Busan Coast, Local Markets & Culture Village Full-Day Tour

Haedong Yonggungsa, the temple by the sea

Haedong Yonggungsa was founded in the 14th century on the rocky coast of Gijang, north-east of Busan, and is one of the few Korean temples built right at the water's edge rather than in the mountains. Steps lead down past statues of the twelve zodiac animals to colourful halls, a stone pagoda and a large seated statue facing the ocean, with waves breaking on the rocks below.

Your guide explains the temple's legends and Buddhist symbols during about an hour of free exploring and photos. It is especially atmospheric when lanterns are hung for Buddha's Birthday in spring, and at sunrise on New Year's Day. Many visitors ask how to get to Haedong Yonggungsa by public transport; on this tour you simply ride with the group and avoid the long bus connections.

Cheongsapo fishing village

Cheongsapo is a small fishing port on the coast of Haeundae, known for its red and white lighthouses, its harbour full of working boats and grilled-clam restaurants along the shore. It is a calm, local corner of Busan, a world away from the high-rises of Haeundae Beach a few kilometres away.

Above the rocks, the Daritdol skywalk stretches out over the sea for wide coastal views, and you can watch the little beach train and sky capsules gliding along the old railway that runs above the coast. This stop is part of the Essential Busan version of the tour, while the other version visits the Ahopsan bamboo forest instead, a 400-year-old private woodland of tall bamboo and cedar.

Jagalchi Market, Busan's seafood capital

Jagalchi Market is Korea's largest seafood market and the beating heart of the old harbour district of Nampo. Rows of stalls overflow with live crabs, octopus, sea squirts, mackerel and dried fish, run largely by the market's famous women vendors, the Jagalchi ajummas. The modern main building, shaped like seagulls in flight, faces the harbour.

During your free time here you can choose seafood downstairs and have it prepared at one of the restaurants upstairs, or try simpler snacks around the market; lunch is at your own expense. Your guide gives tips on what to try and how ordering works. Expect about 50 minutes, enough to walk the stalls, watch the fishing boats in the harbour and have lunch.

BIFF Square and Gukje Market

A short walk from Jagalchi, BIFF Square in Nampo-dong is where the Busan International Film Festival began in 1996. Handprints of filmmakers are set in the pavement, but most people come for the street food: seed-filled sweet pancakes called ssiat hotteok, skewers of Busan fish cake and other hot snacks from the stalls.

Next door, Gukje Market grew up after 1945 and during the Korean War, when refugees traded anything they could here. Today it is a dense maze of covered alleys selling clothes, kitchenware, souvenirs and food, a real slice of everyday Busan. You have free time to explore, shop and snack in both places, and your guide points out the best stalls for a quick bite.

Gamcheon Culture Village

Gamcheon Culture Village began in the 1950s as a hillside settlement for refugees, with small houses built in terraces up the steep slope. From 2009 an art project brought murals, sculptures and painted houses in pastel blues, pinks and yellows, turning it into one of the most photographed places in Busan, often called the Santorini of Korea.

You spend about 50 minutes walking its stairways and alleys, finding art installations and viewpoints over the harbour. Is Gamcheon Culture Village worth visiting? Yes, especially in the afternoon light, but remember that people live here, so keep voices low. A stamp map sold in the village makes a fun keepsake as you collect stamps at points along the route.