Busan – Day 8 of a 14-Day Trip in South Korea
Day 8 was our last full day at Busan. We were headed on a coastal walk in the morning, then the iconic Gamcheon Culture Village for the afternoon.
Day 8
Busan
We did not stop at the convenience store for breakfast today as we wanted to catch the bus to Oryukdo Skywalk and Igidae Coastal Walk. After getting off the bus at the skywalk, we walked to a nearby cafe to get breakfast pastries.
We ate our pastries as we walked to Oryukdo Skywalk. The skywalk is free, but you must put on shoe covers. The skywalk had great ocean views – it was also very windy!
Then it was time to start the Igidae Coastal Walk. The entire walk is just under 5km and has ups and downs. There are only a few exit points on the trail. At about the half way point (took us about an hour), we decided to leave the trail due to time constraints. It was a lovely walk with great coastal views, but I did not enjoy the really large spiders with their vast spider webs – there are many on the sides of the trail.
From the half way exit point, we walked about 30 minutes to Yakkong Milmyeon for lunch. The restaurant’s specialty is bibim-naengmyeon (spicy cold buckwheat noodles) and bibim-guksu (spicy dry cold buckwheat noodles) – we ordered one of each and mandu (Korean dumplings). The difference between the two noodle disshes is that the bibim-naenmyeon has a cold soup with ice and bibim-guksu does not. This meal was super refreshing after a long and tiring hike. They have vinegar and hot mustard at the table to add to your noodles – I would highly recommend as they add to the flavour! Despite being cool and refreshing, bibim-naengmyeon has historically been a winter meal as buckwheat is harvested in August, so it would not be until winter when the noodles would be ready for use. The dish also originates from North Korea.
Next destination – Gamcheon Culture Village, a hillside village/neighbourhood with colourful houses, artwork, cafes, and boutique shops. We took a taxi from lunch as it was about $15 CAD for a 20 minute taxi or an hour and a half bus for only a bit less cost. The locals in the Gamcheon Culture Village consist of lower income households and many people still live in this village, so it is important to be aware and respectful. We wandered the neighbourhood and stopped at a flipbook photo studio. One book was about $15 CAD. It works by acting out a scene and then a book is printed out and by flipping through the pages (quickly), the scene is recreated. The neighbourhood is lovely and there are lots of spots for photos.
We headed to the Lotte Department Store next to visit the Gwangbok Observation Deck. It is completely free to visit the observation deck and there are nice views of Busan (including Jalgachi Market, Busan tower, etc.). There is a cute cafe on the observation deck as well, which is where we shared an apple pastry.
Afterwards, we walked to the BIFF Square area and ended up at a covered market, which is where we had street food for dinner. We ate chicken skin dusted in a salty powder (we actually thought they were yam fries), teriyaki chicken skewers, pork belly kimbap, seared steak nigiris, and candied strawberries. The chicken skin was not my favourite (especially since we were expecting yam fries). I was also surprised that the candied strawberries were frozen, so it took some time for them to thaw.
Full and exhausted, we headed back to our Airbnb for the night!
Complete Day 8 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Kakao or Naver Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Have breakfast at the convenience store.
9:00am: Visit the Oryukdo Skywalk (57 minute transit from Seomyeon Area).
10:00am: Walk the Igidae Coastal Walk (2 hour hike from Oryukdo Skywalk).
1:00pm: Have lunch at Yakkong Milmyeon (23 minute walk from Igidae Coastal Walk end)
2:00pm: Visit Gamcheon Culture Village (24 minute taxi from Yakkong Milmyeon).
4:00pm: Visit Gwangbok Observation Deck at the Lotte Department Store (28 minute transit from Gamcheon Culture Village).
6:00pm: Have street food in the BIFF Square area (12 minute walk from the Lotte Department Store).
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 