Favorite Corners - Busan

With its laid back atmosphere and abundant cafe culture, Busan blends sea-side charm with big city amenities and activities. We had no troubles finding things to do in the second largest city in South Korea. We spent rainy days wandering the world’s largest department store, lively evenings along boardwalks and street food markets, and sunny days wandering miles of cliffside.

The Oryukdo Skywalk is a free 15 meter observation deck that juts 35 meters above the ocean. Disposable booties are given to wear over your shoes to protect the transparent floor.

The views from the skywalk stretch all the way from Haeundae beach on one side to Taejongdae park on the other (shown here).

Of course, once the sky walk is done, we wandered down the wooden staircase to find the self-proclaimed Best Photo Zone, which we totally agreed with. It not only provides a nice up close view of the Oryukdo Islets, but also a marker that shows where the East Sea meets the South Sea.

Whenever we needed a break from sightseeing, we found a nice cafe to rest our feet and refuel our bodies. There was no shortage of delicious drinks, amazing cakes and other sweet treats. Busan has many themed cafes such as rooftop camping and posh living room settings, but we chose one whose owner had two Shiba Inus who spent their days in the cafe . This is Marco and she’s very adorable.

Haeundae beach is probably the most popular in Busan. The stunning stretch of white sand beach is over a kilometer long, and rimmed with gleaming high rises.

The BIFF Square is home to the Busan International Film Festival, but when the festival isn’t running it is still a lively area of movie theatres, street food and even a stretch of street has hand prints of famous people. Check out the surrounding buildings for more permanent food stalls and even some shopping.

Known as the temple by the sea, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is a gorgeous blend of the wild and the sacred. While the first stop is the view

One of the unique things about this place is that it is still a working temple, but is also equipped with an onsite cafe and the temples are open to the public. Definitely reserve some time to explore the grounds.

The main temple. Is well kept and still active. Leave your shoes at the door and find a few moments of serenity inside.

What to do in Busan if one of your days becomes filled with rain? This is SPA LAND Centum City. One of the best jimjilbangs in South Korea with 12 different theme rooms, massage chairs, a restaurant, outdoor footbaths, and gender segregated bathing pools that pull water from 100 feet underground. With the exception of the locker rooms and baths, the complex is shared by both genders.

There was a salt sauna where the interior walls were lined with pink Himalayan salt bricks, a Hamman room with heated floors modeled after Turkish baths, and a yellow ochre room where the interior is painted with yellow ochre and the infrared radiation is said to be very nurturing to the body. My favorite room in the spa was the Wave Dream room. A quiet calm space. Less hot. Less people. A balmy 40 degrees. The hottest room was over 70 degrees Celsius. The coldest room was aptly called the Ice Room which sat at chilly 13 degrees Celsius.

Gwangalli Beach was the perfect home base on our trip to Busan. Located close to a metro station, full of affordable restaurants and cafes, and, of course, the beach with a stunning bridge running across the horizon, what more could we ask for?

The iconic rainbow Gwangandaegyo bridge is one of the unique things about the Gwangalli skyline and is pretty during the day, but especially at night when the lights change colors. Even though we missed the weekend beach drone show due to the rain, the bridge’s quiet evening displays still lit up the sky. It’s seen in the background of a number of our Food Fridays pictures because we just couldn’t get enough of this view.