DECEMBER 2024
We loved Busan and found it a great destination to visit with kids. We stayed in Busan for three nights, but should have stayed longer as there is a lot to do and it being very stretched out. In this blogpost I will highlight my favorite activities in Busan and you will see why it is a fun destination that is very kid-friendly.
Where we stayed
As we were traveling with a party of four, we decided to book two hotel rooms in the Best Louis Hamilton Haeundae. We were very happy with our choice because it was comfortable, clean and close to the beach. No need to book an expensive hotel with a pool as Busan has great beaches! At breakfast they served three options, one being Korean, one being a sandwich menu and one being western style with pancakes, which was perfect for a kid. Haeundae is a great area to stay with kids as it is a short walk to the beach, the main shopping street has a fountain show and many kid friendly restaurants in the area. It is also close to the Aquarium!
My favorite activities
Gamcheon Culture Village: To me the pictures of Gamcheon Culture Village were the postcard pictures of Busan and they really made me want to visit Busan on a Korea trip. This hillside village was built by refugees of the Korean war and later became a sort of art village/touristy activity, with colorful houses and street art. People still live here, but the number of inhabitants has been on a decline. We took a taxi to Gamcheon Culture Village and got dropped off at the top of the village near the photo point (near Avant Garde cafe). If you visit this way you can slowly walk your way down all of the colorful houses. There are lots of fun, artsy shops in Gamcheon Culture village, we visited the little museum, had some street food and admired the street art. There honestly is so much to see, our toddler loved the vibes!
Sky Capsule Haeunde Blueline Park: Busan is like one big urban attraction park and one of the highlights is the Sky Capsule of Blueline park. The Sky Capsule consists of small, individual trams, that drive on a raised track offering city and sea views. The Sky Capsule drives between Mipo Station, which is near Haeundae and Cheongsapo Station. Tickets from Mipo usually sell out, so book them in advance. Even if you book tickets with a timeslot you have to join a small queue some time in advance. Usually the queue at Cheonsapo is shorter. Again, kids love the cute capsules and it is very kid friendly. Please note that you are not supposed to bring a stroller on the trams. Below the Sky Capsule you can find the beach train, which you can take in the other direction and you need separate tickets for this. We walked back instead of taking the train and visited the Skywalk which you find along the path (pictured below).
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple: I didn’t expect Hugo to love this temple, but he surprisingly did! We got incredibly lucky and visited on a day where all the colorful lanters were displayed, which is not always the case. You could also write shiny wishing cards, which he found so beautiful and fascinating. The Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is quite far out of the city center, but we found that taking the bus there worked magically well. The entrance is free and it gets incredibly busy.
In front of the temple you will find a little village consisting of foodtrucks and shops, so you will have plenty of (kid friendly) snacks to choose from.
Skyline Luge: We accidentally found the Skyline Luge as it is located opposite the entrance road to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. We have a kid that loves speed and cars, so we had to take the slow chairlift up to the hill and take the cart to go down. There are several packages you can buy, but the least number of rides you have to buy is three. Please note that you are allowed to use these tickets with multiple people, so you can alternate if you want. We found this such a cute, fun activity, highly recommended with kids (and without). Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures during the ride.
Haeundae Beach & Fountain show: Haeundae beach is one of the most popular beaches in Busan with skyscrapers surrounding this picture perfect beach. The water was quite warm at the end of September, a nice surprise! You will mainly see foreigners swimming in Busan, as most Koreans just use the beach for a walk. Don’t expect sun chairs or cocktail bars on the beach, just BYO. Near the beach you will find the main shopping and bar street of Haeundae, which was such a vibe at night. We loved the sushi belt restaurant and the Haeundae Traditional Market for food. We accidentally bumped into the Haeundae fountain show, it is more frequent in summer than during the off season, so make sure to google to check the actual hours.
Drone show Gwangalli Beach: Weekly on Saturday Eve there is an enormous drone show in Busan, on Gwangalli Beach. I was really looking forward to it and had never witnessed a drone show before… but unfortunately it got cancelled due to bad weather that never came. And unfortunately you only have a chance to watch it on Saturday Evenings… Gwangalli is also a great place to go swimming, I found it a bit more lively than Haeundae beach. The Gwangan bridge is such a special backdrop once you are swimming! The area is also known for its hipster coffee bars.
2D Cafe: We had a sweet lunch at 2D Cafe Butter Vill. This cafe looks like it has been painted in black and white and it serves delicious and beautiful cakes, such as the bear one that I choose. A bit ridiculous but little Hugo loved it just as much as his mama!
Mural villages: We spent three nights in Busan and as the city is so stretched, we didn’t have time to visit everything I wanted. I would recommend spending 4 or 5 nights in Busan, so you can also discover some lesser known areas. For example I would have loved to visit the Dakbatgol Mural Village and the Santorini style Huinnyeoul Culture Village, but we never made it there.
Skywalks: Busan loves Skywalks. As Busan is located at the coast, they have a lot of coastal paths and observatories. Some of them being the Oryukdo Skywalk, the Cheongsapo Daritdol Observatory and the Dudo Observation Deck. If you have time I would recommend visiting these to see the lovely coastline.
