15 Best Things to Do and See in Busan
Exploring Busan on foot is one of the best ways to feel the city’s atmosphere, connect its landmark places and discover its neighbourhoods at a more natural pace.
In this guide, you will find the attractions not to miss when planning a walking route in Busan, with simple reference points.
To go further, you can also enjoy a private guided tour in Busan. It is a smoother way to connect places, understand details you might miss on your own and enjoy a more human, personal discovery adapted to your trip.
1. Gamcheon Culture Village
Perched on the hills of Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for its colorful terraced houses, narrow alleys, and artistic atmosphere. As you wander, you’ll find murals, sculptures, small galleries, and cafés along the route. The site also offers beautiful views over the city and the sea, making it a great visit to discover a more creative and picturesque side of South Korea.
2. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple offers a memorable visit in Busan, where a Buddhist temple meets the coast. Visitors can admire traditional buildings above the rocks, lively prayer areas, and a setting shaped by the sound of the waves. Its appeal comes from both the natural scenery and the spiritual atmosphere, rare for a Korean temple facing the sea. In this landscape, the religious architecture stands out beautifully against the coastal cliffs and open horizon.
3. Jagalchi Market
Jagalchi Market in Busan is one of the liveliest places to discover the city’s seafood culinary culture. You’ll find many fish and seafood stalls, often displaying live or freshly caught products, as well as stands where you can sample simply prepared dishes on the spot. The atmosphere is lively, with vendors calling out, busy aisles, and the smell of seafood cooking. It is an ideal visit to observe local daily life and taste Korean cuisine in an authentic setting.
4. BIFF Square
BIFF Square is one of the liveliest places in Pusan, at the heart of a busy shopping district. This pedestrian square draws visitors with its bright signs, shops, street food stalls, and constantly moving urban atmosphere. You can also find handprints and old film festival traces that recall its cultural identity. It is a great place to stroll, taste local specialties, shop, and feel the modern energy of the city.
5. Songdo Bay Station (Songdo Cable Car)
Songdo Bay Station is the departure point for Songdo’s coastal cable car in Busan, offering easy access to one of the area’s most popular experiences. From here, you board for sweeping views over Songdo Bay, Songdo Beach, and the surrounding hills, with beautiful scenery of the sea and the city. It is mainly the gateway to a panoramic aerial ride, ideal for seeing the coastline from a different angle and enjoying a family-friendly activity loved by visitors.
6. Haeundae Beach
Haeundae Beach, in Busan, is one of South Korea’s best-known beaches, loved for its long stretch of fine sand and lively seafront. It offers a cityscape facing the sea, with waters suitable for swimming in season, a pleasant promenade, and plenty of services around the beach. The area attracts walkers, families, and travelers alike who come to enjoy the seaside atmosphere. From the shore, visitors can also enjoy lovely views of the bay and the modern buildings of the district.
7. Gukje Market
Gukje Market in Busan is one of the liveliest places to experience the city’s local atmosphere. It offers a wide selection of stalls and shops selling clothing, accessories, everyday items, souvenirs, and a variety of goods in a vibrant setting. It is also a popular spot to sample Korean street food and observe the local pace of life in its often busy alleys. With shopping, food discoveries, and an authentic atmosphere, Gukje Market offers a great immersion into everyday life in Busan.
8. Oryukdo Skywalk
Oryukdo Skywalk is an observation walkway on Busan’s coast, in Nam-gu. It offers direct views of the sea, rocks and Oryukdo islets, with a striking sense of height from the glass floor. The appeal of the site lies in the walk itself as much as in the panorama it opens over South Korea’s southern shoreline. Between cliffs, sea horizon and coastal relief, this attraction showcases a distinctly Busan landscape.
9. Busan Tower
Busan Tower is an iconic viewpoint in Yongdusan Park in central Busan. Visit the tower, enjoy the park, and take in sweeping views over the port, Jung-gu, and the city skyline.
10. Songdo Cloud Trails
Songdo Cloud Trails is a scenic tourist promenade located in Busan, by the sea, offering a pleasant way to discover the coastline and surrounding landscapes. This site invites visitors to walk above the water on well-designed boardwalks, with beautiful views of the beach, the rocks, and the sea horizon. The area is appreciated for its peaceful atmosphere, open panoramas, and accessible walks, especially enjoyable at sunrise or sunset. It is an ideal stop to take in Busan’s coastal scenery.
11. National Maritime Museum
The Busan National Maritime Museum is a major national museum dedicated to South Korea’s maritime world. Visitors can explore a wide range of exhibits on navigation, ports, fishing, ships, and the country’s relationship with the sea. The tour also highlights the ocean’s essential role in Korean history, the economy, and everyday life. With its collections, educational displays, and spaces suitable for all visitors, this museum offers an informative and enjoyable visit, ideal for understanding Busan and its maritime heritage better.
12. Taejongdae
Taejongdae is a large coastal park in Busan, where visitors discover the meeting of forest, cliffs and the sea. The site offers open views over the southern coastline, with rugged rocks, tree-lined paths and several viewpoints over the horizon. Its appeal lies in the varied landscape and the strong maritime atmosphere, which give the place both a natural feel and an iconic Yeongdo identity. It is a popular spot for discovering Busan’s coastal scenery.
13. Beomeosa Temple
Beomeosa Temple offers a spiritual and heritage-rich experience in a mountain setting that immediately stands out. Visitors can admire traditional Korean pavilions, peaceful courtyards, and prayer spaces linked to Buddhist life. Its integration into the slopes of Geumjeongsan creates a strong sense of quiet and seclusion despite its closeness to Busan. The temple is a fine way to discover an essential part of Korean religious culture.
14. ARTE MUSEUM Busan
ARTE MUSEUM Busan is an immersive art museum located in Busan, South Korea, offering a sensory experience that blends images, light, sound and digital installations. Visitors discover spectacular scenographic spaces inspired by nature, landscapes and poetic worlds, designed to immerse them in large-scale works. Halfway between an art museum and a tourist attraction, the venue invites you to stroll, admire and take photos, in a modern, spectacular atmosphere that appeals to art lovers and families alike.
15. Busan
Busan Station is one of the city’s main rail gateways in southeastern South Korea. Set in a busy district, it connects Busan with Seoul and many major destinations across the country via high-speed and regional trains. The station offers wide circulation areas, ticket offices, shops, and practical services for travelers. Around the station, you’ll easily find taxis, buses, and shopping streets, making it an ideal starting point for exploring the city and beyond.
Antony M
During my travels, I looked for guides who spoke my language. This search turned out to be long and tedious. That is why I created MYTOGU (My Tourist Guide): a matching site between tourists and professional tourist guides.
