Busan (부산 — formerly Romanized as "Pusan" — Korea's second city and only major port: 3.4 million people on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, where the Korean Strait meets the South Sea) is the most dramatically situated city in South Korea: the city is built between mountains and the sea, with beaches, rocky headlands and fishing villages compressed into a dense urban landscape that somehow also contains the largest seaport in South Korea and the 6th largest in the world. Busan is the city that kept Korea alive during the Korean War: the only major city that North Korean forces never captured (it was the last line of defense behind the Nakdong River in 1950), it served as the Republic of Korea's temporary capital for the entire war (1950–1953) and received 2 million refugees from across the peninsula. The refugee culture of wartime Busan left permanent marks: Gamcheon Culture Village (the terraced hillside neighborhood of brightly painted houses built by refugees), the Gukje International Market (the wartime black market that survived to become South Korea's largest traditional market), and the raw, direct food culture of Busan — dwaeji gukbap (pork soup with rice — the cheapest and most nourishing meal a Korean War refugee could make), the raw fish of Jagalchi Market (the largest fish market in Korea), and the Busan-style gopchang (grilled intestines) that became comfort food for a displaced population.
Jagalchi Market (자갈치시장 — the largest seafood market in Korea, on the Nampo-dong waterfront: the outdoor market (the women vendors in yellow aprons (the jagalchi ajeossi and ajumma) selling live crabs, sea cucumber, abalone, whelks, sea squirts (meongge — the iodine-rich creature that most visitors taste for the first time here and either love or cannot understand), and the indoor market building where restaurants on the upper floors serve hwae (회 — the Korean raw fish, sliced and served with dipping sauces: the soy-ginger sauce and the doenjang (fermented soybean paste) sauce). Go at 6–8am when the fishermen are unloading directly from the boats.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을 — "the Santorini of Korea" — the hillside neighborhood in Saha-gu built by Taegukdo religious sect followers (a syncretic Korean new religion) in the late 1940s and subsequently filled with Korean War refugees: 4,000 pastel-colored houses terraced on a steep hillside above the sea, the alleys so narrow that two people cannot pass without turning sideways. The village was transformed from a slum to an art village from 2009: murals, sculptures, the Little Prince figure (the most photographed spot in Busan), the observatory platforms and the community art studios. A maze of stairs and alleys that rewards aimless exploration.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideYongdusan Park (용두산공원 — "Dragon Head Mountain" park in the center of Nampo-dong — the hilltop park above the old city with the Busan Tower (120m, 1973 — the observation deck with the 360° view of the harbor, the city center and the islands): the park itself contains a remarkable collection of 120-year-old gingko and persimmon trees, the naval pavilion, and the Busan Tower that despite its modest height gives the most complete view of old Busan's geography.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGukje International Market (국제시장 — the wartime black market founded by 1950 refugees from the North, now South Korea's largest traditional market: opened 24 hours, the fabric, electronics, tools and food stalls in the labyrinthine alleys. The BIFF Square (부산국제영화제 광장 — the outdoor film square of the Busan International Film Festival, the most important film festival in Asia) directly adjacent has the finest street food in Busan at night: tteokbokki from a cart (the spicy rice cake, the defining Korean street snack), eomuk (fish cake on a stick in clear broth, the Busan speciality and one of the most iconic winter street foods in Korea).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHaedong Yonggungsa (해동용궁사 — the Buddhist temple built on a rocky promontory above the Haeundae coast, 1376, rebuilt 1970s: the only sea-cliff Buddhist temple in South Korea (most Buddhist temples in Korea are built in mountain forests, removed from the sea — Haedong Yonggungsa is the extraordinary exception). The 108 stone steps descend from the dragon-head entrance (the Dragon Gate) to the main hall directly above the crashing waves: the dawn visit (the temple faces east, the sunrise over the Sea of Japan directly behind the main altar) is the most dramatic.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHaeundae (해운대 해수욕장 — the 1.5km beach on the eastern coast of Busan, the most popular beach in South Korea (1 million visitors during the peak August summer, when the beach is blanketed with colored beach umbrellas): the Haeundae sand is fine and pale, the water clear and warm (25°C in August). The Haeundae market directly behind the beach is the place for raw oysters (굴 — eaten directly from the shell with a squeeze of lime) and grilled scallops at the covered pojangmacha (the street food tents). The Blueline Park Haeundae Sky Capsule (the transparent capsule railway on the coastal cliff) gives the finest aerial view of Haeundae and the surrounding coves.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGwangalli Beach (광안리 해수욕장 — the urban beach of Busan, 3km west of Haeundae, with the Gwangan Grand Bridge (광안대교 — the 7.4km suspension bridge, 2003 — lit at night with programmable LED sequences: fireworks patterns, the Korean flag, seasonal colors) as its backdrop: the view of the bridge from Gwangalli beach at night is the defining image of modern Busan. The beach bars and the pojangmacha tents facing the bridge serve the finest seafood anju (bar snacks) in Busan — the grilled oysters, the raw sea urchin on rice, the spicy stir-fried clams.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideDwaeji gukbap (돼지국밥 — "pork rice soup" — the definitive Busan breakfast food: a large earthenware bowl of milky white pork bone broth with sliced boiled pork (saenggogi or bossam), rice served in the bowl, and an array of condiments (gukganjang (soy sauce), saeujeot (salted shrimp), sliced green onion, and gochugaru chilli flakes) to season to taste at the table. This dish was created by the Korean War refugees who used the cheapest pork parts to make the most nourishing possible meal in the most difficult circumstances. Ileonghwa Dwaejigukbap (Seomyeon) is the most famous address in Busan for this dish.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideBeomeosa (범어사 — the Buddhist temple founded 678 AD on the southeastern slope of Geumjeongsan mountain (the sacred mountain above Busan): the largest active Buddhist temple in the Busan region, surrounded by centuries-old pine trees and accessed by a forest path from the cable car station or a 20-minute uphill walk. The Iljumun (the first ceremonial gate — "one pillar gate": the gate that marks the boundary between the ordinary world and the sacred), the Cheonwangmun (the Four Heavenly Kings gate), and the main Daeungjeon hall with the 7th-century Buddha and the Silla dynasty stone lanterns (National Treasure No. 11).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideTaejongdae (태종대 — the coastal park on the southern tip of Yeongdo island (connected to Busan by the Yeongdo Bridge (1934 — the first bridge in Korea): the cliffs (70–80m) drop directly to the sea, with the rocks below accessible at low tide and the lighthouse (1906 — the oldest lighthouse in Busan) on the highest point. The Danubi tourist train (the open mini-train around the park perimeter, ₩3,000) stops at all the viewpoints, and the cliff-side seafood restaurant complex serves the freshest sea urchin (uni) on rice and abalone porridge directly above the crashing waves.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSeomyeon (서면 — the commercial center of Busan, with the finest concentration of restaurants and bars in the city: the Seomyeon food alley (서면 먹자골목 — the covered alley of tent restaurants and permanent BBQ shops, where the Busan specialties of gopchang (소곱창 — grilled beef intestines, crispy outside, rich inside), the fried chicken (the Korean style — double-fried to an extraordinary crispiness, glazed with soy-garlic or spicy gochujang sauce) and the eomuk (the Busan fish cake, served on a stick in broth or stir-fried with vegetables)).
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