Are you looking for something fun to do in Busan?! And have five days to spare?? Or even just a few days? Read further to plan out your trip to explore different areas of Busan! This is what I did during the week of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving).

This was my first time in Busan, South Korea, which is another major city in South Korea. It is known for its beaches and seafood! They also have a Busan dialect, quite different from the Seoul dialect.

Living in Seoul for a little bit, I wanted to get away and explore a different environment. I came across a tour group on Facebook and decided to go with them because all the transportation would be taken care of! That leads to fewer headaches when planning out a trip. This group is also pretty chill and you are not forced to go to all the sites that they have planned. You can go do your own thing if you want and just pay for the ride and accommodation.

The bus ride there was a little less than 6 hours. After work on Friday night, I made my way to the meeting spot of the tour group. I met my friends there as well. I slept pretty much the whole way to Busan.

We arrived at Gwangalli beach and it was chilly. It was still dark and quiet. It was also almost time for the sunrise. The group split up into little ones. I went with my group of friends. We waited inside Holly’s Coffee across from the beach to get some coffee for this early morning. About fifteen minutes later, the sun was peaking out so we scurried over to the beach.

The air, the sand, and the sound of the water, all felt very calming.

The next thing to do on the itinerary was to check in at the guesthouse. But the rooms were not ready yet. So, we walked around a bit to see what there was. Some of us were hungry and the earliest place opened with the most appropriate meal to have in the morning was Subway 😂 It was also the safest option, we thought.

We walked around some more to eliminate time. Nearby, there are a lot of restaurants, bars, and pubs. We also found a jjimjilbang (찜질방), a Korean spa. Just then, we got a message from one of the tour group leaders that the rooms were ready. So, we grabbed our stuff that we left on the beach and dropped them off in our respective rooms.

For this first day, we just explored on our own around Gwangalli Beach. See what it has to offer. Afterward, everyone met up for a KBBQ dinner.

The meat and stew were delicious! I was told it’s a popular restaurant and it is close to the beach as well. (Sorry, I don’t remember the name of the restaurant.) They have veggie options available too.

After we were filled up, one of our friends wanted to meet up with another friend who lives in Busan. Our friend group joined him. This Busan friend lives near Haeundae Beach, which is about 41 minutes away from where we were. We took the subway at Gwangalli station for six stops and arrived at Haeundae station.

The first thing that I noticed coming up from Haeundae station was the crowds! At this beach, it was definitely more lively! There were bright lights from all the restaurants and stores as we walked away from the station. There were stalls of people selling t-shirts, souvenirs, gifts, snacks, and other knick-knacks!

There is a popular ice cream spot that you should check out if you like soft serve (recommended by my friend, Crystal)! The soft serve is super creamy and made with organic milk.

Near Softree is an alleyway where you will find small restaurants!

We were too full for any more food and a lot of them were closed since it was past their closing time.

A fun thing to do on the beach is to play with sparklers! You can usually find stalls selling sparklers near the beachside.

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of Busan! The first day of travel should not be too strenuous because most times you’re already tired from the travel to your destination!

Would you want to go to Gwangalli Beach? What do you usually like to do at the beach?

Sincerely,
Amy♡

2018.09.21. Friday night going into 2018.09.22. Saturday.
AMY HANG in BUSAN. Day 1.