4 Days in Busan | Is it Worth Visiting During the Winter?

4 Days in Busan | Is it Worth Visiting During the Winter?

Hello everyone, JHMedium here. Today, I am in Busan, South Korea. On this Busan trip, I am staying in the Nampo area. It’s not the most central area, but it’s close to many markets, so there will be lots of good street food to eat in the coming days. Over here used to also be where the Busan International Film Festival was held, but I think they have since moved it to a different location. Even so, the streets celebrating the festival still exist here, and they have their own little avenue of stars. Let’s see if I recognize some of the names or not. Here we have legendary actor Tony Leung. I’m sorry to say I don’t actually recognize most of these names. Maybe I haven’t watched enough movies. Before I explore more of this area, I’m kind of hungry, so lunchtime first. I got myself some ox bone soup. This is perfect for the cold weather these days. Something warm and nice. The soup is really rich, and there’s some thinly sliced pieces of beef here as well. I was looking at how the people in the other tables are eating the dish, and some people pour like half of their rice into the soup. So I’m going to do that as well. The rice should soak up all that beefy goodness from the broth. I know there’s a very famous dish from this region called gukbap, which you’re supposed to have the rice inside the soup. but this dish also has noodles inside, so I don’t think it’s a gukbap, but it’s very similar, I think. Whether this is the correct way to eat it or not, I don’t know. I’m just following what the locals are doing. But it turns it into this ox bone congee, which is pretty delicious. A bowl of warm soup like this is so healing in this cold weather. It’s supposed to get a little bit warmer in the coming days, so during the daytime, it’ll be above zero, and during the nighttime, it’ll be negative. So hopefully I’ll be able to explore Busan in a slightly better temperature. I was literally just looking for a shopping mall to use the bathroom, and I came to this Lotte Mall, and it turns out on the rooftop, there’s a free observation deck. It’s so beautiful here, and nobody knows about it. There is literally zero people here right now. I get the whole observation deck to myself, and you get a perfect panoramic view of Busan. Every single angle, wow. Well, that was a very nice little observatory. I think it would look even better during sunset. Maybe I’ll come back again on another day. But today I got other plans, and hopefully it’ll be just as beautiful. While Busan does have a subway, the easiest way to get to many popular sites is by bus, especially those on the mountains and hilltops. Busan is known to be a very hilly city, so it can be a problem and very tiring for the residents if they sort of live in between two major roads on a hillside. You have to do a lot of climbing uphill or climbing downhill. So the people here thought of a solution to use monorails or little funiculars to get them up the hill. The first one I’m going to is called the Somang Stairs Monorail, and this one is very special because it’s actually suspended in midair instead of going on a track on the bottom. Looking at the speed the carriage is going, I think I can walk up faster than it, but it should be very helpful for the elderly people who live here. It certainly is very, very, very slow. Since there’s nobody else here, I’m gonna give it a go. But if you do come here and want to ride this monorail, only ride it if there are nobody else waiting in line. If there’s a resident who wants to use it, definitely let the resident go first. Because first and foremost, this is a transportation device for the residents of this alleyway. I also really like how the entire alleyway is very colorful, with vibrant tiles on the steps, painted walls, and of course the monorail carriage itself in a lovely green. While most modern cities are rather monochromatic, Busan still has bright, welcoming colors in its skyline. I feel like even just being here for less than half a day, I already love Busan so much. I just love the mountainous city, how the city looks like it’s layers upon layers. And I also like that Busan is a coastal city, so at some point you can look at the vast ocean. This combination is my absolute favorite. I feel like in a way, Busan kind of reminds me of another city I love very much, Nagasaki, Japan. It has a very similar layout, they’re both port cities, they’re both very hilly and mountainous cities. It’s so nice here. Even right now in the winter when it’s so cold, I still really enjoy it here. Near the Jungang Park area I’m at right now, one of the best places in all of Busan to see the skyline at night is the Yeongju Haneulnun Observation Deck. Here you can see the Busan Harbor Bridge in the background, and Busan Tower rising above the skyline. There’s something calming about watching the city light up and the sky gradually change color from blue to light purple. When solo traveling, slowing down, and enjoying moments like this is probably my favorite activity. Day two in Busan and today I’m heading to the place I’m looking forward to the most on this trip. It’s another beautiful day here, every day the temperature is getting warmer which is very nice, and today I’ve made it over to the Gamcheon Village. If you search for Busan on Google or something, this is probably the image that will come up, with all these colorful buildings on the hill. It really is a workout hiking up this village, there’s so many steps. After hiking up all those steps, I think I finally reached a more commercialized area of the Gamcheon Village. There are many souvenir shops, cafes along this street, and also lots of murals as well. Got to pose with BTS. Originally built in the 1920s, Gamcheon Village did not always have the colorful image it has today. It was a neighborhood for the lower working class, and later a refugee settlement after the Korean War. The village conditions were very poor. However, in 2009, the government launched a public art project to revitalize the area into a cultural hub. With murals, sculptures, and colorful decorations, Gamcheon Village transformed into what it is today. On this street, I just found a very nice little postcard shop, and I bought three postcards, each for 1000 Won. The postcards really make Busan and Gamcheon Village look like a place from a fairytale. It’s so beautiful. All of these cafes should have really nice views of the entire village. I’m gonna go up there and see if I can find a good spot. Well that was definitely a very lovely cafe, especially if you’re able to get the window seat. You get this perfect framing of the village in the background. But if you cannot get the window seat, the terrace is still quite nice as well. In the winter, it’s just a bit cold, but in the summer, it’ll be perfect. It’s called cafe From Choi. There’s so many people here taking this fortune ball thing. I think it’s similar to like the omikuji you will get in a Japanese temple. You’re supposed to get the one that corresponds to your Chinese zodiac sign. So here’s my little ball, and I’m gonna break it open and see what’s inside. Moment of truth, let’s see what I got. Okay, it’s in Korean, so I’m going to have to use Google Translate. Google Translate probably doesn’t give the best translation, but it says the intention to advance and achieve is to eat a lot of food and be centered and to be calm. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. And this sort of gives you a breakdown of each month of the year, but I don’t think I’m gonna read it all. I think Gamcheon is definitely a must-visit place in Busan, but most of it is still actually residential buildings. So when you’re walking around the alleyways, walking around the little streets and staircases, you’re going through where people live. So do be respectful, don’t make too much of a noise, and don’t bother the locals who are still living here. Before leaving the village, I’m gonna get something to eat first. Right by the bus station, I randomly found this little shop that serves various Korean dishes. I got this, it’s called a dosirak, which is basically like a Korean bento. From the picture on the wall, it looked very interesting. Never had this before, but let’s see what’s inside. The dosirak includes a fried egg, anchovies, fish cake, and some sausages. It looks like half of these are cold dishes. I think this version here might be a replica of the one they serve in Squid Game. It looks like the egg yolk is still runny, I’m gonna pop it open. Give it a little mix, and hopefully get a spoonful that has all the ingredients inside. I like it, it’s a mixture of different textures, the crunchy and salty anchovies, plus the soft fish cake. This really feels like a typical Korean home-cooked meal. Maybe something your family members will make for you when you go to school, when you go to work, something you would eat on a train, I don’t know. I guess the whole bento box presentation makes it feel very homey. Well, that was a surprisingly nice little meal. I mean, it doesn’t feel like restaurant food, it really does feel like home cooking. The bento box itself may not look too spectacular, but trust me, the flavors are really good. Okay, now it’s time to say goodbye to Gamcheon Village, and I’m gonna head somewhere else. In the afternoon, I made my way to another cultural village, the Huinnyeoul Culture Village. This one is right next to the ocean. This small village is on the Yeongdo Island in the south part of Busan. Similar to the Gamcheon Village, there’s also many cafes and souvenir shops along this coastline. This village does feel calmer and slightly less touristy than Gamcheon, but their history is very similar. Huinnyeoul began as a residential area for people displaced during the war, and was later revitalized by artists. The white and blue color scheme makes it feel like Busan’s version of Santorini. And of course, for me, anywhere with an ocean view makes me happy. It turns out this village is a lot smaller than I expected, and it also got a bit cloudy in the afternoon, so it’s now a little bit colder than it is in the morning. I already had a coffee today, so I don’t think I’m gonna go to another coffee shop. If I have more than one coffee in a day, I won’t be able to sleep at all. It’s still quite nice sitting on this swing looking out into the ocean. I guess I’ll save some energy and call it a day a bit earlier today. Day three in Busan, and before exploring the city today, I just want to show you the view from my hotel. The hotel itself is very average, but it’s awesome waking up to an ocean view like this. For lunch today, I’m going to a place that is famous for its banchan, which are Korean side dishes. But here, the side dishes are just as popular as the main course. Today for lunch near the BIFF Square, I got a Korean set menu with seven different side dishes. You order like a main dish, I got a tofu stew, and of course it comes with all this banchan. There’s some tteokbokki, it looks like this is some fish cake, egg, kimchi, and the rice they give you is not white rice, it’s like this purple forbidden rice type of thing. Okay, time to try the food. Of course, I gotta try the tofu stew first, the star of the set menu. Look at that silken tofu coated in that broth. It’s so good. Just the perfect amount of spice, and the tofu doesn’t completely disintegrate. I know sometimes when you eat soft tofu stew, the tofu sort of just melts and dissolves into the soup. The green onions and pork inside also give it a little crunch, so it’s not just the soft tofu. If you like Korean food but don’t want something that’s way too spicy, this is a good choice. It’s like this mild little spice just tingling on your tongue. The banchan here is sort of like what you would get in the street food stalls in the BIFF Square, like tteokbokki and fish cake. So it’s good that they have it as part of the set menu in this restaurant. Gonna try a piece of the tteokbokki, the spicy rice cake. Tteokbokki is still definitely one of the best Korean snacks. Has this thick spicy sauce, but again, not overpowering with the spice. I feel like the spiciness in tteokbokki is like sweet and spicy combined together, so it’s not something that will punch you in the face. It’s really well balanced. Now I’m going to try a piece of this omelette. Oh, that is not an omelette, it’s actually a pancake. The color is similar to an egg, that’s why I thought it was an omelette. But actually I think the color just comes from the kimchi that’s mixed in with the dough. Oh, it’s really good. You’re always going to get banchan, side dishes, in these Korean meals, but the quality of the banchan definitely varies depending on where you go. In this restaurant, the seven side dishes shine as much as the main dish. I just love this way of eating in Korea. Even if you just order one dish, you get so much variety that comes with it. It’s awesome. My favorite side dish was surprisingly this pancake, and the second would probably be the tteokbokki. I think that was the best 9000 Won I spent in Korea so far. It’s in a very touristy area, but it’s definitely not touristy prices. Highly recommend. After lunch, it’s time for a short walk. I’m going to head over to the Yongdusan Park near the Busan Tower. It’s very close to the BIFF Square, maybe like a five to ten minute walk, and you don’t need a hike up. You can just take the escalator. This little hill is actually a lot lower than I expected. I think the main viewpoint is up on the Busan Tower, but I don’t think I’m going to go up there today. It’s quite expensive, and I think nearby mountain ranges or maybe even the Lotte Mall will have a similar view. But I think even if you don’t go up to the Busan Tower, it’s still a nice park to be at. I mean, the Busan Tower is one of the landmarks of the city, so at least just come here and take a look. I saw this bird in so many different places on this Busan trip. I was wondering what it was. Why is it so common? It kind of looks like a chicken or something, but no, it’s actually a seagull. This is Boogi the Seagull, the mascot of Busan. It became the mascot of Busan in 2002. It’s always quite cute when a city has a mascot, so it becomes like a souvenir and a good way of marketing the city as well. But I think since it’s winter, I haven’t actually seen any real seagulls in Busan yet. The Busan Tower was built in the 70s. However, unlike many tower structures around the world, this one does not have any TV broadcasting or transmitting equipment. It’s purely used as an entertainment and tourist landmark. If you want to go up, it costs 12000 Won. But since Busan is a naturally mountainous city, I don’t think going up to a man-made observation tower like this is worth it. Tonight, I’m heading to a high viewpoint on Yeongdo Island that will give you another great perspective of the city. Everywhere I go, I try to visit at least one museum, and since Busan is such an important maritime city, I decided to come to the Maritime Museum of Korea here on Yeongdo Island. The museum is free to enter, so I’m just going to walk around in here. It turns out that while I’m here, many parts of the museum are under renovation. Of course it is. But it’s okay. This place still has an amazing ocean view. So I’m just going to take a short stroll by the ocean and go catch the sunset somewhere else. While the ocean view here is nice, it’s definitely not the most famous coastline in Busan. Tomorrow, I have one last full day here, and I’m going to visit the east side of Busan, which is probably the area that Busan is the most well-known for. So I have that to look forward to. But tonight, I still want to go somewhere and catch the sunset. I may or may not make it because I just missed a bus, but even if I miss the sunset, hopefully the night view will still be nice. After a crazy minibus ride, I arrived at the lookout. And at nighttime, it’s once again super cold. I did miss the sunset, but at least there’s this night view. And I think in the end, it’s still all worth it. There really are so many great lookouts in Busan, and every single angle gives you a different view of the city. I feel like this is like the third lookout I’ve been to already. This one has this perfect view of the bridge. Busan really is a place that has such a unique cityscape. It’s not uniform. There’s mountains, there’s the harbor, there’s the typical flat metropolitan city, but at the same time, there’s a fishing village vibe to it as well. It’s really such a beautiful city. So I made it down from the mountain, and I’m back at the BIFF Square area. Tonight, I’m at a very interesting restaurant for dinner. Here, you order a main dish, and then instead of getting banchan like the usual Korean restaurants, they have a mini buffet for all the side dishes, and it’s all you can eat. So the main dish I got is a pork cutlet. Obviously, that’s not all you can eat. But then you can get all sorts of side dishes. They have tteokbokki, they have glass noodles, pork, kimchi, pancakes, everything you can possibly expect as a side dish from a Korean restaurant they have here. The pork is super tender, still juicy inside, and so well battered as well. I like that the batter is quite flaky. I’m gonna try the japchae, one of my favorite Korean dishes. It’s this glass noodle dish. There’s this bouncy texture, it’s savory, and the sesame oil flavor is very strong as well, just how I like it. I’m not sure how common this concept is in Korea to have the banchan as an unlimited buffet, but I really like it. If you’re an adult, you have to order a main course. But if you have children, you can pay an extra 8000 Won for them to just have the buffet. As for the main dishes, the menu is actually not that big. It’s mainly soup dishes, but there is that one deep-fried pork cutlet, and I highly recommend choosing that one. Even though the film festival is now held in Haeundae, which is the district I’m heading to tomorrow, it’s still awesome to see the celebration of film culture here around BIFF Square. Even though I’m quite full already, before I leave the BIFF Square, there’s one last thing I have to try. It’s called a hotteok. From what I can tell, it’s like a little pancake, and the filling inside, it’s seeds. I never had something like this before, but the store owner said it’s a very traditional thing from Busan. Let’s try it. I think it’s sweet. I think it’s a dessert. I like it. The outer shell is sugary, and it sort of has a texture of like a crispy mochi. It’s soft, even though it’s deep-fried. But inside you have the nuts, so it gives it this crunchy texture. You can taste the cinnamon inside, but the sweetness is not overpowering, which is good. And I guess since the seeds fall out so easily, they give it to you in a cup. Really nice snack. If you’re around this area, there are so many stalls selling this, I think. But the one I went to, they claim to be the one that’s the most famous. Good morning, today is my last day here in Busan, and of course there is still one last area I have not been to yet, the Haeundae area. It’s a bit further away, I have to take a 70-minute bus ride to get there, but hopefully it’ll be worth it because that supposedly is the most beautiful area of Busan. Well that was certainly a very long bus ride, but I finally reached the entry point to my first location of the day. Now there’s still another ten minute hike to get there, not that bad considering the temperature is finally warmer and the weather is beautiful today. So here I am at the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. This temple is famous for being right next to the ocean, so it has this beautiful coastline view. Isn’t this just a great place to put a temple? I just love being next to the ocean. If you want, you can also get one of these gold leaves to write down your best wishes. It costs 5000 Won. On the bridge that connects the two sides of the temple, you can participate in a lucky coin divination. I believe you’re supposed to make a wish and then toss a coin down. If your coin lands in the bowl, your wish will come true. It seems quite difficult, I’m going to try. Well, I missed completely. Over here at the main hall, there are many different prayers and donations you can make. You can buy a candle. You can donate a tile to the roof and write your prayers on there, and of course you can also still get the gold leaves. But I think it’s all cash only here, unfortunately. And now it’s the tough part. You have to take all these steps back up to the very top. There’s even a traffic safety pagoda here with a tire monument. Doesn’t really suit the aesthetic of this temple. But I think you’re supposed to rub it and it will grant you safety for your travels. The temple itself is not that big, but I still think it’s worth visiting if you’re in this area anyways, especially just for that ocean view. I’ve made it over to my second spot of the day, Songjeong Beach. It’s not exactly beach season right now since it is the winter time, but it still feels so nice walking by the ocean. Here there are finally some of Busan’s spirit animal, the seagull. It’s interesting, these seagulls are not like the typical large, annoying seagulls that you will find in Europe or North America. They’re quite small and cute. And they are all sort of just in one place, standing still, resting, I guess. Okay, now it’s understandable that Busan has its mascot as a seagull, if it’s this type of cute seagull. For lunch today, I found a burger spot by the beach. There’s nobody else here, I guess beaches really aren’t popular during the winter time. But it’s okay, the burger looks pretty good and I get the whole restaurant to myself. And of course, best of all, I get this perfect view of the beach right in front of me. The burger is actually pretty good, nice beef patty with some mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes inside. I can’t believe there’s actually someone paddle boarding out there. It must be deathly cold if you fall in right now. So lunchtime over, now I’m going to head to the Cheongsapo area, which is probably the most famous area on this coastline. The easiest way to get to Cheongsapo is, of course, by taking the seaside train. And then from Cheongsapo, you can take the capsules. But since I have a lot of time today, I decided to just skip the train and have a nice walk by the ocean. Here there’s a walkway that loops out onto the ocean, and parts of it have glass floors. So if you’re afraid of heights, don’t look down. Okay, I’ll be honest, even though I’m not afraid of heights, it still feels kind of sketchy when it’s all this glass floor. So I’m standing on the parts that have supports. After a very peaceful walk by the ocean, I made it over to Cheongsapo. For most people visiting Busan, this is the starting point for the famous capsule railway that takes you all the way to Haeundae Beach. But even if you’re only here to take the capsules, you should definitely still spend some time exploring this small fishing village. The most iconic thing here in Cheongsapo other than the capsule train is, of course, these two lighthouses. One white, one red. The water is so blue today that the red and white just give off perfect reflections. And right there in the distance, of course, there are the viral capsule trains. I’m not going to take them alone today, but when Rika and I come back to Busan together another time, we’re definitely going to take the capsules. I guess the capsules do look quite fun for couples and families. If you do take the capsule, remember to reserve your time slot beforehand. Otherwise, you might get assigned a random time slot and you’ll have to wait quite a while to board the train. For those of you not taking the capsule, don’t worry. With the vast ocean on one side and the cute trains passing by on the other, I think this walkway is one of the best places to spend an afternoon in Busan. And finally, I made it to Haeundae Beach, the final stop of my Busan trip. While there aren’t any beach activities during the winter, this is still the perfect place to see the sunset. And it seems like Busan’s spirit animals are much more lively here. Before I leave Busan, I’ll leave you guys with these beautiful views of Haeundae Beach.

Busan is known for its picturesque coastline and charming hillside villages. The second largest city in South Korea may seem like a perfect spring or summer destination, but what is it like during the winter season? Join me on this four day trip to check out iconic sites like Gamcheon Village, Cheongsapo, Haeundae Beach, and BIFF Square, all in the freezing cold. Will this trip be worth it? Let’s find out!

Visited During: January 2025

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VIDEO CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Nampo & BIFF Square
03:43 – Somang Stairs Monorail
06:49 – Yeongju Haneulnun Observation Deck
07:41 – Gamcheon Culture Village
13:49 – Huinnyeoul Culture Village
15:25 – Yongdusan Park & Busan Tower
20:44 – Maritime Museum of Korea
22:45 – Cheonghak Reservoir Observatory
24:00 – BIFF Square at Night
27:01 – Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
30:28 – Songjeong Beach
32:20 – Cheongsapo
36:26 – Haeundae Beach

GEAR:
Main Cameras: Fujifilm X-H2s, DJI Pocket 3
Lenses: Fujifilm 35mm f2, Tamron 11-28mm f2.8
360 Cam: Insta360 X4
Phone: iPhone 14 Pro
Sound: DJI Mic & Deity D3 Pro