Travel Diary: 8 Days and 7 Nights in Busan, South Korea 2025

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[Travel Diary] 8 Days and 7 Nights in Busan, South Korea 2025

From south to north, using the VISIT BUSAN PASS, explore beautiful sights and taste delicious food, starting your unique journey in Busan.

Gwangandaegyo Bridge

Background

Last year, during 2024’s “Second Visit to Kyushu: 9-Day Free Trip, Entering via Busan → Hakata Cruise”, I entered South Korea through Busan and then took a ferry to Fukuoka, Japan. I only spent a brief morning in Busan, just visiting Haedong Yonggungsa Temple and Haeundae Beach. This year, with some work breaks in July and August, I decided to explore Busan more deeply, accompanied by my colleague Sean from Pinkoi, who is also free.

Dates: 2025/07/29–08/05

TL;DR

Here’s a summary upfront: “Although Busan doesn’t have the tranquility and order of Japan, it offers spontaneity and warmth.”

Must-Visit Attractions:

• [North] Skyline Luge
• [North] Yacht Tour Y Holic
• [North] Sky Capsule Train
• [North] Jjimjilbang
• [North] Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
• [North] Shinsegae Department Store
• [South] Yeongdo Bridge

Must-Try Foods:

• [North] Grilled Eel — PUNGCHEONMAN
• [North] Salt Bread — Jayeondo Saltbread
• [South] Throat Pot Lid Grilled Meat — Moggumung Nampo Branch
• [South] Milgot Red Bean Cream Mugwort Rice Cake

Essentials:

• VISIT BUSAN PASS (A must-use, can save a lot of money)
• VISIT BUSAN PASS (A must-use, can save a lot of money)
• VISIT BUSAN PASS (A must-use, can save a lot of money)

Things I missed this time: Seafood Pancake (missed), Pork Soup Rice ( had it last time ), Live Octopus (I don’t eat raw, saw many people getting food poisoning on IG), Soy Sauce Crab (I don’t eat raw)

Pre-Trip Preparations

Flights

Busan Air ( Includes 15KG checked baggage ).

Price: NT$6,728 / person.

• Departure: 07/29 (Tue) Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) 16:25 → Busan Gimhae (PUS) 19:55
• Return: 08/05 (Tue) Busan Gimhae (PUS) 10:50 → Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) 12:35

Total days: 8 days, actual days: 6 days (the first and last days are basically just for flying).

Transportation Card

KKday Physical Transportation Card

This year, my iPhone can directly use the Tmoney card in Apple Wallet, which is very convenient for recharging; however, I already recharged the physical card I bought last year, so I didn’t use it.

Additionally, starting this year, you can also recharge your transportation card directly through the Wowpass App. The process involves first recharging Wowpass with a credit card and then transferring funds from Wowpass to Tmoney, which is a bit more complicated and incurs a service fee.

Regardless of which method you choose, it’s recommended to recharge in Taiwan using a credit card (as it may only support certain issuing institutions) or bring some cash to Korea to recharge at the machines. Naver Map

Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea.

_Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea._

_Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea._

Bus Regulations

• Korean bus regulations prohibit bringing luggage larger than 20 inches and handheld drinks on board (even if you’re just holding it and not drinking, they will stop you)
• Additionally, stores do not accept outside trash, so if you have your own iced drink, it’s best to finish it at the attraction or department store before leaving, otherwise it can be troublesome.
• For two or more people, it’s actually more convenient to take a taxi, as there are many taxis in Busan that are cheap, new, and convenient.
• Please confirm the direction before entering the subway station.

VISIT BUSAN PASS

The Busan Pass comes in time-limited (24/48 HR) unlimited types and limited-use types (to be used within 180 days).

KKday 2025/08 Busan Pass Information

• Since our itinerary is spread out over these 8 days and the attractions we want to visit are limited, we chose to buy two BIG5 passes.
• Price: NT$1,380 * 2 = NT$2,760
• The electronic version can be used by directly showing the order QR code.

Actual usage situation is as follows:

KKday 2025/08 Busan Pass Information

• Blue indicates one less use (didn’t go to Taejongdae)
• Rode the Haeundae Coastal Train once each day for two days.

Yacht Tour Y Holic Reservation⚠️

To take the yacht tour using the Busan Pass, you need to make a reservation with the boat owner. We chose Y Holic as an example.

After purchasing the pass, contact the boat owner through the following channels:

IG: @yachtholic_info (we used Line)
LINE: @yachtholic
Email: yh@yachtholic.com
WeChat: yachtholic

Inform them of the number of people, date, time slot, contact information, and the QR code of the Busan Pass.

Wait for confirmation; if there are no issues, your reservation is successful!

• The night session (starting at 18:00) requires an additional 5,000 KRW per person, which can be paid on-site or transferred in advance.
• You need to arrive 30 minutes early to queue for identity verification.
• We scheduled to watch the sunset at 18:30.

If you don’t want to buy the pass, you can also directly reserve the yacht tour.

Busan, South Korea | Haeundae Blue Line Park Coastal Train & Sky Capsule Train Tickets

Please note: The coastal train and the capsule train are different; do not buy the wrong one. The beautiful capsule train is not included in the Busan Pass and requires a separate ticket purchase; it is very popular, so be sure to book in advance before departure.

• The Sky Capsule departs from Oryukdo.
• 2-person seating (1 ticket for 2 people)
• Price: NT$861

Korea Network Card | South Korea High-Speed Unlimited Data eSIM

• 7-day unlimited data plan (I didn’t buy it since I was going to the airport on the last morning)

Naver Map

Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea.

_Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea._

_Be sure to use Naver Map in Korea._

Interlude — The day before departure, I found my Naver Map account locked

https://help.naver.com/service/5640/contents/20783?lang=en&osType=COMMONOS

The reason seems to be that logging in from Taiwan was considered suspicious activity, triggering Naver’s account protection mechanism.

You can reactivate your account through identity verification, but I’m not sure if it was because I forgot what name I filled in or if foreigners can’t pass the real-name verification. Regardless of what I entered, it always showed that the input information was incorrect, and in the end, my account was completely locked.

I found online information stating that you can fill out a form to request the lifting of the protection measures: “ Members residing outside of Korea_Request to lift account protection measures “, but I wasn’t very sure about the name issue, so my first application was rejected:

Appeal Failed

In my second attempt, I went directly to the Help Center to fill out the application form:

The content of my appeal included:

1. Your NAVER ID.
If you forget your account, you can retrieve it via email or phone.

2. The registered name, date of birth, and contact information (mobile phone number or email address) of your NAVER ID.
Date of birth: YYYY/MM/DD (the birthday you registered)
Mobile Number: +886XXXXXXXXX (the phone number you registered)
Email: (the email you registered)
Registered Name: Sorry I really forget which name I've input, it may be one of down below:
The name combinations you can think of
XXXXX LI
LI XXXXX
XXX
李XX
but my real first name is XXXX, last name is Li

3. Attach your overseas identification card.
as attached file.

4. The details of your request to the NAVER Help Center.
I forgot my name which I input and I want to lift the account protection measures.

The more information you can provide, the better. I attached a file with a picture of my passport’s personal information page.

And then I successfully unlocked it:

I received a temporary password email, and I could log in to Naver Map with the temporary password. Remember to change your password and enable two-factor authentication for login (since we canceled Naver’s login protection mechanism).

Naver’s response speed is quite fast, resolving everything within half a day; if you’re worried about being locked out unexpectedly, you can apply for “ Members residing outside of Korea_Request to lift account protection measures “ ( Refer to this article for filling out the form ).

Food

The only reservation made in advance was for the Korean beef barbecue at Hwa Meat Restaurant, Tianshan Branch.

CatchTable

The platform Catchtable is quite convenient for making reservations at Korean restaurants in advance.

Fun

• Day 1 07/29 (Tue): Arrive in Busan, head straight to Haeundae Hotel
• Day 2 07/30 (Wed): Morning Skyline Luge, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, afternoon Coastal Train + Capsule Train, return to Haeundae, Busan BUSAN X the SKY, dinner at Weizhan Wang BBQ
• Day 3 07/31 (Thu): Morning Cheongsapo, honey butter toast, return to Haeundae on Coastal Train, afternoon Spa Land, evening Busan Yacht Tour, dinner at grilled eel
• Day 4 08/01 (Fri): Move to Nampo-dong, Songdo Cable Car, Yonggung Cloud Bridge, Gamcheon Culture Village, dinner at Throat Pot Lid Grilled Meat, night view from Busan Tower
• Day 5 08/02 (Sat): Lotte Department Store, Yeongdo Bridge opening (only on Saturdays).
• Day 6 08/03 (Sun): Lotte Department Store, Bupyeong Canned Food Market, Baekjeongwan Culture Village, night view from Beomeosa Temple.
• Day 7 08/04 (Mon): Move to Seomyeon, dinner at Korean beef.
• Day 8 08/05 (Tue): Busan Gimhae International Airport, return trip.

Accommodation

Haeundae Benikea Good Night Hotel (Day 1 — Day 4 Three Nights)

The location is quite convenient, about a 10-minute walk to Haeundae Street. The room has windows but no sea view, and it’s a twin room.

• Price: Actual charge NT$12,032, approximately NT$2,000 per person per night.

Hotel Noah (Day 4 — Day 7 Three Nights)

It’s about a 5-minute walk from Jagalchi Station, and right across the street is BIFF Square. The room has windows and is a twin room.

• Price: Actual charge NT$7,783, approximately NT$1,298 per person per night.

Air Sky Hotel (Day 7 — Day 8 One Night)

It’s only one stop from the airport, and the total time for waiting, riding, and walking is about 10 minutes to the airport. The room has windows and is a twin room.

• Price: Actual charge NT$2,835, approximately NT$1,418 per person per night.

As a side note: This hotel will send a canned message requesting a deposit after booking is completed. If you have already paid in full at that time, you can ignore it.

Visa

No visa is required for South Korea; just fill out the online entry application form three days before departure, and you can complete entry directly with your passport upon arrival.

Ready to go, let’s depart!

Day 1 07/29 (Tue) Taiwan to Haeundae

~=13:30 Arrive at Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2

Check-in starts around 13:50, and it takes about until 14:10 to complete check-in and baggage drop.

You can complete check-in and seat selection online on the Busan Airlines website (free) in advance.

14:30 Complete departure and grab a bite

Since we need to rush to the hotel after landing in Busan, we eat a hearty meal in Taiwan first.

15:00 Start waiting at the gate and activate eSIM

Worried about poor airport internet, so I activate the eSIM in Taiwan in advance.

~=16:40 Flight departs

The flight is delayed by 15 minutes, and the seats are quite small.

~=20:05 Arrive in Busan, South Korea

Busan Airport is a military-civilian dual-use airport, and photography is prohibited.

~=20:30 Collect luggage and complete entry

First, I go to the airport convenience store to buy some snacks for energy, exchange money, and take a break.

~=21:00 Arrive at Gimhae Light Rail — Airport Station

It’s about a 5-minute walk from the airport.

I first help Sean recharge his transportation card. There are two machines for recharging transportation cards (Self Service Charger), only multiples of 1,000 won can be added.

After swiping the card to enter, please find the platform for Sasang Station; the next stop is “West Busan Distribution Area.”

~=21:15 Arrive at Sasang to transfer to the Green Line

Just follow the green signs on the ground to transfer from the light rail to the subway Green Line, heading towards “Changsan” (the other direction is towards “Yangsan,” so don’t mix them up), with the next stop being “Gamdang.”

~=21:20 Arrive at Green Line Sasang Station and wait for the train

~=22:20 Arrive at Haeundae

When approaching Haeundae Station, the subway announcement will have seagull sounds.

~=22:30 Arrive at the hotel

~=22:50 Go out to Haeundae Street for food

The area where we are staying passes through the Haeundae Traditional Market, which sells a lot of food.

~=23:30 Return to the hotel to eat

In the end, we bought BBQ fried chicken in two flavors, spicy rice cakes from the traditional market, and some alcohol from the convenience store.

One order of fried chicken is enough for two people; two orders are too much (feels like four orders in Taiwan), actual charge NT$1,210.

This mango wine (Iced tea highball with mango cubes) is delicious (5%), with canned mango pieces inside. I later found out that it’s also available at FamilyMart in Taiwan.

Day 2 07/30 (Wed) Skyline Luge, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Coastal Train, Capsule Train, Busan BUSAN X the SKY, Weizhan Wang BBQ

09:30 Depart — Super nice weather

There is a bus directly to Skyline Luge right in front of the hotel.

10:25 Skyline Luge 👍👍👍

Around 10:30, we start queuing to exchange tickets (the Busan Pass needs to be exchanged before use). There are quite a few people, and we waited about 20 minutes to get the tickets; the Busan Pass allows you to choose to ride the luge twice or once on the luge and once on the zip line. Almost everyone chooses to ride the luge twice.

If you haven’t bought the Pass, you can also purchase tickets on KKday. (cheaper than buying on-site, but you still need to exchange tickets to enter)

After exchanging tickets, we go to choose the right size helmet, and once we put on the helmet, we can take the cable car up.

~=11:00 Get on the cable car

Most people are concentrated at the ticket exchange and ticket purchase counters, and there is hardly any queue for the cable car and luge. During the cable car ride, you can see the track below, and it takes about 5 minutes to reach the starting point.

If you’re afraid of open cable cars, I noticed another box-type cable car nearby that seems to be opening soon(?).

11:05 Get ready to start

From the top, you can see the nearby Lotte World.

For first-time riders, there will be a staff member to give a brief tutorial and stamp your hand.

The operation instructions are as follows:

• Keep your legs straight
• Move forward to accelerate, pull back to brake
• You cannot stop midway, you cannot stop midway, you cannot stop midway; if you come to a complete stop, it will be very difficult to continue sliding.
• Slow down before turning; otherwise, you might flip over.
• Be careful when overtaking.
• Control with both hands; do not hold your phone. There will be cameras along the way that take photos, which you can buy at the souvenir shop.
• Be careful not to drop personal belongings.

It takes about 6 minutes to slide from the top to the bottom.

At the bottom, there is a souvenir center where you can buy photos taken along the way.

After passing through the souvenir center, we return to the entrance and queue again for the cable car to go up.

This time we enter through the re-entry passage (you can play directly without staff instruction).

He wins.

11:45 Leave and head to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

After exiting Skyline Luge, walk straight across to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, which takes about 10 minutes uphill.

11:55 Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Since I visited last year, this time I just take a quick look.

Around 11:55, we reach the entrance of the vendors at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

This time I discovered that there is also a path to the right of the entrance plaque, which is a gentle slope leading directly to the main hall; the path through the plaque entrance has steep stairs, which are difficult to walk.

12:45 Wait for the bus to Songjeong Station

Busan has done a good job with summer heat measures; there are umbrellas at traffic lights, and almost every bus stop has fans that you can press to activate.

The route plan is as follows:

From Skyline Luge, take the bus + walk to the Coastal Train Songjeong Station, take the Coastal Train to Cheongsapo Station, and then transfer to the Capsule Train back to Haeundae.

~=13:15 Arrive at Songjeong Station

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the bus stop, and it’s very hot and sunny.

ref

The 13:30 train is full, so we booked for 14:00. ( Schedule )

A little side note: The station staff did not allow us to use the Busan Pass PDF file; they insisted we show the certificate from the KKday App.

The tickets exchanged for the Busan Pass can be used on the same day, and you can board once at each station, so you can actually stop at various attractions along the way.

It’s still early, so I decided to grab a bite at a convenience store; right outside Songjeong Station is Songjeong Beach (it seems less crowded here), and there’s a convenience store nearby.

~=13:40 Waiting for the Bus

Remember to line up early, or you’ll end up standing at the back of the line.

After passing through the station, I walked all the way to the platform, where I could validate my ticket and start waiting for the bus.

The bus is expected to arrive around 13:50, and the crowd began to stir and line up.

~=14:00 Departure

I sat in the second row, and the view was quite nice.

~=14:15 Arriving at Cheongsapo

After getting off, I saw the stairs to the second floor, which is where the capsule train boarding area is located.

I opened the KKday order confirmation link to find my ticket confirmation; after going up to the second floor, I showed the confirmation to the staff at the booth (we had reserved the 14:30–15:00 time slot), and they gave me a number tag. When the time comes, they will start calling numbers, and if they have already started, you’ll just have to wait until they finish.

While waiting, I went to the souvenir shop next door and bought a fan.

The capsule train also provides free fans (as seen in the rightmost image).

~=14:30 Capsule Train Boarding

When the time comes, the staff will start calling numbers for boarding.

There is air conditioning above the waiting area, and your ticket will be validated before boarding (make sure to have it ready). Once on board, the staff will take a group photo, and then you can decide if you want to buy it after getting off.

~=14:40 Capsule Train from Cheongsapo to Oryukdo (Haeundae) Departure! 👍👍👍

It looks thrilling, but it actually moves quite slowly; there’s no air conditioning in the carriage, but there are ventilation fans and a speaker where you can plug in your phone to play music.

I enjoyed the scenery and took some Instagram-worthy photos (maybe?).

~=15:10 Arriving at Oryukdo (Haeundae)

Walking towards Haeundae (the tall buildings), I reached the intersection where on the right is the famous and delicious Salt Bread — Jayeondo saltbread (I’ll come back to buy it later), and on the left, I walked down to the entrance facing the sea, which is the entry point for Busan Sky.

~=15:35 Busan BUSAN X the SKY

The glass facing Haeundae Beach has barriers, so you can’t get too close for photos.

There’s a transparent glass floor bridge, but the glass is quite worn, so the effect is mediocre; there’s also a transparent glass restroom.

Walking down to the café and souvenir shop, I could look back at the route the capsule train took.

I had a fish cake sausage to replenish my energy (the taste was average).

Besides the café and souvenir shop, there are also free exhibitions on this floor.

~=16:00 Leaving to buy Salt Bread — Jayeondo saltbread 👍👍👍

A portion consists of 6 pieces, so I bought one to share at the hotel. They are fragrant, crispy, and slightly salty, which I found very delicious.

There are many large construction projects going on in Haeundae, seemingly preparing for the 2030 World Expo (though it has already failed).

I returned to the hotel to rest for a bit and planned to go out for dinner at Matchandeul later.

17:50 Arriving at Matchandeul Salted Grill Haeundae Branch

There’s a machine at the entrance to check in, and you’ll receive a notification via email. I arrived at 17:50 and started to queue a bit.

You can check the current number by pressing a button, and you’ll receive a notification when it’s your turn to enter, which is very convenient; also, be careful as the buildings across and next door are under construction.

18:25 Entering for Dinner

I waited for about 30 minutes before entering.

We ordered a couple’s set (which includes one type of meat each + a large soybean paste soup + rice) and a bottle of Cass beer, totaling around NT$1,500.

They will grill it for you; reviews say the meat is delicious but the portions are small, and you have to wait in line.

~=20:30 Full and Back to Haeundae Street

I strolled along Haeundae Street to digest and bought ice cream from a matcha specialty store for dessert.

Next door is the newly opened Olive Young Delight Project store, where I did some shopping; they had many buy-two-get-one-free offers, and you can get an immediate tax refund if you spend over 15,000 won.

I took a quick walk on Haeundae Beach before heading back to the hotel to rest.

Day 3 07/31 (Thursday) Cheongsapo, Spa Land, Coastal Train, Busan Yacht Tour

Since I only transferred at Cheongsapo yesterday without exploring, I came back today.

11:00 Taking the Bus to Cheongsapo

The bus from Haeundae to Cheongsapo is a minibus, and the route goes through smaller, steeper community roads like Busan Mountain Villa.

11:30 Arriving at Cheongsapo

I randomly found a place to eat nearby for lunch (Gohyang katsu), and I ordered a pork cutlet sandwich; the meat was thick, tender, and reasonably priced.

~=12:30 DIART COFFEE Honey Butter Toast

After lunch, I stepped outside to find the highly recommended Busan Honey Butter Toast at DIART COFFEE, ordered one (₩10,000) and a coffee (₩5,500) to take a break.

For how to eat it, you can refer to this card; basically, you cut the bread into pieces and evenly spread butter and honey on it before eating.

The honey isn’t too sweet, combined with the buttery flavor and crispy bread, it’s delicious without being overwhelming.

~=13:30 Back to Cheongsapo to Prepare for the Coastal Train Back to Oryukdo (Haeundae)

The ticket from yesterday was no longer valid, so I exchanged another ticket for the coastal train using the Busan Pass; here, I could only stand at the back of the train.

The train passes by several scenic platforms, but it was too hot, so I didn’t get off.

~=13:55 Arriving at Oryukdo (Haeundae)

After returning to Haeundae, I walked and took a bus to Shinsegae Spa Land.

~=14:30 Arriving at Shinsegae Department Store

I didn’t browse around and headed straight to the first floor Spa Land.

14:40 Spa Land

I exchanged my Busan Pass for entry to Spa Land.

You can also purchase tickets in advance on Kkday if you didn’t buy the Pass.

Upon entering, I received a wristband for access to lockers for shoes and clothes, and I changed into special clothes for the sauna. You can also go to the sauna (nude) first before heading to the sweat room, which is located near the women’s changing room.

The first floor has a sunbathing area, nail salon, snack stalls, and various types of sweat rooms (it was so crowded during summer that almost every room was full), while the third floor has restaurants (where you can eat grilled eggs and instant noodles), massages, massage chairs, and a yoga room.

After the sauna, I went to the sunbathing area to relax and soak up some sun while ordering a drink (which was super sweet).

All expenses within the facility are charged to the wristband, and you settle the bill upon exiting.

Honestly, I didn’t get to experience the sweat room at all this time; it was too crowded. I’ll have to try again next time.

17:00 Preparing to Head to the Yacht Dock

I had a reservation for the 18:30 session, so I needed to arrive early for check-in.

Before departing, I bought some snacks at Shinsegae Department Store B1 to fill my stomach.

Taking the Subway to Dongbaek Station

After exiting the station, it’s about a 15-minute walk to the dock.

There are only vending machines and dirty restrooms at the dock, and it gets crowded, so you have to wait in line; it’s recommended to buy what you need in the city and use the restroom before coming here.

~=18:00 Arriving at the Yacht Dock

After passing through the visitor center, I arrived at the dock’s meeting area, where different boat operators have their own boarding points.

Around 18:15, the boat operators finally showed up to start checking in and collecting the nighttime surcharge (₩5,000 per person).

18:30 Yacht Departure 👍👍

When boarding the boat, you need to wear a life jacket and sit in the front row on the second level.

The boat moves slowly and won’t rock too much as it heads towards the Gwang-an Bridge.

However, if you’re prone to seasickness, it’s still recommended to take seasickness medication.

General Route Map:

~=18:50 Arrive at Gwang-an Beach

About 20 minutes later, we will arrive at the waters in front of Gwang-an Beach, where you can see many tourists playing SUP; we will stop here to set off fireworks. The fireworks will be set off by the crew members of the various yachts departing at this time, but it’s still quite cool, so they might not be very visible.

Along the way, the staff will also enthusiastically help take photos.

~=19:00 Return Trip

We just happened to see the evening glow.

~=19:20 Back on Land

After returning to land, we took the bus back to Haeundae.

~=19:35 Arrive at Haeundae

Haeundae Beach has a market and food trucks.

~=19:55 Dinner at Haeundae Grilled Eel — PUNGCHEONMAN 👍👍

There are plenty of seats inside, so no need to wait in line; we just walked in.

We ordered grilled eel + grilled beef slices + two cold noodles + beer, totaling NT$2,387.

The grilled eel is crispy, tender, and juicy, very delicious, with no fishy taste at all; the grilled beef slices are okay but average; the buckwheat cold noodles are reminiscent of some brown sugar ice, but they actually have a soy sauce flavor with crushed ice, making them refreshing and tasty.

After eating, we strolled around Haeundae Street, visited the Haeundae Traditional Market (forgot to eat seafood pancakes, darn it!), and bought some souvenirs; we will be leaving Haeundae tomorrow.

Day 4 08/01 (Fri) Nampo-dong, Songdo Cable Car, Yonggungsa Bridge, Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan Tower

09:15 Depart for Nampo-dong

Early in the morning, we prepared to leave Haeundae for Nampo-dong.

~=10:30 Arrive at Jagalchi Station, Hotel Noah hotel

Drop off our luggage.

BIFF Square

Right across from the hotel is BIFF Square, which is very lively and convenient.

~=11:00 Lunch — Hongkong 0410 Nampo 1st Branch

Around noon, we casually found a restaurant in BIFF for lunch; this one serves Korean-style Chinese cuisine.

We ordered fried dumplings, sweet and sour pork (medium, felt we could have ordered a smaller size), and Korean-style jajangmyeon.

The fried dumplings were a bit greasy, but the sweet and sour pork was good.

12:15 Take the bus + walk to Songdo Cable Car Station

After getting off the bus, we still had to walk about 10 minutes. It was too hot, so we stopped by a convenience store to grab a homemade iced coffee latte to cool off.

Once inside, we exchanged our Busan Pass for cable car tickets (the Pass is for the crystal cabin, round trip, so keep the ticket safe).

After receiving the tickets, we took the escalator upstairs to queue for the cable car. (They offered lollipops, but I didn’t take one.)

12:25 Board the Cable Car

5–6 people per cabin.

~=12:35 Arrive at Songdo

Upon exiting, turn right and walk down.

Walk down the stairs, turn right at the end, and you will reach the “Songdo Yonggung Bridge.”

~=12:40 Arrive at Songdo Yonggung Bridge

The ticket office next to it allows you to exchange your Busan Pass for entry.

There is no shade here at all, and under the blazing sun, you can overlook the entire Songdo cable car.

~=13:00 Return to Songdo Cable Car, queue to go back

~=13:25 Leave Songdo and walk back to catch the bus

There is also a viewing platform here at the cable car station, but it was too hot, so I didn’t go.

We walked back to the bus station to return to the city and then transferred to a minibus to Gamcheon Culture Village.

~=14:20 Gamcheon Culture Village

We didn’t take photos, just explored; it felt like a rainbow community with some cafes. We walked down casually until we reached another bus stop to take the bus back to the hotel.

The buses here are minibuses, somewhat like the ones going up Yangmingshan, the drivers drive quite aggressively, and it’s very crowded.

~=15:00 Return to Noah Hotel for a rest

Hotel Noah

• View from the room window
• I initially thought there was no coin-operated washing machine, but it turns out there is a free washing machine available in the restroom on the third floor.

~=17:40 Depart for dinner

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the hotel.

~=17:50 Throat Pot Lid BBQ — Moggumung Nampo Branch 👍👍👍

• The specialty is that the grill is a pot lid.
• The side dish includes a vitamin C (I checked, and taking vitamin C before or after BBQ can reduce free radical production and lower cancer risk).
• You must order at least three servings of meat, and the staff will grill it for you.
• We ordered two servings of pork + one serving of beef + two bowls of instant noodles + Cass beer, with each meat serving costing 18,000 KRW, totaling NT$1,060, which is quite a bargain, and the meat is delicious!! Highly recommended.

~=18:30 Walk to Busan Tower

After eating, we walked to Busan Tower to digest, which took about 20 minutes.

The way there was lively, with many restaurants.

Actually, the navigation should be set to — Yongdusan Media Park Entrance, as there is an escalator going up from there; walking from here requires a bit of a climb (about 5 minutes).

19:00 Arrive at Busan Tower, wait for sunset before going up to see the night view

In the meantime, we browsed the souvenir shop.

19:30 Go up Busan Tower

Show the Busan Pass at the counter on the first floor to exchange for tickets.

At Busan Tower, you can scan your ticket to play a puzzle game; solving all the codes will earn you a small prize. (I have written the codes down later.)

By the time we got up, there were already many people waiting.

19:45’s Busan sunset.

At 20:00/20:10… there was a light sculpture projection fireworks show, which was average.

20:00 Busan Night View

~=20:10 Leave the tower

Before leaving, there are still many spots to take photos.

~=20:15 Exchange for a small souvenir

Before heading down, remember to go to the unmanned ticket booth (Ticket Box) machine:

• Enter the code: 19731121 (the date Busan Tower was built)
• You can then take the voucher to the blue souvenir center outside (not the one on the first floor of Busan Tower) to exchange for a small prize.

The small souvenir is a card with various designs to choose from; I chose a transparent Busan Tower:

We walked down from Yongdusan Park.

There are escalators here!! (Going up, but there are none going down, and some parts are under renovation)

20:30 Return to — Yongdusan Media Park Entrance

Remember, it’s closer to go to Busan Tower from here.

We wandered around the shopping street, where there is an HBAF almond store, probably the place with the most flavors; I bought a Yellow combo pack (which contains small bags) along with some other special flavors (popping candy, which really pops, spicy stir-fried rice cakes) and popular flavors (honey, Oreo, corn) to take home as souvenirs.

20:45 Return to BIFF Square for a late-night snack

There are many vendors here, and the floor has handprints of celebrities.

Makgeolli, BHC Fried Chicken — BHC Chicken Busan Nampo Branch (right at BIFF Square) 👍👍

In the end, I bought some food to take back:

• Makgeolli: Similar to millet wine or fermented rice, it’s really great.
• BHC Boneless Fried Chicken: The seasoning and chicken are both tender and delicious.

00:00 Goodnight Nampo

Around 00:00, the vendors had all cleared out.

Day 5 08/02 (Saturday) Lotte Department Store, Yeongdo Bridge Opening (only on Saturdays)

10:45 Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch, Lotte Mart — Lotte Dept. Store Gwangbok Branch Aqua Mall

I left around 10:XX, as Lotte Department Store opens at 10:30, and I walked there slowly.

First, I went to the B1 food street café to grab something for breakfast. (It was average, and the coffee was Lungo)

11:30 Started wandering around the department store

• I bought a few pieces of clothing at the Kodak store (on average, about NT$300–$500 cheaper than buying through Taiwan). The store directly offers tax refunds.
• I bought a handheld fan. With the receipt, I went to the B1 food street to find the tax refund machine to print the tax refund slip, and then I went to the airport to get cash back. (I could get back about NT$60)

• The department store has a water dance show every hour starting at 11:00, which is quite spectacular.

12:30 B1 Downtown Burger

Feeling tired from shopping, I went to B1 to eat at Downtown Burger; I understand the concept, but American burgers also come with pickles!

After eating, I went to the observation deck on the top floor of the department store (it was super sunny and hot).

~=13:30 Walked out of the department store to wait for the Yeongdo Bridge to open

It was very sunny outside, and as it got closer to 14:00, more and more people gathered; at this time, an elderly lady came over and told us that the opening on 8/2–30 was moved to 20:00 because it was too hot!! Shocked!! Then everyone started spreading the word that it was changed to 20:00, and people began to slowly disperse.

Later, I saw the announcement banner on the railing. (The left sign shows the regular schedule)

13:50 Returned to Lotte Department Store, continued wandering around Lotte Mart

Lotte Mart also sells some souvenirs and skincare products (just like Carrefour).

B1 Tax Refund Machine

I searched for a long time before finding the tax refund machine, located on a small path next to Din Tai Fung.

• If you don’t do an immediate tax refund, you have to scan the receipt barcode here to exchange for a tax refund slip, and then get your money back at the airport. (It’s a bit of a hassle)

I just learned that South Korea has different tax refund agencies: Global Blue, GLOBAL TAX FREE, Easy Tax Refund, CubeRefund, eTAX FREE, and you can only use the corresponding tax refund machine ; because I saw a cash refund machine at Olive Young, but it was GLOBAL TAX FREE, and since my receipt was from CubeRefund, I still had to go to the airport for the refund.

16:35 Returned to the hotel to rest

Feeling tired from shopping, I bought some Korean red bean and peach fruit along with a homemade convenience store shake (ice cup + banana milk + unsweetened black coffee), and walked through the underground street back to the hotel to rest.

19:00 Left the hotel to explore BIFF Olive Young

I didn’t get to explore OY in Haeundae, so I took the opportunity to check it out. This store is large, with many friendly staff.

Loot

19:40 Arrived at Yeongdo Bridge, waiting for it to open

There is a booth for commemorative photos under the bridge.

Traffic control will start around 19:50.

20:00 Bridge Opening

I watched from under the bridge, and around 20:05, it was almost time to move up.

There was a projection introducing the history of Yeongdo Bridge, but it might have been the first day, as the projector angle was off, making it hard to see clearly.

20:15 Bridge Lowered Again, Traffic Resumed

20:30 Dinner — Ton Black & Tempura Nine

• On the way back to the hotel at night, I randomly found a pork cutlet restaurant to eat (the pork cutlet was tender and delicious).
• The total was NT$366.

~=21:50 Returned to the hotel to rest

Day 6 08/03 (Sunday) Lotte Department Store, Bupyeong Canned Goods Market, White Sand Bay Cultural Village, Bokcheonsa Temple Night View

Today was spent wandering around to kill time, so the content is not recommended for reference, just a record.

10:00 Left to eat — Egg Drop

• Located in the shopping street across from Lotte Department Store.

• Order at the machine on the first floor, take a number, and go upstairs to find a seat (you should check for available seats first).
• I waited about 20 minutes.
• I ordered a ham and cheese omelet toast + hash browns + iced coffee: 8,400 won.

It was good, but I think some brunch places in Taiwan are better.

11:00 Full and ready to go

On the way to Lotte Department Store, there is a souvenir shop called “Big Shop” that specializes in Busan memorabilia, with many Boogi and Busan-themed products.

Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch, Lotte Mart — Lotte Dept. Store Gwangbok Branch Aqua Mall

Bored, I continued to wander around Lotte Department Store.

11:45 B1 No Country Dining Table Steamed Cuisine Lotte Dept. Store Gwangbok Branch

After eating heavy-flavored food for several days, I wanted something lighter for lunch.

• Rice needs to be ordered separately.
• It doesn’t have much flavor on its own.

After eating, I wandered around a bit more.

12:50 Left Lotte Department Store, heading to Sky Eye Observatory — Yeongju Haneul Nun Observatory

I casually wandered around the area and found a viewing platform I missed last year, which has a direct bus (21 minutes), so I decided to go.

• The buses in Busan are almost all new electric buses with very cool air conditioning.
• Passed by a place I visited last year: Busan Station

13:00 Sky Eye Observatory — Yeongju Haneul Nun Observatory

After getting off the bus, walk across to see it.

The view here is great, allowing you to overlook all of Nampo, Busan.

Headed down to Bupyeong Canned Goods Market — First, to buy the recommended The Liter shake from a colleague

• Recommended: Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie, available in 600ML or 1,000ML sizes; it’s refreshing and not too sweet, making you feel less thirsty as you drink it, priced around 4,300 won.

Bupyeong Canned Goods Market

The canned goods market has many dry goods, groceries, and seafood vendors (like a traditional market), and it’s quite large.

Bupyeong Canned Goods Market — Milgot Red Bean Cream Mugwort Rice Cake 👍

This should be the most famous store in the canned goods market, known for its — red bean cream mugwort rice cake.

• Since I don’t speak Korean, I just showed the photo to the staff and asked for this.
• The staff said it should be refrigerated when taken home, and it’s best to defrost it for half an hour to an hour before eating.
• I also bought a savory bread, which was good too!

Later, I took it back to the hotel to eat. The mugwort cake has a chewy texture paired with soybean flour and red bean cream filling, which I found quite special, slightly sweet; if you pass by, you should give it a try!

I also bought a box of BHC Fried Chicken to have for dinner.

18:30 Set out again

After resting in the evening, I went out again, mainly to take night photos at Bokcheonsa Temple, starting with a visit to White Sand Bay Cultural Village.

18:45 White Sand Bay Cultural Village

The most famous attraction here is — VIEW, FOOT BATH CAFE — enjoy the scenery while having coffee and a foot bath.

However, since it was late, I just took a quick look; there are many cafés and small shops along the coast, but I don’t know if it was because of the late hour, there weren’t many people. The coastal path below was under maintenance, so I couldn’t walk down; the weather was cloudy today, and the scenery wasn’t great.

19:00 Headed to Bokcheonsa Temple — Bokcheonsa Temple

After leaving White Sand Bay, I headed up towards Bokcheonsa Temple.

Originally, I looked at the map and saw that the bus only goes one stop, so I thought I could just walk. After a few steps, I gave up; the map said the bus ride would take 1 minute, but walking would actually take about 20 minutes (all on very bumpy hillside paths).

• You can take either bus 1 or 5.

Only one stop to the next stop Sinseon Elementary School, and the rest has to be done on foot:

After getting off, I was stunned; it was still a very bumpy hillside path, and I had to walk all the way up from here:

After passing the elementary school, if you continue up, you will see the entrance to Bokcheon Temple:

This is just the beginning; you have to climb the very bumpy hillside path all the way up to reach Bokcheon Temple:

There will be vehicles passing through here, so please pay attention to safety ⚠️

19:25 Arrived at Bokcheon Temple

I arrived at Bokcheon Temple around 19:25 (almost died from exhaustion). The map said it would take 10 minutes, but the actual uphill walk plus breaks took about 25 minutes.

But the more tragic thing is — it was closed! It was closed! It was closed!

That’s right, Bokcheon Temple isn’t really a public tourist spot; it’s a quiet temple, and the doors close at a certain time. I heard from a colleague that after around 18:00, you can only enter but not exit. They won’t rush you, but if you miss the closing time, you can’t get in.

What a tragedy; I could only look at the view from outside the gate. Later, some other visitors who came for the same reason also stood here.

However, the abbot saw us sweating profusely and threw us two cans of ice water from inside. Thank you so much.

This is the view of the city from here.

Finally, I took a random night shot before heading down the mountain. I initially wanted to come here after seeing pictures from other bloggers:

It should look like this if you actually go in

Going down was all downhill, and it was dark:

It was a very quiet village, and I took the bus back to Jagalchi Station.

Before heading back to the hotel, I bought some seed sugar cakes at BIFF Square, where quite a few people were lined up. I found them very oily and sweet, not that great.

Around 22:00, it started to rain in Busan! Luckily, our trip was almost over.

Day 7 08/04 (Mon) Busan Seomyeon, Shinsegae Department Store, Korean Beef

In the morning, I headed to Seomyeon Station.

10:45 Arrived at Seomyeon Station

Once I arrived, I thought about storing my luggage directly at the subway station; other places like Lotte Department Store also offer luggage storage.

Storing luggage here is quite expensive: I stored it at 10:45 in the morning and picked it up at 20:10 in the evening.

I was charged 6,000 + 7,000 won (about NT$280).

This station’s underground shopping area also has an Olive Young, so I stocked up on some supplies.

11:00 Lunch Korean Knife-Cut Noodles — Gijang Sonkalguksu

After browsing for a while, I went to a nearby market to eat Korean knife-cut noodles.

The menu choices were very simple, just knife-cut noodles and seaweed rolls.

I ordered the seaweed rolls to share and got the cold knife-cut noodles for myself. The noodles had a very chewy texture and were refreshingly cold; the downside was that there weren’t many toppings (meat), so it felt quite bland with just the carbs.

After eating, I walked back to Lotte Department Store.

The Liter Seo-myeon Medical Street Branch

I then bought a blueberry smoothie yogurt from Liter to refresh myself.

• The auntie at this place was very friendly.

Lotte Department Store — Busan Main Branch

I found it quite difficult to browse, or rather, it was harder to navigate than the Lotte Department Store in Gwangbok from yesterday; there were fewer floors and fewer shops. The only advantage is that there is a large public rest area upstairs where you can recharge and rest.

There is also a Busan souvenir shop here, but they have much less than the one in Nampo.

After browsing the Lego store, I wasn’t sure where to go next, so I decided to take the bus to explore Shinsegae Department Store.

The other NC Department Store in Seomyeon has closed down. If you want to shop elsewhere, you might want to check out the coffee street in Tadaepo, where there are many small shops (similar to the vibe in the East District), but it might not be very interesting for guys.

Busan is good!

You can see the slogan “Busan is good” everywhere in Busan. After experiencing the trip, it really is nice; there are plenty of buses, convenient transportation, the buses are new and cool, prices are cheap, and the food is delicious.

Shinsegae Department Store — Shinsegae Centum City 👍👍👍

A few days ago, I only visited Spa Land and didn’t get to browse, so this time I came to explore.

Shinsegae Department Store is super large (the largest in the world according to Guinness World Records), and there are many things to browse.

If you don’t have enough time to shop, there’s also Lotte Department Store — Lotte Dept. Store Centum City Branch next door.

It consists of two buildings, each with several floors, and each floor is quite spacious. I casually noted the prices at Busan La Lebo (on the first floor).

The rooftop of this building has a free dinosaur park called ZOORAJI for kids to play.

I wandered around casually; basically, all brands and types of stores are available.

When I reached the first floor of the other building, I found Shake Shack, so I had to eat there:

SHAKE SHACK BUSAN CENTUM

I ordered a crispy chicken meal; besides their signature burger, I think the chicken is also tender and juicy.

The buzzer seemed to have some issues; it was actually ready but didn’t ring.

A taste I miss.

Travel notes: Osaka Shack Shake / Bangkok Shake Shack

~=17:00 Left Shinsegae Department Store

~=17:45 Returned to Tadaepo Station (Seomyeon)

Preparing to eat Korean beef for dinner.

When I came out of Tadaepo Station, I could see the signs pointing to Tadaepo Coffee Street. There was a standalone Olive Young nearby.

Tadaepo has many coffee shops and small stores, giving it a vibe similar to the East District.

Flower Beef House Tadaepo Branch — flowerbeefhouse

It has a bit of a trendy East District aesthetic, and luckily, I made a reservation in advance on CatchTable or else there wouldn’t have been any seats available.

I ordered a Korean beef set + jjajangmyeon + Cass beer. The Korean beef was tender but lacked much beef flavor; I found it just okay. Plus, the price was NT$2,458, which isn’t very high value for money compared to the grilled meat I had a few days ago.

The only advantages were that it looked nice for photos, and the staff were friendly and spoke Chinese.

19:15 Finished eating and walked back to Seomyeon Station

There are indeed many small shops and coffee shops from Tadaepo to Seomyeon, and I even saw ZARA.

After returning to Seomyeon Station, I went to the B1 food court of Lotte Department Store to buy some food, preparing to head to the airport hotel.

There is also a supermarket here, and I ended up buying this takoyaki to eat back at the hotel, choosing the Korean flavor on the far right.

~=20:30 Headed to the airport hotel

This time, I took the opposite direction towards Gaya University. It was also a Tuesday, and it felt like I was seeing my past self from last Tuesday when I just arrived in Busan.

~=21:00 Arrived at AIR SKY HOTEL

The hotel is at the previous stop before the airport — West Busan Distribution District Station, and across the street, there are CU/GS25 convenience stores.

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This room and bathroom are the largest and most well-equipped I’ve had in three days, but we are just passing through for one night.

The window of the room offers a direct view of the planes taking off and landing.

I went to the convenience store to buy some peach wine to go with the takoyaki I just bought. I think this takoyaki is great; even though it got soft after bringing it back, it was made with black squid ink as the base, and the crispy texture of Taiwanese takoyaki combined with Korean spicy sauce is very delicious. 😋

Day 8 08/05 (Tue) Gimhae International Airport, Return Trip

Time flies, and my eight-day trip to Busan is coming to an end. The last day only has one itinerary: going to the airport.

I took one stop from the hotel to reach the airport (about 10 minutes).

After arriving at the airport, I went directly to the second floor for international departures.

I was still sleepy in the morning and forgot to apply for SES to speed up my next entry clearance.

Tax Refund

If you have a tax refund form to process, remember to follow this article for assistance.
I lost my tax refund form…

On the second floor, there are many self-check-in machines where you can check in and select your seat. You can also see that there are plenty of food options and shops on the third floor.

The counter is assigned to D at the far end.

• The free baggage allowance for Busan Airlines is only: 15 KG
• They will check if your portable charger is in a ziplock bag
• After checking in your luggage, be sure to wait in that area for 5 minutes to see if there are any issues
  That day, someone was repeatedly announced as missing…

~= 09:30 Departure Lounge

The departure hall is not large; it’s just a single row. There are a few duty-free shops, a convenience store, and a café selling a limited selection of food. (If you’re very hungry, remember to eat outside before going through security)

Since it’s a dual-use airport, photography of the planes outside is not allowed.

Not sure what to buy, I went to the convenience store and got two cans of GD alcohol to bring back to Taiwan.

Delay at 11:07, arrived early at 11:58

Successful trip to Busan!

Spoils of War

Didn’t buy much.

Thank you for reading

If you enjoyed my travelogue, feel free to purchase the Visit Busan Pass through my affiliate link, and I will receive a small commission. Thank you.

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If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me.

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