Besides a Seoul — the center of vibrant bustling, hustle and bustle with tons of interesting things to do, visitors are also attracted by a peaceful coastal city of Busan. In that place, Haeundae is one of the most attractive, vibrant places with clear blue beaches, bustling nightlife and lively atmosphere. This place offers satisfaction to the different interests of tourists. So, are you wondering what to do when you come here? Let us find out the most interesting things you can’t miss! So, what to do in Haeundae, Busan? Let’s check out our suggested top 7 Haeundae things to do as follows!
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Have fun with sea sports and water activities (#what to do in haeundae)
Haeundae’s wide open beach is more than just a place to watch and swim. This place is also a great place for many interesting sea sports and other attractive, thrilling water activities. Not far from that beach, you’ll find The Bay 101 Yacht Club – Haeundae’s windsurfing, sailing club. It has a specific address at No. 52, Dongbaek-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan.
Coming to this place, you have the opportunity to participate in extremely diverse sea activities from sailing, windsurfing to skydiving. The most popular activities for tourists in the summer months are riding a motorbike to the sea or sailing from the shore by yourself. The waves of the sea certainly do not make you feel discouraged. Whether sitting or standing, you will feel each extremely strong sea breeze as if it wants to blow everything away. Kitesurfing or surfing are also relatively popular choices. Besides, you can also try your hand at long swims to explore the blue sea. However, these sports require more technique and risk. If you love these activities, don’t miss the chance to try it at Haeundae’s beach.
Whichever option you choose, these activities will help you have the most refreshing outing. Remember, you need to warm up well before participating in all these activities at sea.
Visit SEALIFE Busan Aquarium (#what to do in haeundae)
Address: 266 Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours: 10AM–8PM
Phone: +82 51-740-1700
The marine ecosystem in Busan is extremely prominent with a variety of marines. For a chance to visit and discover it, come to SEALIFE Busan Aquarium at 266 Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Jung-dong, Haeundae, Busan.
The marine park we’re talking about has an extremely large scale right on the shores of Haeundae beach. It is also one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions in Korea. Visitors have the opportunity to admire the three underground floors of this aquarium with over 250 species of sea creatures. Walking along the long walkway, your eyes will pass through the transparent glass dome to see the immense ocean scenery. From seafood species to the land full of moss and coral, there are rich colors and shapes. In the clear blue water, you will see schools of uniquely shaped fish swimming in schools. In the distance, fish with large sizes also glide smoothly in the water, in stark contrast to their body weight. That path gives visitors the most real feeling of a wonderful world under the deep sea.
Visitors here are also extremely delighted and excited when they have the opportunity to experience the process of caring for and feeding sharks, beavers, and penguins. Besides, the babies will be extremely excited to get close to and interact with the gentle sea creatures.
For the opportunity to learn more about the park’s information as well as incentive programs, please visit the company’s website. Surely, you will be more prepared for your visit.
Enjoy the delectable cuisine at Haeundae Market (#haeundae things to do)
Address: 22-1 Gunam-ro 41beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours: 9AM–10PM
Korean cuisine in each different region has its own unique characteristics. Therefore, during your journey to Haeundae, do not forget to enjoy the extremely attractive street food. One of the place that synthesize typical regional dishes that we would like to introduce to you is Haeundae Market at 22-1 Gunam-ro 41beon-gil, Jung 1(il)-dong, Haeundae, Busan. This place is not far from the beach so come here when you get the chance.
When coming to this market, you will be immersed in the typical vibrant and bustling atmosphere. It also sells a variety of goods from vegetables, fresh meat, groceries, to household goods. However, let’s take a closer look at the rich cuisine of Haeundae Market. You will have the opportunity to satisfy your empty stomach with a variety of signature dishes.
The first thing to mention is tteokbokki – one of the national dishes of Koreans. It is no exaggeration that this dish has such a title because it is popularly eaten everywhere across this country. Coming to Haemundae Market, you will find stalls selling hot trays of spicy rice cakes inviting diners. The long, smooth white rice cakes drenched in bright red of thick sauce that no one can refuse. The chewy tteok cake served with spicy, sweet and spicy sauce is really mouthwatering. In addition, you also have other toppings such as fish cakes, vegetables, eggs, noodles,… freely to choose. In the cold weather of Korea, there is nothing better than eating hot and spicy rice cakes.
Next is the eomuk fish cake skewers, the second dish you can’t miss when coming to this area. The fish cake skewers are soaked in a boiling pot of broth, so they stay hot and savory. Take a bite, you will feel the toughness of the fish meat, not much flour. The taste of fish cake is fragrant, sweet, with a little taste of radish broth and not fishy at all. Don’t forget to try drinking the accompanying broth as well. Its taste is also worth a try.
Besides, don’t forget to try Busan’s specialty dish – ssiat hotteok. Hotteok is a popular dish in Korea, however it will have variations on the filling in different regions. In Busan in general and Haeundae in particular, we have the ssiat hotteok version. This cake has the same shape and outer shell as the popular hotteok cakes. The special thing is hidden inside the filling that the crust cherishes. Because, the ingredients that make up the filling of ssiat hotteok are brown sugar, honey mixed with crushed nuts. As soon as you take a bite of the cake, the filling will be revealed with a characteristic aromatic flavor mixed with the rich sweetness of molasses.
Discover cinematic art along Haeundae Cinema Street (#what to do in haeundae busan)
Busan is the movie capital of Korea. This place is the address of the Busan International Film Festival – BIF. Therefore, if you are a movie nerd, you certainly cannot pass up an interesting opportunity to visit. Walking around Busan, visitors will see many structures showing the pride of Busan people such as BIFF Square in Nampo-dong and Busan Cinema Center in Centum City area.
As for the Haeundae area, you can find Cinema Street which is the seaside street right in front of Marine City. At this street, you can soak up the cool sea breeze and admire countless sculptures and images related to the movies. You will be amazed by the huge posters or the intricate drawings on the ground. Besides, look out for completely free telescopes located along the coastline. Here, you will have the opportunity to zoom your eyes to the distant horizon. Besides, don’t miss Santorini Square! This place will give you the opportunity to get up close to the handprints of famous Korean actors and filmmakers.
Unleash your body in an explosive tune at night (#haeundae things to do)
Not only attracting tourists with exciting activities during the day, Haeundae is also extremely bustling at night. It can be said that the nightlife here is even more lively when the locals are now immersed in the entertainment. While it can’t be compared to places like Seomyeon or the area around Pusan National University, you still have the opportunity to unleash your best in Haeundae. Here, there are many guest houses that specialize in providing night bar services for visitors to forget about time.
One of the most popular attractions for locals and visitors is the Thursday Party. The address of this place is at 22 Gunam-ro, U 1(il)-dong, Haeundae, Busan city. Thursday Party is a venue that offers great experiences for all guests. Its operating time lasts until early morning so you can have fun with your relatives and new friends here. What’s more, the bar’s drinks are extremely affordable. Come to Thursday Party and you will have fun and make new friends!
Discover Korean coffee drinking culture
At Haeundae, there is no shortage of cafes with beautiful designs and diverse drink menus. However, to be able to enjoy this flavor in the right space, you have to move to the center of Haeundae to reach the Halmaji hills. This area is famous for having the best view. Of course, it’s not difficult for visitors to find one that they like, as the area has an array of attractive cafes with art galleries. If you have the opportunity to visit this place on the right occasion, you will have the opportunity to see the poetic scenery of cherry blossom petals blooming on Damagi-gil road.
It can be said that you will feel satisfied with any coffee shop in this area. One of them, we would like to suggest you to go to the shop with the sign 메르메르 Cafe or Mermer Cafe. This place will be a destination for those who love nature and like a gentle relaxing space. Sitting in the shop, you will have the opportunity to watch the peaceful nature in the distance with the cool green plants in the house. In that space, a gentle music plays to help you become more relaxed and comfortable than ever.
메르메르 Cafe
Address: 29 Jwadongsunhwan-ro 433beon-gil, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours: 10AM–8PM/Wednesday: Closed
Phone: +82 51-917-0084
Immerse yourself in the spiritual space at a Buddhist temple (#what to do in haeundae busan)
Besides exciting activities, Busan is also known as the place of ancient temples. The most prominent on the list is Haedong Yonggungsa Temple at 86, Yonggung-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan. Its location is not too far, so you only need to take a short taxi ride from Haeundae station to get there.
The ancient temple Haedong Yonggungsa is one of the most beautiful architectures in Busan city. It is also one of the only temples with a great sea view. The location of Haedong Yonggungsa is located right on the craggy cliff, at the foot of the mountain is the abundant sea waves. This temple has been built since 1376 and was restored in 1970. It is its age that makes it one of the priceless historical markers that need to be preserved in the country. The ancient architectural features from generations are still fully preserved in that massive architecture. You will be amazed when you can see firsthand the wonderful scenery of nature and magnificent works of art made from human hands.
What attracts visitors when visiting this temple is the sanctuary in the natural cave, a temple with four lions representing the four shades (joy, sadness, anger and happiness) and 108 steps lead to the main temple. Along the path of discovery are lanterns made of solid stone. Besides, this temple is still in operation and is taken care of by monks every day. You will have the opportunity to interact and talk with these monks to learn more about the practice and how we can become peaceful and useful in life.
Finally, we have come to the last thing to do when coming to Haeundae of Busan city. This list is quite long but will be extremely detailed for you to have the most perfect plan for your journey. Do your due diligence and choose the things that work best for you. Besides, continue with us on the way to learn about the culture of Korea in particular and the country in general through new journeys to the land of kimchi!
Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Busan you can refer to
- Private Gimhae Airport Transfers (PUS) for Busan
- Exploring Busan Full Day Tour
- Busan East Coast Cultural Day Tour
- East Busan Exploration
- Gimhae Nakdong River Railbike, BIFF Square, Wine Cave, and Gamcheon Culture Village Day Tour
- Exploring Busan Full Day Tour
- BUTI Busan City Tour One Day Bus Pass
- Busan City Jumbo Tour Bus Pass
- [Klook Exclusive] Busan SEA LIFE Aquarium Skip-the-Line Admission Ticket with Souvenir Photo
- Busan Tower Ticket
- [Special Promo] Train to Busan Horror House Combo Admission Ticket
- 4G Prepaid SIM Card (SK Airports Pick Up) for South Korea
- [Sale] Hanbok Experience (Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung Store) with Korean Hairstyling
- [SALE] South Korea 4G Pocket WiFi (KR Airports Pick Up) from KT Olleh
- 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for South Korea (Unlimited Data)
- 4G Portable WiFi for South Korea from Uroaming (Unlimited Data)
- [SALE] Instant Ticket: Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS) 2/3/4/5Days
- [Limited Offer] Incheon International Airport (ICN) Luggage Services (Between Airport and Hotel) by Safex
Are you looking for more Busan travel guide: Things to do, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out our Busan blog — The fullest Busan travel guide & suggested Busan itinerary on how to spend 3 days in Busan, South Korea.