Busan is the perfect place for a weekend getaway! This itinerary will help you to discover great places to see and maximize your time there! We travelled to Busan in the fall season and so we missed the peak of the warm beach weather. With that said we still travelled to two different beaches and really loved Busan’s costal vibe. By chance we also travelled to Busan during their International Firework Festival! This was an awesome event and if you are thinking of travelling to Busan in October – try to come on this weekend!
Taking the Express Train from Seoul to Busan
I’m always amazed when I think of South Korea’s transit system. You really can get pretty much anywhere for a great price! Although I am a big fan of the express bus, we decided to take the express train to Busan from Seoul. Although these two cities are on opposite ends of the country, with the express train you are only looking at a two hour travel time station to station!
There are two main express trains to choose from; the KTX and the SRT. The KTX travels from Seoul Station, whereas the SRT travels from Suseo Station. Since I stayed closer to the Gangnam area, taking the SRT made more sense for me! Not only was the Station closer to me, the SRT actually offered slightly lower fares as well. Booking the tickets can be a little tricky as both websites operate in Korean only.
Day 1: Morning
Gamcheon Busan Culture Villiage
By far this was my FAVOURITE thing to do in Busan! For 2,000krw you can get a passport and collect stamps as you roam around the village. As some Korean locals do live the village it is reminded to the visitors to remain respectful and quiet while you explore! Now you could easily spend a few hours exploring the village as there is a lot of ground to cover and stores to explore! The passport that you can buy directs you to about 12 different places to go and visit. Of these 12 places, three of them will give you a POSTCARD! I have a small obsession with post cards and this was obviously a high priority for me! Our goal was to reach all of the places on our passport map, however we did miss a few along the way. The map was great because I wouldn’t have known to travel to the different areas and stores otherwise. We really enjoyed this for a self-guided tour!
Day 1: Afternoon
Jagalchi Fish Market
Truth be told I am not one for seafood! Now with that said, and laying it all out in the open, the fish market was really cool. It is HUGE and there are so many different little places to eat at. The friends I was with all tried hag fish for the first time there. I certainly didn’t join in for the eats, apparently it is worth a try while you’ll there. We went in the evening and we found that many of the little shops were closed, so I would recommend going in the afternoon or early evening. If you want to check out some interesting seafood – this is the place to be!
Day 1: Evening
Nampodong
This trendy area is home to the Busan International Film Festival! This was a really cool area with lots of street eats and TONS of shopping! My favourite tasty dessert was hotteok! Busan has a special hotteok unlike what I had in Seoul, and it is definitely worth a try! We spent our first night in the Nampodong area and couldn’t have been happier. We just explored the streets and ended up at Galmegi Brewing Pub.
Recommendation: Galmegi Brewing Gwangan Brewpub
After a full day of exploring, why not wind down at the Galmegi Brewpub? Being located on the 2nd floor, you can enjoy some great views of the shopping streets while you’re there! This place has a great selection of craft beers to enjoy and pub eats!
Day 2: Morning
Songdo Beach
This was truly a hidden gem for me! We originally were going to do the skywalk, however we learned about a different coastal walk to explore! Instead of heading to the skywalk, we chose to go the opposite side (west). It was really neat to walk along the coast here as this path is tucked away from everything else and you get a cool view of the coast. The stairs were well maintained and it was an easy walk along here. For a different perspective of Busan, I would totally recommend this path!
Day 2: Afternoon
Shinsegae Department Store
The department store itself was pretty neat. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit it again, however if you do have extra time in Busan it is worth a visit. My favourite floor is the basement, as this is where all of the yummy food is! Overall we spent a couple of hours here exploring the different floors, and even discovered that this department store has an ice rink!
Day 2: Evening
Samyeong
Although we spent a night in this neighbourhood, we did not actually spend a lot of time here as it was the same night of the Busan International Firework Festival. We actually headed to the beach for most of the evening, but with that said, this place did offer some cool eats! This area is known for its night life scene, and is a popular spot on the weekends especially.
Recommendation: Gwangalli Beach – Busan International Fireworks Festival
When I travelled to Busan it was in the fall, and thus not optimal beach weather. With that said, by chance it was the weekend for the Busan International Fireworks Festival! The beach was flooded with people and if you want a spot at the beach then it is best to go an hour or two earlier as prime beach spots fill up quick! Bringing a blanket to sit on is also ideal, however you’ll be able to buy a beach blanket for 5,000krw at the festival as well. The whole fireworks lasted approximately 40 minutes, and my you will be impressed! If you are in the area – you MUST go!
Spending a weekend in Busan was certainly an awesome experience! This was one of our favourite cities in South Korea to visit and despite us travelling here in the fall season, we still were able to enjoy exploring the beaches! Hope that you find this itinerary helpful! Happy exploring!
