With 2 days in Busan you will be able to hit the biggest highlights. You can switch some of the places in this itinerary, if you are interested in other things, but overall, this is going to make a nice selection of the sites to visit.
Day 2 highlights – Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Dalmaji-jil Road, Cheongsapo Observatory, Sky Capsule, Haeundae
On this day, as other days in Busan, you will need transportation quite a lot, although you can walk among some of the sites (use Naver maps for directions). I will give suggestions for each attraction separately.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Entrance Fee: Free
Visiting this temple is one of the highlights of a trip to Busan so I suggest including this even in the one-day itinerary, if you can.
Here is the dedicated article with detailed tips on getting there and exploring the temple grounds.
Dalmaji-gil Road
From Haedong Yonggungsa, if you have a lot of time, you can walk towards Cheongsapo. The walk is mainly along the seaside and will make a lovely pastime. Along the way you can find a number of cafes as well, such as café Oldmug.
Alternatively, you can take a bus from the main road. Bus #100, 181 and 1001 will both get you to Hauendae and nearby (consult Naver for more details). Hop off the bus nearby this point on Google or on Naver.
From here you have 2 options:
- More difficult hilly walk with views – explore the popular Dalmaji-gil Road (this area is especially popular during cherry blossom season). When we visited right after the rainy day when all cherry blossoms disappeared, the area was pretty quiet and we were one of the few people walking around, which was nice.
- Easier seaside walk – walk along the coast from Mipo to Cheongsapo on a wooden walkway called Green railway. Here you can enjoy the sea views, as well as pass the Dalmaji tunnel. You will get nice shots of the Blueline park train and capsules.
Note: if you prefer, you can skip either of these and hop off the bus near Chaongsapo station.
If you choose Dalmaji Road, take the tree lined road straight to Dalmaji Park and Haewoljeong Pavilion. This area is actually called Monmartre of Busan, I guess because of its lovely views. First, you star a walk uphill, so it might be a little tiring. On the way you will also find Moontan Road – a scenic way down to the seaside. It is a forest path, so make sure you have the right footwear for it. If you choose this route, you can either get to the main viewpoint and turn back, or continue your path down to the seaside. I believe you should expect about an hour’s walk on this path.
On the road and off it you will find a number of lovely cafes. We loved the colorful Café in Busan, but you can chose another.
See details of this or other cafes in the area in my post dedicated to Busan cafes).
Haewoljeong Pavilion doesn’t have any historical significance, it’s basically a scenic spot. It has lovely views of the sea and seaside areas. Actually, you get these lovely views time after time while walking on Dalmaji-gil Road.
If you have more time, you can go farther uphill and explore the green areas of this hill. Otherwise, you can head downhill towards Cheongsapo. Naver will show you your options for walking down. We chose slightly longer road along the main way, because on shortcuts there were too many dogs running around and I didn’t want to go through there.
Cheongsapo
Whether you choose to walk around Dalmaji-gil Road or take the seaside way, you will end up at Cheongsapo. You can also take the Blueline beach train or capsule to get here, or hop on a bus. However, the route from Mipo to Cheongsapo is more crowded, than vice versa, so if you are only doing one way, I suggest choosing Cheongsapo to Mipo direction.
Cheongsapo is a lovely seaside area with lighthouses, restaurants and cafes. It is a fishing village and is famous for its seafood. This area was much less known, before the opening of the Daritdol observatory and the Sky capsule and beach train. In the past few years, it gained popularity and now is one of the most visited areas in Busan.
Walking around the area, you will find a number of cafes, many of them with rooftop views. Furthermore, you can have a nice stroll at the seaside, or from Blueline Cheongsapo station to the Cheongsapo Daritdol observatory through a walkway.
See details of the possible options in the area in my post dedicated to Busan cafes).
Nearby the Sky capsule and beach train stations you will find an area with cute sea themed murals to explore.
Cheongsapo Daritdol Skywalk/Observatory
This opened in 2017 and currently is one of the popular glass floor skywalks in Busan (along with the Songdo skywalk and Oryukdo Skywalk). The walk stretches quite far into the sea, so you can enjoy nice views of the nearby coastline. From here you can also see the 2 lighthouses in the sea.
To get on the walkway, you will have to cover your shoes with the cloth cover that they provide. It was a little uncomfortable but easily doable.
We visited during a windy day, however, walking farther out on the walkway, it got crazy windy. If you are also visiting on a windy day, make sure to have all your belongings safeguarded, or they will fly away – my hair totally did 😀
If you aren’t short on time while in this area, you can take the Beach train towards Songjeong and explore more of the seaside area. Otherwise, hop on the Sky capsule and head to Mipo.
Haeundae Blueline Sky Capsule and/or Beach Train
Sky Capsule prices for 2 people: 1 way – 35,000 won.
Beach Train ticket: 1 way: 7,000 won, Round trip: 12,000 won, all day ticket: 16,000 won
Haeundae Blueline park operates both the Haeundae Blueline Sky Capsule and Haeundae Blueline Beach Train, which opened in 2020 on an abandoned railway track. Both are very colorful and cute, hence, very popular on Instagram and Tiktok.
Busan X the Sky (Price: 27,000 won)
Price: 27.000 Won
Once you are done with the Sky capsule ride, and if you would like to have some more views of the city, particularly, the east side, you can visit Busan X The Sky – highest observation deck in Busan. We thought that it wasn’t worth paying so much, while we had so much else to do in our 3 days in Busan, so we skipped this. If you are doing this along with some other expensive places, consider getting the Busan Pass.
The observation deck is located on the 100th floor of the Landmark tower, which is the second tallest in Korea, after the Lotte tower. You will also find the glass floor bridge here. The observation deck is with glass windows and covered. On the 99th floor, you will find open top sky garden as well.
Btw, even toilets have views here. I have seen that only in a couple of places and it’s always fun.
Haeundae
The Haeundae area with its lovely beach is currently the most popular beachside area in Busan and chosen by many tourists, as their base. Hotels here are more expensive though than, for instance, in Seomyen or Nampo. The area is easily accessible by metro line 2 – Haeundae station.
Even if it’s too cold to get into the sea at the time you are visiting, definitely take a stroll on the promenade or on the white sand beach. At the central area of the beach, we noticed beautifully carved sandcastles. It’s particularly beautiful during sunset and always crowded. There are also boat tours you could take from here, however, when we visited, we didn’t see any (perhaps because it was a windy day).
Along the promenade and on the road from the beach to the Haeundae Station you will find a number of restaurants and cafes.
See details of the possible options in the area in my post dedicated to Busan cafes).
In the evening, you will find the musicians performing on the beach, as well as a number of other activities.
Walking westwards along the beach, you will reach Dongbaek island, from which you get cool views of the Gwangan beach. If you are here on a weekend day, in the evenings you can catch a drone show (more on that in the day 3 itinerary). The island is known for its camelias. Here you will also find Nurimaru APEC house, where APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation – an intergovernmental forum) meetings are being held.
By the end of this long day, you can enjoy Haeundae area at night, or hop on the metro from Haeundae station and head to your hotel.
