Sometimes, things just work out. We arrived in Busan right in the middle of the Haeundae Sand Festival , which takes place every year on the famous beach of the same name. Two days there isn't much, especially to explore South Korea's second-largest city… but that's what we had, so we made the most of it.
We arrived in the late afternoon from Gyeongju (which we really enjoyed, see my article here ), with just enough time for a quick look around our hotel—located right on Haeundae Beach —before embarking on a full day of exploring the next day. We also set aside a morning the day after that for a few extra visits before heading to Seoul for the end of our trip.
A quick visit, then, but frankly quite full. And then, we told ourselves that we would surely come back one day, if only for Jeju Island, which we had to leave aside this time.
Haeundae Sand Festival: Ephemeral art on the beach
Since I wasn't aware of this festival, the hotel location wasn't chosen based on that criterion, but rather on the fact that we knew we would be arriving from Gyeongju by bus. I had spotted a bus that arrived directly at Haeundae Beach ( at the Haeundae Intercity Bus Terminal ), and for sightseeing, we also had the subway line to reach the city center.
In short, Haeundae Beach combines the always appreciable seaside side, while being close to all sponsorships and transport. After a quick check-in thanks to the proximity of the bus terminal, we set off to explore the surroundings. Surprised by the crowd, we said to ourselves that it is particularly lively in this area, before coming across a first sign indicating the festival. We then understand why the crowd becomes downright opaque the closer we get to the beach and that we come across floral decorations, animations and street artists.
If I had to summarize the festival, the Haeundae Sand Festival is an annual event that takes place on Haeundae Beach in the eastern part of central Busan. During this festival, local and international artists create spectacular and ephemeral sand sculptures, offering visitors a unique artistic experience by the sea. In addition to the sculptures, the festival usually features various activities, shows, and entertainment to entertain attendees of all ages.
It is a celebration of art and culture, but also of the beach, because it is said to have its roots in the idea of marking the return of sunny days, and therefore the pleasure of returning to spend time on the beach. If we had not heard of this festival before today, we discover live how much it attracts visitors from all over the world.
The time to walk the 500m from our hotel to the beach and we were well immersed in the atmosphere. And the surprise, in addition to being total, is to discover the scale of the sculptures. The latter are established according to a predefined theme each year, and this year, the theme was music.
When I first see the beach, I notice that it is not a few more elaborate sand blocks than the average, but real works of art, ephemeral nonetheless, most of them rising to 4-5 m high compared to the people standing nearby.
The largest structure is a real pyramid of at least 10 m, quite a feat! There are paintings with the Beatles, Queen and Beethoven to name a few. We stayed there for a good hour, the time for the sun that we could not see on this gray evening, to bow out. After a visit to the local market (see below), we returned to the beach because I had seen on the program that a fireworks display was going to be set off that very evening.
Time to find a spot, and admire the sculptures with the night lighting and the show began. A nice fireworks display fired from a floating barge a few meters from the beach, with sound and light (laser) also to complete this nice surprise of the day.
Haeundae Traditional Market
I'll take a moment to talk about Haeundae Market Street because, while it's open on festival nights, it's open year-round, so you can go every day from 9:00 AM to 22:00 PM, festival or not. Haeundae Market is a traditional market. It's popular because of its ideal location near Haeundae Beach, in an alley next to the new Lavi Hotel by Atlan.
It's a pedestrian alley where you'll find many shops and restaurants offering delicious takeaway food. That's exactly why we were going there. We just wanted to grab a bite to eat and the street was perfect for that, dumplings and small omelettes made us happy.
Gamcheon: A stroll through the colorful streets of Busan
The next day, we first hung around our hotel before getting on the subway, heading to Gamcheon! This hillside district, located to the west of the city, is known for its shops with colorful facades. It's a photogenic district, with a sea view and a friendly atmosphere that I rather enjoyed.
To read in detail what was done there, I wrote a dedicated article that I invite you to read here:
A little exploration around the Jagalchi fish market
Since we were arriving from the other side of Gamcheon, we took the subway to reach the fish market area (if you visit in the opposite direction, note that the north of Gamcheon is less than a kilometer from the Jagalchi market, so it is accessible on foot). Busan being a port city, a little tour of this world-renowned market (or at least promoted as such) seemed essential to us.
Without having heard of it before planning this visit, it is in any case to South Korea what the Tsukiji market is to Japan (the largest fish market in the world by the way) in terms of reputation. The Jagalchi market is in any case the main fish market in South Korea, thanks in particular to the geographical location allowing Busan to have a milder climate than the rest of the country.
Although the market has been operating for over a century now, its name is believed to come from two Korean words: "jagal" meaning small rocks or gravel that formally covered the shore and "chi" meaning coastal village. Located along the Nampo Harbor, the market is divided into two areas.
We first crossed the outer part, which stretches for about 100 m along the quay, near the large main building, which constitutes the rest of the market. We find the typical atmosphere of a fish market, namely, humidity, colors, and of course, smells. One of the particularities is that most of the merchants here are women of a certain age, these sellers being locally designated as "ajumma" simply meaning middle-aged or married woman in Korean.
I'll hide from you that in the covered part of the market, you will find a maze of stalls, with aquariums because the big difference with the outside part, where there are only dried or already prepared fish, you will discover there a large variety of fresh fish and seafood, still alive. Shellfish, and crustaceans like the song, less glamorous ... There really is everything and there were in particular large crabs and lobsters with imposing claws.
Other sections also offer condiments and seaweed and there is also another floor, but we didn't go that far because in absolute terms, we didn't hang around inside too much (not even 10 minutes to be honest). Upstairs, it is possible to have lunch, either in stands that function like classic restaurants, or by buying your favorite fish or shellfish in advance which will be grilled according to your preference on site.
There are also plenty of options for eating outside of Jagalchi Market, with the surrounding streets dotted with seafood restaurants. If (unlike me) you like seafood, you can try some of the specialties here:
- Hoe (Korean sashimi): a Korean sashimi specialty prepared with raw and fresh seafood. At Jagalchi Market, you can enjoy a wide variety of Hoe, including salmon, tuna, halibut, scallops, and oysters.
- Ganjang Gejang: crabs marinated in soy sauce. These crabs are particularly appreciated for their umami flavor and tender texture. They are often served with rice or marinated vegetables.
- Godeungeo Gui: a dish of grilled mackerel, often seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and chili pepper. It is a popular regional specialty frequently found at the Jagalchi Market.
- Seafood Banchan: These are small appetizers made with seafood, such as marinated seaweed, stewed mussels, spicy octopus and salted anchovies.
After spending a good half hour in the area, we moved on to our next destination, the Busan Tower.
Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower
If you only had 500 meters to walk to reach Yongdusan Park, where the famous Busan Tower (also called 'Diamond Tower') is located, you could extend your exploration a little in the adjacent streets, a district called ' Gwangbok-ro '. These streets are known for their many shops, especially clothing stores of all kinds (you can even see the landmark on Google Maps referring to it, as it's called 'Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street').
The main artery is mainly commercial, and in the small perpendicular streets, which we took to reach the north of the park, we came across, in addition to the shops on the sides, a whole bunch of stands in the middle, with a mixture of textiles and street food, ideal for those wanting to nibble on a little snack, like Jitima who did not miss this opportunity 😉
We arrived at the back of Yongdusan Park via a wooden staircase. The path leading up to the main area is lined with trees, which is quite pleasant. We then reached the terrace, behind which stands the Busan Tower, which reaches a height of 120 meters and dominates the entire bay. Even though we went there, it was more to see the park and the views it offers than to climb to the top of the tower.
In the end, we only got a partial view of the city and no sea on the horizon, but it didn't matter, it was enough for me (I was the one who wanted to come here). There's a souvenir shop here, if you're interested. Below, a 12-meter bronze statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin , the famous 16th-century war hero, stands proudly on its marble pedestal.
He is particularly remembered for his tactical prowess during the Battle of Myong-Yang, where the admiral forced the Japanese army to retreat despite being very outnumbered (only 13 ships for the Koreans against 333 Japanese ships!).
Upon reaching the lower part of the park, one encounters an enormous 25-ton bell, known as the " Citizen's Bell ," cast and installed in 1996. It was built to foster unity and pride among the residents, in the hope of promoting the development and prosperity of the Busan metropolitan city. It is housed within a structure that incorporates elements of traditional Korean architecture, and residents typically come to ring it on New Year's Eve.
Right next to it is a flowerbed, which is actually a clock. The flower clock in Yongdusan Park in Busan has a unique feature: it's the only one with a second hand among the 18 flower clocks installed throughout the country. Next, you come to a staircase surrounded by a waterfall with artificial rocks. The park is small, as there are barely 200 meters between the tower, located at the far end of the park, and these stairs, near the main entrance.
The last little "attraction" of this park, after 20 minutes spent in the area, was the other staircase, located just after the waterfall one. It is a series of covered steps, with an escalator in the center (which is only used for going up). The attraction of this staircase comes from its light on the ceiling, which gives it a futuristic side.
The latter is divided into two sections, with a Buddhist temple visible between the two, piquing our curiosity enough to take a look inside, intrigued by its exterior appearance, with its round tower displaying a mural.
We quickly passed through another segment of " Gwangbok-ro ", noticing at that moment autographed footprints on the ground, the Hollywood Boulevard with a Korean twist! After a good hour in this area, it was time to join our last visit of the day.
Texas Street and Chinatown
The sun was about to set, but we still had some time to go to Chinatown, located only two subway stations from the Yongdusan Park hill. We took the subway line 1 at the "Nampo" station and got off at the soberly named "Busan Station".
Upon exiting the subway, we quickly found ourselves facing the typical Chinatown entrance gate, its posts decorated with golden dragons. We began by walking along the main avenue, soon passing another gate, this time marked " Texas Street ".
To tell the truth, if I saw this sign and therefore saw the street in question, we didn't go there. Apparently, it's a street with pubs (English style, I'm not talking about advertising), bars and restaurants, but that's also from what I've read, a Red Light District...
So we focused on Chinatown, much more modest, small and quiet, compared to the chaos and gigantism of Bangkok's Chinatown. There are many Chinese restaurants, red facades and decorations with lanterns.
On the facades, in addition to the Chinese, I notice Russian several times, proof if there is one, that the area, including Texas Street, is like a kind of expat neighborhood, where, failing that, there is a mix of Chinese and Russians.
Because it was open, free to enter, and we were just passing by, we went into a kind of small museum, the " Choryang Modern History Gallery ," drawn in by the giant trompe-l'œil painting of a waterfall on its floor. There were series of photos showing the evolution of Busan since the beginning of the last century. Unfortunately, everything was in Korean, so we didn't get any more details…
Since the main street of Busan's Chinatown is no more than 300 meters long, you can quickly walk around it (by comparison, Bangkok's Chinatown is almost twice that width!). In our case, arriving late in the day and not particularly busy, we only stayed for about 10 minutes before heading back to Haeundae via the metro, which concluded our full day of sightseeing.
Haedong Yonggungsa: a temple by the sea
Located northeast of Busan, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is one of the most important in Busan and is a must-see due to its privileged location on the seafront. This photogenic temple was, in fact, built along the rocky coast, offering a superb setting, especially for sunrises.
In our case, there was no sunrise, or even any sun at all that morning, as we started the day in the rain… Not wanting to back out, we took the bus as planned. The advantage was that from Haeundae , there's a direct bus, number 1001, for a 30-minute journey that costs 2100 won (about €1,5) . We had to check Google Maps to know exactly where to get off because the bus stays on the main road.
He then dropped you off next to a perpendicular road leading not only to the temple but also to the National Fisheries Science Museum. From there, it was an 800-meter walk to the temple entrance. Not long in itself, but definitely not ideal in this awful weather…
We are greeted by an avenue of stone statues, each head symbolizing the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. We then pass in front of a large and thin stone pagoda, whose prayer seems to be beneficial to avoid road accidents. Then we approach the enclosure sea concretely delimiting the main area of the temple.
We pass under the latter via a small tunnel which opens onto the famous 108 steps , lined with stone lanterns, leading to the shore and a first view of the different buildings composing the Haedong Yonggungsa, including the main sanctuary of Daeungjeon.
Before crossing the beautiful stone bridge leading into the temple courtyard, I took a moment to admire one of the statues perched on the rock by the sea, from where an imposing hotel complex (apparently the Ananti at Busan Cove ) can be seen in the distance. Then it was time to find some shelter, heading inside the Daeungjeon Shrine, where wood and vibrant colors predominate. A monk was praying.
It is tempting to linger there but the rain does not stop anyway, we continue the visit outside. It is possible to climb to a platform above the temple. There is a stone statue of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin but above all a view of the roofs of the temple and dominating the coast. There are quite a few statues of all kinds, stone Buddhas, a golden Chinese Buddha, little monks.
There are also stone stupas behind the temple as you continue along the coast, a dragon and two big pigs with a smirk. We've been exploring the temple for just over 30 minutes before we give up and decide to head back to our hotel.
Originally I was planning to follow the coast a little further up to Gijang, where there is a small photogenic church by the sea. It turns out that this religious building, defined as Catholic, well built in solid, is in fact a remnant of a set from a popular series! Unfortunately the crappy weather will dissuade me from going there.
Gwangalli Beach
Back in Haeundae, we tell ourselves that eating will pass the time and maybe the rain. No way, it never stops… It is then past 11am and we start to wonder what to do… Just so we know, we are curious to take a look at the sand sculptures undergoing the ravages of time, while the wind even starts to blow. The sky is so low that we can't even see the top of the towers bordering the beach…
Despite the depressing weather, I wanted to at least see another important beach in Busan, Gwangalli Beach . This beach faces the Gwangan Bridge, a 4 km highway bridge that bypasses the city center to reach the coast near Haeundae (a highway that continues north to the city of Ulsan).
I am surprised to see dozens of surfers trying to catch waves. Apart from these brave souls, along this promenade set up on this arc-shaped beach of just over a kilometer, it is rather deserted. It is then 14:30 p.m., it is time to move on… We drop the idea of staying in Busan (we were planning to leave in the evening) and head to the station, back to Seoul!
Practical information
Where to stay in Busan
That just goes to show how time flies, because the hotel we tried in Busan is already gone; it didn't survive the COVID period… Or at least, it's moved, because I can still find a hotel with the same name in Busan, the K-GUESTHOUSE , but this one is in a neighborhood in the north of the city, Seomyeon. The K-Guesthouse's Haeundae location has apparently been taken over by another hotel catering exclusively to Koreans, as it's nowhere to be found on the usual booking platforms.
I then offer you an alternative which is literally the neighboring building, offering the same level of service for a similar price:
- Le Haeundae O'Guest, with small, simple rooms from €31
Getting around Busan
Everything is quite simple and convenient; for the subway, just like in Seoul, you can use the famous rechargeable card, T Money . I used an app beforehand to get my bearings, which also has an online version.
Buses are also an effective solution, even if it is always more difficult to know the exact stops, but hey, with Google Maps, everything is possible! Note that if you do not know the trick, it is possible to download a map of an area to have it offline. Just click on your profile at the top right of the app and select "Offline maps".
This asks you to select the square of the area you want to access without connection if you do not take a local SIM. In this case, you can download your piece of map from your hotel's wifi for example. You will not have all the details like all the restaurants, places to visit, etc. but you will at least have a map and the GPS point to find your way.
When to go to Busan
Since it is in the very south of the country, the climate is generally milder and less extreme than in the north of the country. The best time to visit Busan is in spring and autumn. This is when South Korea is usually at its most pleasant: warm and sunny. You can also come and admire the cherry blossoms between late March and mid-April. However, to enjoy the beach and nightlife, it is best to visit Busan in May or June.
Summer will pose the same problem as the French coasts, the world, so to be avoided.
