Recently,
the city of Busan is often being talked in the news and i’m sure that you’ve heard one of those
news. This is because this year Busan is hosting a large event, especially for
ASEAN citizens. The event was an ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit
which was held as a 30th anniversary of relations between ASEAN member
countries and Korea. Indonesia is also one of the participants in the event
that was held in Busan. Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo, has also left from
Indonesia to go to Busan on Saturday, November 23, 2019, to attend a series of
events, in which one of its agendas was to discuss ASEAN-South Korea
cooperation for the next 30 years.
Apart from
that, has it ever crossed your mind to visit Busan if one day you will travel
to South Korea? For most people, they generally will prioritize to visit the
South Korean Capital, the City of Seoul, when visiting South Korea. However,
actually there are many cities in South Korea that are interesting to explore
besides Seoul, one of which is Busan. Busan is the second largest city after
Seoul and it is a tourist destination that has beautiful natural scenery.
·
How to
Get There
First of all, in
order to be able to go to Busan City, you need to know in advance what mode of
transportation you will use to get there. If you depart from Seoul, there are
several modes of public transportation with several price options to choose
from.
1. By KTX
KTX which is
short for Korea Train Express, is South Korea high-speed train that will take
you from Seoul to Busan in only about two and a half hours. Wow, it's really
fast, isn't it? Ticket prices can be chosen according to the class you choose.
There are 3 choices of class if you use KTX, which are First Class, Economy
Class, and Standing/Non-reserved seat. If you want to reserve a ticket to
Busan, you can directly reserve the ticket via the korail website (www.letskorail.com).
2. By ITX
ITX is also
one of the trains that you can choose to travel from Seoul to Busan. However, traveling
with ITX will not be as fast as KTX. But the ticket prices are certainly
cheaper when compared to KTX.
3. By Bus
I myself used
the bus to go to Busan because the price of taking a bus was relatively cheaper
compared to the mode of transportation of the train type. In addition, in my
opinion buses in Korea are also very comfortable and also on time. It is
different from my experience using a bus in Indonesia, which sometimes require
me to wait for the passengers to be fully loaded and sometimes I have to face a
pretty long traffic jam on the road.
However, if
you intend to make Busan as the first city in South Korea that you visit, then
you can also choose a plane that lands at Gimhae International Airport which
can be reached in about 1 hour from Busan downtown.
·
Where
to Stay
As in Seoul,
there are several choices of places to stay if you visit Busan. Starting from
hotels, motels, guest houses, or even if you only stay 1 or 2 days maybe you
can stay at Jjimjilbang / sauna. My advice in choosing a place to stay is to
choose a place that is close to your tourist destination in Busan. When I go to
Busan, I choose to stay at a guest house near Haeundae Beach because I only
have to walk to go to Haeundae Beach and it will certainly cut my
transportation costs.
·
Where
to Go in Busan and What to Explore
Based on my
experience, there are several tourist attractions in Busan that are interesting
to visit while you are there.
1. Beach (Haeundae Beach and Gwangalli Beach)
Busan is a
city that famous for its beaches. Therefore, it won’t be complete to go to
Busan without visiting the beach. When I was there, I visited 2 beaches, namely
Haeundae Beach and Gwangalli Beach. Because I came in summer, during the day I
can enjoy the beach by swimming, sunbathing, and playing sand on the beach. In
addition, because I came during the summer holidays, so I also met many local
people who were on vacation there. The atmosphere of this beach can not only be
enjoyed during the day, but you can also enjoy the sunset in the afternoon and
at night you can enjoy live music and performance on the beaches. In my opinion,
spending the night at beach in Busan has its own experience, especially because
you can hear the sound of the waves accompanied by soothing live music. In
particular, at Gwangalli Beach, you can also see the beautiful view of the
Gwangan Bridge light show at night.
2. Gamcheon Village
Gamcheon
Village is a village with colorful houses that has long been an icon of the
city of Busan. When Indonesian president, Mr. Joko Widodo, visited Busan City,
he also had the opportunity to visit this beautiful village. Gamcheon Village
has often been used as a shooting location on Korean TV series and it is also a
very “instagrammable” village for those of you who like to take pictures and
upload photos on Instagram. In order to enter the Gamcheon Village Area, you
don’t need to pay or it is free because actually Gamcheon Village is an original
complex of Busan residents. Therefore, you should not disturb the residents when
visiting this area. In addition, the Gamcheon village area is quite extensive,
so my suggestion is to take the map provided at the entrance of Gamcheon
Village. You can use the map for guidance while exploring Gamcheon Village. In
the village there are also many souvenirs that are sold to tourists so you can
buy souvenirs there. Happy exploring!
3. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Haedong
Yonggungsa Temple is a temple located on the seafront. The experience of
visiting this temple has left its own impression for me. Personally, Haedong
Yonggungsa temple is the most beautiful Buddhist temple that I have ever seen
in South Korea. Its location on the seafront makes this temple has its own
charm. The sound of crashing waves combined with the sound of monks from the
temple has calmed my heart. At the end, I was mesmerized not only by how big
and magnificent this temple building was, but also by the surrounding atmosphere
that calm my mind and soul.
4. Oryukdo Skywalk
One of the fun
places I visited in Busan was Oryukdo Skywalk. In this place, you can look
under the sea from a transparent glass bridge located on a cliff on the beach.
It's fun and tense to walk on this bridge. However, you don't need to worry
because this glass bridge is very strong and is guaranteed to be safe walking
on this bridge. From here, you can enjoy the blue sky, sea views, and the
beauty of Busan.
5. Dongbaek Island and Nurimaru APEC House
In this area
of Dongbaek Island, there are walking paths that can be used to go around the
island. You can also see a statue that resembles a mermaid in this island. The
statue is based on the Korean legend, Princess Hwagok. In addition, you can
also visit the “Nurimaru APEC House” which is also located around Dongbaek
Island. Nurimaru APEC House is a place that was used for the APEC (Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation) meeting in 2005.
6. Al Fatah Mosque, Busan
For Muslim
visitors like me, you can also visit the mosque in the city of Busan, called
the Al-Fatah Mosque. In South Korea, Muslims are a minority and mosques only
exist in a few cities. Besides coming to worship at the mosque, you can also
experience Halal Food restaurant in the area around the mosque.
·
Where
to Eat and What to Eat in Busan
As a city
close to the beach, seafood is certainly a food choice when visiting Busan. In
order to taste fresh seafood that is directly taken from the sea, then you can
visit markets in Busan, one of which is Jagalchi Market. At Jagalchi Market,
you can immediately choose the type of fish or other seafood that you want to
eat and then your seafood will be directly processed to be the food as
displayed in the menu. Furthermore, you can also choose unique food menu like sannakji (live octopus) if you want to
try eating like local people.
Another option
for culinary hunter other than seafood is definitely street food. If you want
to try various street food in Busan, you can visit Gukje Market Street Food.
Here you can taste a variety of street food with various price, from gimbap (korean rice rolls), tteokbokki (korean rice cakes), pajeon (korean traditional pancakes), hotteok, and other street food. Another
food option when you visit Busan is eomuk
(fishcakes). When I visited Busan, I came to eomuk
(fishcakes) cafe, called "goraesa eomuk", located near Haeundae
beach. In this cafe there are many variants of fishcakes with various flavors.
You can immediately choose the fishcakes you want and pay directly at the
cashier. After that you can enjoy the fishcakes you want. Other than fishcakes,
there are also other foods such as udon and salad that can be eaten with
fishcakes. You can also buy a variety of processed fishcakes that can be
brought if you want to eat the fishcakes later.
·
When
to Visit Busan (The Best Time in Busan)
Since South
Korea is a four-season country, so in my opinion Busan has its own charm or
interesting side in each season. I came during summer so I can swim, sunbathe,
and enjoy Busan beaches more. Next, if you come in spring, you can enjoy the
beautiful cherry blossoms that blooms in Busan City. My advice if you come in
spring is don't forget to go to the best cherry blossom spots like Oncheoncheon
Stream and Daejeo Ecological Park. Meanwhile,
if you come in autumn, you can enjoy fallen leaves with various colors that
will please your eye. My recommendation to enjoy autumn in Busan is by visiting
Juwangsan National Park or Yongdusan Park. Lastly, if you come in winter you
can enjoy the winter atmosphere which is certainly warmer than Seoul City
because Busan is located in the southern part of Korea. Besides that, you can
also enjoy ice skating at Shinsegae Department Store or go to Eden ski Resort
to enjoy the sensation of skiing in Busan.
In conclusion,
Busan is a city with beautiful scenery, a variety of interesting tourist
attractions, and a variety of culinary choices that can be enjoyed. Last but
not least, you can experience to hear satoori/
Busan local accent, and mingle with local tourists in Busan City. My experience
in Busan itself is an unforgettable experience. If I have the chance to visit
Korea again, I will not hesitate to visit Busan for the second time and explore
more things there.
