Busan – Day 6 of a 14-Day Trip in South Korea
Day 6 consisted of a morning train from Gyeongju to Busan. Busan is Korea’s second largest city (after Seoul) and is a port city. It is known for being a foodie city and has particularly good seafood.
Day 6
Busan
After stopping at the convenience store for breakfast, we headed to Singyeongju Station to catch our 8:47am train to Busan. The train ride is short – only about an hour. Note I read online that Korail is the only legit way to buy trains tickets online. Busan station was extremely busy and all the luggage lockers were taken. We instead had to leave our bags at a luggage storage shop, which was more expensive, but not unreasonable.
First stop on the list was Taejongdae Resort Park. It’s not a resort, but just a large park with ocean views. We got tickets for the Danubi Train which is 3000 won per person and allows you to hop on and off the train for one trip. The train stops at 3 locations – the Observatory, Yeongdo Lighthouse, and the Taejongsa Temple and comes infrequently. It was nice to take the train to Yeongdo Lighthouse because it is all uphill. We actually walked down from Yeongdo Lighthouse because we did not want to wait for the train. There isn’t much to see at each location other than ocean views.
It was about lunchtime, so we took the bus to Jagalchi Market, the main fish market in Busan. There are many restaurants to pick from (indoor and outdoor) and really fresh seafood. You can actually buy seafood directly from the market, then have it cooked at the food court on the second floor. The food court is made up of multiple small stalls. I’m not sure if the stalls have an agreement with each other, but all the menus look almost identical. We just picked a popular stall and ordered the seafood pancake and white fish sashimi bibimbap.
We headed to Songdo Beach. The sandy beach was lovely and I was actually surprised to see no one in the water (not even to dip their feet). We then learned that there is a swimming season in Busan and the last day for swimming was on August 31. Swimming outside the season is not allowed in Busan. Near Songdo beach is the Busan Air Cruise Cable Car, which takes you over to Songdo Sky Park/Amnam Park. You can purchase a one-way ticket or a round trip ticket. We purchased the one-way ticket, not knowing that the coastal walk pathway was closed. My plan was to take the cable car over, then walk back using the coastal walk pathway. However, I was sad to see that the coastal walk had been damaged due to the waves and was closed for repair!
On the other side, we walked the Healing Forest Trail in Amnam Park and went to the Dudo Observatory viewpoint.
We walked back to Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge (admission fee 1000won/person) which connects Amnam Park to an uninhabited tiny island called Dongseom Island.
Afterwards, we took the bus back to Busan Station to grab our bags and check in at the Airbnb. We were staying in Seomyeon. For dinner, we decided on Jokbal Ssalrong for bossam (pork belly) and jokbal (braised pig trotters). We ordered the combo (half bossam, half jokbal), along with rice balls (they give you a glove to mix and make the rice balls yourself), and beer! The combo meal came with soup, side dishes, and condiments/sauces. All of the below came out to exactly $44 CAD, which is very reasonable – we were so full after devouring everything. After dinner, we walked around the area to take in the city lights, which was great after such a filling meal.
Complete Day 6 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Kakao or Naver Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Breakfast at the convenience store.
9:00am: Take the train from Singyeongju to Busan (1 hour and 5 minute train from Singyeongju).
11:00am: Visit Taejongdae Resort Park (48 minute transit from Busan Station).
1:00pm: Wander and have lunch at Jagalchi Market (41 minute transit from Taejongdae Resort Park).
2:00pm: Visit Songdo Beach (25 minute transit from Jagalchi Market). Take the Busan Air Cruise Cable Car to Amnam Park. Explore Amnam Park (Healing Forest Trail, Dudo Observatory Viewpoint, Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge).
4:00pm: Walk the Songdo Coastal Walk back to Songdo Beach (1 hour walk from Amnam Park).
6:00pm: Have dinner at Jokbal Ssalrong (43 minute transit from Songdo Beach).
8:00pm: Explore Seomyeon.
14-Day South Korea Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 14-Day South Korea Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Travels with Carolyne 