Updated: 01/29/2025
Busan was another healing trip. i miss her too </3
i spent 2 full days in Busan with Caitlin. shoutout to Caitlin ssi! in case you don’t know, Busan is a city located on the Southern oceanside of Korea and is a popular tourist location.
our first full day in Busan was the same day we arrived so we were pretty tired but had a good time anyway. we explored the western side and saved activities on the eastern side for day 2. Caitlin and i went to Busan alone because we were the only ones in our group who wanted to watch the fireworks at the annual Busan Fireworks Festival. there was another similar fireworks festival in Seoul at the Hangang River but we couldn't attend because there was so much going on that day. i think i was at an Enhypen concert or something that day.
the train was one of the more exciting parts in my opinion. we were excited because we liked the movie Train to Busan and experienced it in real life (without the zombies of course). we actually left the train at the wrong stop (we were one stop early), so don’t do that….. luckily we just hopped on the next train because they come frequently and it was the second-to-last stop but yeahhhhh don’t be like us lol.
in case you wanted to know, i purchased our train tickets on Klook for $78.88 each using a deal and promo code when they would usually be sold on the main website for around $100 each so i recommend purchasing there. train tickets can be expensyyy
once we arrived we left our things at our Airbnb and began exploring the BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) area. the festival was over when we arrived but the name remained the same for the place. we ate street food and left for our next stop, Gamcheon Cultural Village. if you don’t know what Gamcheon Village is, it’s a Busan cultural village known for the vibrant colors of the houses. the story of The Little Prince is popular in Busan so there’s lots of colorful, vibrant Little Prince art along the walls and streets of this village and all around the city. there’s not much to do in the village except walk around and take it all in. we went to a nearby cafe and purchased yummy mango drinks there because there was a really good view of the whole village from there. i don’t remember the name, but it is very pink and visible from the bus stop everyone is dropped off at. if you’re here, i highly recommend going to the photobooths because they have the cutest frames. something i was really excited to see here was the famous Little Prince-themed mural of Jungkook and Jimin. i have always seen photos of it online so seeing it in person was always something i wanted to do. the reason it’s so special is that they were born and raised in Busan so fans like to go and take pictures with it.
after Gamcheon Village we took the Busan Sky Cruise to the Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge. it was pretty cool and we had a nice view of Busan. the only weird thing was that we had to each pay to walk on it…. there was a lot to do where the bridge was located. there was a forest called Amnam Park but it was way too big to explore all of it with the time we had. there were some funny dinosaur statues so i think the area is going for a Jurassic type of theme. it was a bit silly but they were robotic, made sounds, and moved like real dinosaurs (kinda) so that was cool to see. we were not aware of all there was to see in this area. we thought the only thing to see was the bridge but the last thing we discovered was a Little Prince-themed cafe which was really cute, so that was a pleasant surprise. there was a photobooth with the cutest Little Prince frame too.
after the bridge, we took the air cruise back to the main city and took a bus to Huinnyeoul Culture Village. unfortunately, it was dark and creepy when we arrived and everything was closed except for this one creepy toy store. this is more of a daytime activity so if you plan on coming here don’t come at night time lol…. we did see some pretty views of a bridge though. it was also nice because the village is along an ocean wall so you can hear the waves crashing and stare out into the sea while walking.
our last stop of the day was the Miffy Cafe. our whole group is obsessed with Miffy so this was fun, but once again, a daytime thing. nighttime was a vibe but it was just empty and a bit eerie. also the food was definitely not fresh. the signature latte i had was good though. this cafe is really big and has a nice view of Busan so take lots of pics if you go!
the second day was just as eventful as the first. this was Busan Fireworks Festival day so we planned our itinerary around that.
our first stop was ZM-ILLENIAL (formerly known as MAGNATE), BTS member Jimin’s dad’s cafe. although we didn’t see his dad, just being able to visit the cafe and eat there was a memorable experience. we took the train for the first time to this cafe too so that was cool. the trains in Busan make different noises than the trains in Seoul. Seoul’s trumpets and Busan’s are ocean sounds.
after the cafe, we left for Haeundae Beach where we went to the 100th floor of BUSAN X the Sky, a really tall building. it’s the second tallest in Korea after the tallest 117 floors in Seoul. afterward, we hung out at the beach while waiting to ride the Haeundae Beach Train. we wanted to ride the sky capsules but were too late to purchase tickets. if you want to ride the sky capsules i recommend that you plan/buy tickets ahead of time. the sky capsules are cute and it’s recommended to ride them at sunset, but i think the train is just as nice. it’s also faster which was better for us because we were on a time crunch that day. both vehicles take you alongside the ocean to different stops. BUY THE ROUNDTRIP TICKET!! when we were ready to go we were a bit stuck because we didn’t buy a round-trip ticket and the bus was not showing up so we had to take a taxi (far and expensive) back to Gwangalli Beach (where the fireworks would be) and did not even make it all the way there because of traffic. anyway, our first and only stop was a cool glass bridge. they even had us put pieces of cloth over our shoes so we wouldn’t dirty the glass floor.
once we sorted out the taxi situation we arrived at Gwangalli Beach right when the fireworks were about to start. if you decide to attend this festival, know that it will be crazy packed, especially if you do not purchase a seat on the beach. we thought we would sit on the beach but that was not the case. we stood on the road next to the beach and watched from there. the view was still good though. if you can find a way to the top of a high-rise building then do that. the tickets to sit on the beach ranged from $75-$100 which is why we didn’t go that route but if they were less expensive then i would recommend it. there is also a yacht tour that takes you to the ocean to watch the fireworks from there which i think is worth it more than anything else. the only thing we couldn't see from where we were standing was the bridge but that was it. the whole show was really pretty and lasted for about 30 minutes. i felt like i was missing out because i didn’t see the fireworks in Seoul, so this experience made up for it.
we left in the morning the next day and although it was sad because the time flew by i know i will return one day. i really want to do the yacht tour for the Busan Fireworks Festival so if anyone is interested let me know hehe
in the end, Busan is good.
P.S. i don’t know if it’s just me and Cailtin, but the bus rides there felt like roller coasters. it was worse than Seoul and you know that’s saying a lot if you know how the bus rides in Seoul are haha FIND A SEAT IF YOU TAKE THE BUS OR BE READY TO HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE
