cinema, the city is the host of the 30-year-old Busan International Film Festival. Busan is grappling with population decline as a growing number of its residents move to Seoul (the cities are connected by a two-and-a-half-hour-long ride via high-speed rail), but those who stay do so with the passionate insistence that Busan is second to none.

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Key stops

Once an impoverished refugee settlement, Gamcheon Culture Village is now a colorful tourist attraction that comprises several hundred homes on the steep slopes of a mountain, Cheonmasan.

Redeveloped from disused railways, Haeundae Blueline Park is a railroad-themed park that offers visitors ocean views on two types of trains.

Songjeong Beach, northeast of central Busan, offers white sand and gentle waves that are perfect for beginner swimmers and surfers.

Attractions and outdoor activities

Igidae is a 477-acre park with a coastal trail that looks out over a cluster of six islets called Oryukdo.

Busan Cinema Center is a large, futuristic complex that hosts the Busan International Film Festival and a film-themed library.

Spa Land is a Korean-style bathhouse and sauna that uses thermal water pumped from 3,000 feet underground.

Haeddong Yonggungsa Temple is a Buddhist temple by the sea with a famous statue of the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy.

On Geumjeongsan, a mountain, the Buddhist Beomeosa Temple dates back to 678 and houses well-preserved relics of the nearly millennia-long Silla Dynasty.

Choryang-dong is a gritty, historically impoverished neighborhood near Busan Station with a mile-long uphill path lined with signposts that illustrate the lives of refugees.

Eating and drinking

Yeongdo Pocha Street, on Yeongdo Island, features a row of covered street-food wagons called pojangmachas, or “pochas,” that serve Korean fare with soju and beer.

Nampo-dong Street Food Alley’s vendors specialize in Busan-style street foods like ssiat hotteok, a seed-filled fried pancake.

Seomyeon Milmyeon is a no-frills restaurant in central Busan known for its sweet and spicy red sauce.

Anmok is a Busan chain that specializes in the local pork soup dish, dwaeji gukbap, and features a 24-hour simmered broth.

Momos Coffee is one of Busan’s most highly acclaimed coffee shops, with four locations.

Ggulggeok House is a craft makgeolli (Korean rice wine) brewery known for its unique flavors and seasonal menu of small bites.

Soochaehwa4rang plays Korean indie hits and serves highballs amid 1980s décor.

Hongdan serves innovative cocktails with Korean ingredients.

Shinfayuen, a beloved dumpling restaurant in Chinatown, has been in operation since 1951.

Brown Hands Baekje is a cafe built in the location of Busan’s first modern hospital.

Kumsu Bokguk specializes in puffer fish cooked several ways, but its star — the bokguk, or puffer fish soup — helps the delicacy shine with a light, refreshing broth.

Sushi Nan is best known for its colorful, fresh sushi boxes made famous by the film “Decision to Leave.”

Shopping and markets

Bosu Book Street is an alleyway of book-themed cafes and shops that began in the 1950s, when refugees sold their books for survival.

Gukje Market, a giant marketplace that flourished after the Korean War, sells a range of goods including kitchenware and used clothing.

The world’s biggest department store, Centum City Shinsegae occupies two main buildings and has an ice skating rink, a driving range and a sauna in addition to hundreds of retail brands.

Where to stay

The Signiel Busan, in Busan’s tallest building, the LCT Tower, offers amazing views of Haeundae Beach — particularly from its sixth-floor infinity pool. Rooms start at 450,000 South Korean won, or about $321, a night.

The Fairfield by Marriott Busan Songdo Beach makes up for its slightly peripheral location (just over three miles south of Busan Station) with views of Songdo Beach. Rooms start at around 180,000 won.

Situated between Busan’s two main subway lines, the Avani Central Busan is a short walk from the bustling Seomyeon neighborhood. Several options here offer adjoining rooms, a rarity in South Korea. Rooms start at around 110,000 won.

For short-term rentals, look in apartment complexes near Gwanganlli and Haeundae beaches for more modern options.

Getting around

While Busan has a reliable bus and subway system (from 1,600 won), its long shape and mountainside location mean you have to be strategic about mapping out a short trip. Opting for a taxi, instead of public transportation, may shave time off your commute, depending on the traffic.

Google Maps is not fully functional in South Korea. For more reliable navigation with (limited) English options, use Naver or Kakao, two local apps.

Itinerary

Friday

Bosu Book Street

4:30 p.m. Browse the markets

Visit two markets downtown, within walking distance of each other, that flourished shortly after the Korean War: First, Bosu Book Street, an alleyway of shops where refugees sold their books for survival. Next, Gukje Market, one of South Korea’s largest, features a wide range of goods including K-pop paraphernalia and piles of used clothes (from 2,000 won, or about $1.40). There, find Bomulsum, a shop and a museum with relics from the ’60s onward, like beepers, ’88 Olympics-branded glassware and decades-old soju bottles (admission 5,000 won). Get a snack from the nearby Nampo-dong: the original home of both the Busan International Film Festival and ssiat hotteok, a fried pancake stuffed with seeds and sugar, in the neighborhood’s Street Food Alley.

Bosu Book Street

Gamcheon Culture Village

6:30 p.m. Say ‘cheese’ in a photogenic village

Gamcheon Culture Village, comprising hundreds of colorful homes on the steep slopes of Cheonmasan, began during the Korean War as a settlement for a religious sect called Taegukdo. Its population peaked at 30,000. Whole families crammed into houses no larger than 355 square feet; the entire community relied on a few dozen bathrooms. An exodus began in the ’80s, and a 2009 development project turned the abandoned homes into a tourist attraction. Most of the souvenir shops close before 6 p.m., but at that time there are fewer crowds and better light for photos (an iconic spot is next to a statue of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince). Approximately 1,500 people — many of them elderly — still live here, so stay on a designated course and leave before about 8:30 p.m. Free admission.

Gamcheon Culture Village

Yeongdo Pocha Street

9 p.m. Feast on seafood and soju

While the Jagalchi Fish Market — one of the country’s largest — may seem the obvious choice for seafood lovers, locals prefer pojangmachas, or “pochas.” In Busan, these covered wagons were once synonymous with seaside eating and drinking but have mostly been forced indoors in the past decade because of increased regulations and gentrification. Enjoy Busan nightlife as it was meant to be on Yeongdo Island, an up-and-coming neighborhood south of Busan Station. Sandwiched on the pier between the Yeongdo and Busan bridges, vendors on its Pocha Street grill the day’s catch and serve cuts of meat: Los Angeles-style grilled short ribs, live octopus and cockles (dinner for two with drinks, from 25,000 won). Pull up a plastic stool, pour a Korean beer or a shot of soju, and enjoy.

Yeongdo Pocha Street

Street food stalls in Nampo-dong, the original home of both the Busan International Film Festival and ssiat hotteok, a fried pancake stuffed with seeds and sugar.

Saturday

Momos Coffee

9 a.m. Have an award winner’s coffee

Busan has a thriving coffee scene. One of the nation’s leading names is Momos Coffee, a cafe and roastery chain that has grown since 2007 from a 142-square-foot takeout shop to four locations in Busan. Part of its success can be attributed to the co-founder Joo Yeon Jeon’s win at the 2019 World Barista Championships. If you’re staying downtown, the closest location is housed in a former shipping warehouse on Yeongdo Island. Or if you’re staying farther east, try Momos in Marine City. Pair an Americano (6,000 won) in the cafe’s signature Es Chocolat blend with a pastry (from 3,000 won).

Momos Coffee

Igidae

10 a.m. Walk Busan’s coast

For stunning sea views, hike at Igidae, a 477-acre coastal park on a peninsula just north of Yeongdo Island. The park encompasses 80-million-year-old volcanic formations and is named after two courtesans who, according to legend, died taking down Japanese soldiers during the invasion of 1592. The three-mile-long Igidae Coastal Trail alternates between flat roads, stairs and suspension bridges that wind over rocky cliffs. Play “I Spy” with notable rock formations along the way: Chima Rockface is named for its skirt-like shape, and another, called Nongbawi, looks like a four-block rock tower. Start from the park’s northern entrance to finish at the Oryukdo Skywalk — a glass-bottom observation deck that looks out over the blue water to a cluster of six islets called Oryukdo.

Igidae

Anmok

12:30 p.m. Lunch on regional cuisine

Busan’s dishes reveal its history. The soup dwaeji gukbap was born of pork bones discarded by American soldiers during the Korean War. Find a slightly elevated version at the original Namcheon-dong location of Anmok, a chain that uses a broth simmered for 24 hours (10,000 won; reservations recommended). Another Busan signature, milmyeon, was developed by refugees from the North. Looking to recreate naengmyeon, a cold noodle dish made of buckwheat, they used wheat flour provided by U.S. military rations. Get it at Seomyeon Milmyeon — a no-frills restaurant in central Busan known for its sweet and spicy red sauce (9,000 won). More adventurous eaters can also try puffer fish, toxic to eat only when improperly prepared, and a local delicacy, in soup (from 12,000 won) at Kumsu Bokguk, a longstanding restaurant near Haeundae Beach.

Anmok

Busan Cinema Center

2 p.m. Tap into your inner cinephile

Inside the futuristic Busan Cinema Center, the current home of the Film Festival, is a little-known gem: a free cinema library with more than 44,000 items. The library is on the fourth floor of its Double Cone building, named for its funnel-like shape and protruding ramp spirals. Browse rare, hardbound film magazines (mostly in Korean, but highly visual) and listen to an LP of your favorite movie soundtrack. Choose from an extensive DVD collection and pop into a private booth or watch a festival-winning short or feature in the Streaming Room. The collection includes English-language productions and movies with subtitles. Afterward, hungry cinephiles can find the sushi box (40,000 won) served in the 2022 Park Chan-wook film “Decision to Leave” at Sushi Nan, a 10-minute cab ride away.

Busan Cinema Center

Spa Land

4 p.m. Sweat, scrub and soak

The world’s biggest department store may not sound tranquil. But across the street from the Cinema Center, at the behemoth Centum City Shinsegae shopping complex, the jjimjilbang, or bathhouse, Spa Land offers deep relaxation (25,000 won, four hours). The complex has two main buildings: Follow the signs to Spa Land on the first floor of the confusingly named “Mall” building (not the one named “Department Store”). The baths, filled with thermal water pumped from 3,000 feet below ground, are fully nude and separated by gender. Pajamas are provided for the coed facilities, which include 13 different kinds of saunas, nap rooms, a gaming center and a ramen bar. For an additional 35,000 won, have an expert exfoliator give you a 25-minute Korean-style body scrub.

Spa Land

Haeundae Blueline Park

6:30 p.m. Ride the seaside rails

Catch the Sky Capsule — a brightly-colored railcar that moves on elevated train tracks — at the Haeundae Blueline Park. Redeveloped from disused railways, the park consists of two types of trains, three main stations and a three-mile walking path. Take the Sky Capsule route from Mipo Station to Cheongsapo Station, which takes you as high as 33 feet and offers the best sea view (30 minutes one way; ticket for two, 40,000 won). Switch it up on the way back on the Beach Train (8,000 won, one way), which runs along the ground and offers first-come first-served seating. All of the seats face the ocean, and the train makes more stops in case you’d like to get out and walk part of the way.

Haeundae Blueline Park

Hongdan

8:30 p.m. Go on a curated bar crawl

Get a taste of South Korea’s changing bar scene in the Millak-dong neighborhood, on Gwangalli Beach’s eastern end and near the Gwangan Bridge, which lights up at sunset. Recently, loud music and cheap beer are making way for thoughtful drinks and curated ambiance. Start at Ggulggeok House, a craft makgeolli (Korean rice wine) brewery that doesn’t use chemical sweeteners and offers small bites (glasses from 6,500 won). Then drop into Soochaehwa4rang, a restaurant and bar with ’80s-style décor. Request your favorite Korean indie hit on vinyl and order the house highball (9,000 won) and kimchi udon (14,000 won, ordering food is required). Lastly, visit Hongdan, which uses Korean ingredients like Jeju kiwis, red beans and seaweed in its innovative cocktails (from 18,000 won).

Hongdan

Watch the sun rise from the east-facing Songjeong Beach.

Sunday

Songjeong Beach

8 a.m. Hit the beach

No Busan experience is complete without the beach. The mile-long Haeundae Beach is the country’s most famous and hosts the Haeundae Sand Festival, the Haeundae Light Festival and parts of the Film Festival. But if you prefer smaller crowds, try Songjeong Beach, three miles north, where you can watch the sun rise from the east-facing shores or go for a quiet swim. Songjeong has a designated surfing zone, and myriad surf shops offer beginner classes in the gentle waves. October and November are peak surf season. Both beaches have shower facilities (1,000 won per minute) and lockers (from 1,000 won at Haeundae and 3,000 won at Songjeong).

Songjeong Beach

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

9:30 a.m. Visit a temple

Spend the morning at a Buddhist temple. A 10-minute cab ride from Songjeong Beach, you’ll find the oceanside Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, popular among tourists. Take photos with statues of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, pay respects to the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy and throw coins into a wishing well. Or take a taxi 40 minutes to Beomeosa Temple on the slopes of Geumjeongsan. The Seon (Zen) temple, from 678, houses relics from the Silla Dynasty (about 57 B.C. to A.D. 935), including a ninth-century, three-story stone pagoda. Don’t miss the “sea of rocks,” a dreamy one-and-a-half-mile hiking trail surrounded by boulders and wild wisteria trees. Admission to both temples, free.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Brown Hands Baekje

1 p.m. Hike into old Busan

Refuel with dumplings (4,500 won) from the takeout kiosk at Shinfayuen, a family-run Chinatown institution since 1951, and coffee (5,300 won) at Brown Hands Baekje, a nearby cafe in the building that previously housed Busan’s first modern hospital. Then walk the Ibagu-gil, a mile-long uphill path. Signposts illustrate local history, including the lives of the refugees who poured into this neighborhood, Choryang-dong. See the Choryang Church, the first in Korea outside Seoul, founded in 1892, and the 168 Stairs, an outdoor stairway that residents used to transport water from a nearby well until the ’80s. If it’s not too busy, a free monorail, intended to help the neighborhood’s older residents, is a shortcut up the steps and symbolizes the city’s progress. At the top is a deck, allowing a last view of Busan.

Brown Hands Baekje

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