Busan in 3 Days: Beaches, Seafood & Sea Breeze

If Seoul is Korea’s pulse, Busan is its deep breath. The country’s second city trades palaces for beaches, hillsides of pastel houses, and some of the best seafood you’ll eat anywhere. Here’s how to spend three easy days.

The beaches

Haeundae is the famous one — wide, golden, and lined with cafes. For something calmer, walk the cliffside Igidae Coastal Trail or catch the sunset at Gwangalli, where the Diamond Bridge lights up after dark.

Gamcheon Culture Village

Often called Korea’s Santorini, this hillside neighborhood of brightly painted homes is made for slow wandering. Go early to beat the crowds and the midday heat.

Eat by the water

Head to Jagalchi Market, Korea’s largest seafood market. Pick your catch downstairs and have it grilled or served raw upstairs. Don’t leave without trying ssiat hotteok — a seed-stuffed sweet pancake born in Busan.