Must visit places in Busan — 19+ best scenic spots & most Instagrammable places in Busan

When it comes to the Busan, everyone knows that this place has extremely diverse nature and rich traditional culture. This land of mountains, sea, and gentle local people always attracts tourists from all over. It can be said that, if you do not have travel experience, you may miss many interesting things here. So, where to go in Busan? Let’s check out our top rated 19+ best places to go in Busan, best places to visit in Busan, must see places in Busan, must visit places in Busan, best scenic spots and most Instagrammable places in Busan as well as top outdoor activities you could do when visiting them!

Let’s find out carefully with us about the wonderful things you can’t miss in Busan, so you won’t regret it when planning an upcoming trip here!

Have fun on the cool blue beaches (# must see places in busan)

One of the things that makes Busan so appealing is its long coastline, stunning beaches with clear blue water and white sand. Besides that common point, each beach in this area has unique characteristics. Sightseeing and walking on the beach are open by the government for free to all tourists from all over.

Not only the magnificent natural landscape, we also experience many unique and special festivals taking place at the beach. There, tourists have the opportunity to admire artistic performances organized by local people such as dancing, singing, rides, games, water sports, etc. In that space, visitors will have the opportunity to admire and participate in the cultural features of Korean people. Through the way they convey their tone, movements as well as the way they organize the festival, each person will surely discover their own interesting things. Of course, you can participate in that bustling crowd completely free of charge.

At these beaches, every year thousands of tourists come to visit and experience nature and culture. Therefore, don’t forget to include this interesting activity in your Busan travel plans.

Haeundae Beach (# must visit places in busan)

One of the most beautiful beaches in Busan city is Haeundae. The length of the beach is up to 1.5 km with a capacity of more than 120,000 people, providing a spacious and comfortable space for all tourists. Especially on hot summer days, you will see this place crowded with people coming to swim and escape the heat. When winter comes, the number of visitors here is somewhat reduced because you cannot bathe in the freezing cold weather. However, the natural scenery of this place will not disappoint you.

Gwangalli Beach (# must see places in busan)

Gwangalli Beach is also a tourist attraction no less than Haeundae. This place gives you the most authentic feeling of a coastal city atmosphere. One of the most prominent spots here is the majestic Gwangan Bridge. This unbelievable structure runs along the sea despite the waves and winds. To be able to admire the perfect beauty of this scene, you should come here when sunset falls or at night.

Besides, Gwangalli beach also has a colorful fireworks festival in the fall. Therefore, don’t forget you have an appointment here on your journey to explore Busan!

Songdo Beach (# instagrammable places in busan)

In Busan city, we also have a nice Songdo beach. You can get here easily if you are in Nampo-dong, Gwangbok-dong or Yeongdo Island. This beach has gentle blue water that is extremely suitable for swimming. In the middle of the sea is an image of dolphins swimming in circles – this is one of the outstanding images and symbol of Songdo. In addition, tourists have the opportunity to admire and travel by cable cars that first appeared in Korea. This place also has two spectacular sea roads that we will introduce in the next section.

Dadaepo Beach (# best places to visit in busan)

Dadaepo is a lesser known beach than the ones listed above. This place is located relatively far from the center, so short trips often cannot reach it. However, that is what makes this place still retain its unmatched wildness and peace. Besides, don’t forget to miss the water music performance at Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dreams at 8:00 pm.

Songjeong Beach

Besides Dadaepo, you can also choose Songjeong as a great “hide” place. This beach is located north of Haeundae on the east coast of Busan. Songjeong is a soft, curving beach that stretches up to 1.2 km. This sea is shallower than other places so it will be a place where you can comfortably let the children wander. Besides, the waves in Songjeong are quite huge in the distance, so they are suitable for daring surfing.

Admire the scenery on coastal roads and seaside parks (# must visit places in busan)

Not only do you have beautiful white sand beaches, in Busan, you also have poetic and lyrical coastal roads. Those roads are elaborately built so that your journey will have many interesting things to explore. Here are some of the best places for you to choose from.

Taejongdae Resort Park

Address: 24 Jeonmang-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours: 5 AM–12 AM

Among the coastal roads in Busan city, Taejongdae is the most popular and attract tourists the most. This park is located in the southern end of Yeongdo Island. The walking path here is paved with flat wooden floors so it is easy to walk. The wonderful scenery and variety of attractions will make you forget your tired legs. Additionally, next to the park entrance is the stunningly beautiful Gamji beach. You can stop by the seafood tents there to enjoy the cuisine and majestic scenery.

Oryukdo Skywalk

In recent years, Oryukdo coastal road has increasingly become one of the worth visit destinations for all tourists. The unique thing that makes this attraction is the transparent glass skywalk that can see through into the deep sea and rock beach below. This is not a long road for you to walk leisurely, but a place to test people’s courage.

Coming to Oryukdo, all visitors want to conquer and explore is the horseshoe-shaped skywalk. It is located on the edge of a craggy mountain with a height of over 35 m. The tempered glass floor can withstand heavy loads and is extremely safe but brings an extremely strong feeling. Standing in the middle of Oryukdo, you will feel like you are floating in space above the sea. If you are brave enough, look around to see the magnificent natural scenery of the entire Oryukdo archipelago with five small islands and where the East Sea meets the South Sea.

Coastal trail along Songdo beach

At Songdo Beach, we have two interesting coastal trails. You can come here to admire the magnificent natural scenery and the gentle sea breeze. The name Songdo Cloud Trails will probably be familiar to more people, while there is also a lesser-known trail along the edge of the mountain at the end of the beach.

Songdo Cloud is a trail extending up to 104 m – connecting the mainland with a small island. Walking along that path, visitors have the opportunity to see the entire view of Yeongdo island like a pearl in the middle of the sea. A towering lighthouse with striking yellow and black colors is located near this trail. This is one of the symbols that visitors always enjoy checking in.

Another road, although not as well known, is equally beautiful. It is made of sturdy steel frames painted bright red along the rocky beach of the peninsula. This path connects Songdo beach with Amnam park – it will take you about 30 minutes of walking to complete this trip. Choosing this route will bring you breathtaking sea and island views below and cable cars slowly moving overhead. This is also a great destination for those who do not like the noise and bustle of crowded places.

The road to Cheongsapo Daritdol observatory

Compared to the routes mentioned above, the road to Cheongsapo Daritdol observatory is still new. It was newly inaugurated in 2017, giving visitors the opportunity to explore a 72.5 m long journey at a height of 20 m. This road has the shape of a blue dragon stretching out towards the East Sea. This is also one of the great places to watch the brilliant sunset.

Experience the cable car ride to see the panoramic view of the city (# instagrammable places in busan)

Besides walking and admiring the sea and sky below, you can also choose to take the cable car to have a panoramic view. In Busan city, we have many areas providing cable car services for visitors. This is truly one of the convenient and interesting things so you don’t have to struggle to climb to the top of the mountain but still get a great view. Here are some of our suggestions:

Cable car in Geumjeongsan Mountain

Geumjeongsan Mountain is one of the places with wild and majestic nature. Many visitors who come here feel overwhelmed by that scene. In particular, it will be even more beautiful if you have the opportunity to see it from above.

When choosing to take the cable car here, you will not have to spend too much effort to hike the mountain. Instead, the cable cars slowly take you from the foot of the mountain to the top gently. Choosing this method helps you save energy and have the opportunity to see the entire area from above for a long time.

Cable car at Songdo beach

Songdo Beach is not just a place with two coastal paths that attract visitors. Here, tourists also often choose the cable car to enjoy panoramic views from above. Going on this cable car, you will have the opportunity to look down at the vast ocean, white sand beach and beautiful Yeongdo island.

Explore ancient culture at Gamcheon Culture Village

Busan city hides a place with beautiful small pastel-colored houses close together, back to the mountains and facing the far sea. That is Gamcheon Cultural Village. For foreign tourists, this beautiful small village is a place not to be missed on their journey of discovery.

Coming here, you will definitely be surprised by its impressive colors. Not only is it a place to showcase contemporary culture, Gamcheon village also impresses visitors with the arduous history it has gone through. This area during the war between South and North Korea was once an area for refugees. With the government’s efforts, a renovation project called “Dream of Busan” has changed the shape of this place.

Just looking from afar, we can see a colorful space hidden behind the mountains. The houses close together are decorated by the talented hands of many artists and architects. When you get closer, the impressive features of this village will appear clearly before your eyes. Every street corner, every wall of this place is painted and created extremely elaborately. Walking on the small streets, you can find many impressive works, coffee shops, small art galleries, and cute souvenir shops.

Wander around traditional markets

Bustling markets with local people are one of the places that preserve and express culture very clearly. Therefore, you will not be able to miss walking around the markets when coming to Busan.

In this city, we have countless options for traditional markets to visit. Surely, no matter which market you choose, it will bring you many extremely interesting things. Busan’s traditional markets can be agricultural markets, fish markets or common markets. In the stalls, you not only find fresh products and meaningful souvenirs but also an extremely delectable street food paradise. Each place will have its own characteristics, however there will be some popular dishes such as spicy rice cakes, rice rolls, eomuk fish cakes, ssiat hotteok cakes and fragrant grilled meat skewers.

We recommend you come to Jagalchi fish market to find the best quality seafood. This is the largest market in Korea and will provide a variety of fresh products and processed restaurants. As for agricultural markets or general markets, choose Haeundae market in Haeundae neighborhood, Gukje market in Nampodong or Bujeon market in Seomyeon. These markets will give you the opportunity to walk around and find many interesting things about local life and cuisine.

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