Busan Beaches and Coastal Walks

Having lived in an archipelago all my life, I normally would not visit beaches in other countries (and during spring at that!), but beaches always come up when googling things to do in Busan, and so we found ourselves heading to two of Busan's famous beaches.

Haeundae Beach

해운대해수욕장

47, Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan

Directions to Haeundae Beach: Take the subway to Haeundae Station, exit 3 or 5. Walk 700 meters to Heaundae Beach.

Haeundae Beach is 1.5 kilometers long and is a popular summer destination in Busan. Though we visited in spring, it proved to be popular even in the cold season. It was a sunny afternoon and there were many people just hanging by the beach, having a picnic, enjoying the sea view and the cool weather.

Haeundae Beach

Sunset at Haeundae Beach

Near Haeundae Beach are many shops, restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores. There are also other attractions, like Haeundae Market, Sea Life Busan Aquarium, and Radium Art Center. I visited the art center (while my friend enjoyed a cup of joe at a nearby cafe).

Radium Art Center
24 Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, 298 ben-gil, Pale de CZ 2-12, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Wednesday to Saturday 2PM to 6PM
Sunday 12NN to 4PM
Admission Fee: 12000 krw

Radium Art Center is a contemporary art gallery with changing exhibits. During my visit, there were pieces that caught my interest, and some that were just too weird for me. Mind, I am no art expert nor am I an artist, I just enjoy looking at art. The art center is not that big and I finished my visit in just under an hour. (Photos are not allowed.) The admission fee of 12000 krw, in my opinion, was quite steep.

Gwangalli Beach

광안리해수욕장

219, Gwanganhaebyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan

Directions to Gwangalli Beach: Take the subway to Geumnyeonsan Station, exit 1. Walk 7 minutes to Gwangalli Beach. Alternatively, you can get off at Gwangan Station (one stop after Geumnyeonsan Station), take exit 3 or 5, and walk about 12 minutes to Gwangalli Beach.

Gwangalli Beach is 1.4 kilometers long (almost as long as Haeundae Beach!) and faces Gwangandaegyo Bridge, offering a beautiful view of the lit-up bridge at night. (The bridge is lit up from sunset until midnight or up to 2AM, depending on the season.) We were also able to witness the nightly bridge light show where the lights change in time with the music. Gwangalli Beach is by the road, and just across are shops, restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores.

Bridge Lighting schedule:
[November to April] Weekdays sunset until midnight; Weekends sunset until 2AM
[May to June and September to October] Weekdays sunset until 1AM; Weekends sunset until 2AM
[July to August] Daily from sunset until 2AM

Gwangalli Beach at night

Busan, a city with kilometers and kilometers of shoreline, has its share of coastal trails, of course. Because I love short and easy hikes, and as if hiking Geomun Oreum, Udo Island, and Gapado Island in Jeju were not enough, I squeezed in one more hike on this trip!

Oryukdo Skywalk and Igidae Coastal Walk
137 Oryukdo-ro, Nam-gu, Busan

Although I have been to Oryukdo Skywalk in 2015, I deemed it worth another visit. Plus I wanted to do the Igidae Coastal Walk, whose starting point was near Oryukdo Skywalk, anyway.

Oryukdo Skywalk is a glass walkway that affords a view of the Oryukdo Islets and the sea below and beyond. The walkway is free to use. A cloth shoe cover is provided for guests to use before walking on the glass walkway.

Oryukdo Skywalk

Oryukdo Islets

Igidae Coastal Walk is 4.7 kilometers long. As the name suggests, the trail hugs the coast and ends in Igidae. The trail had some stairs and some tree cover. It was a relaxing walk, with views of the coast, some interesting rock formations, and a suspension bridge towards the end of the trail.

A view of Oryukdo at the trail head

The view towards the end of the trail

Somewhere along the trail we could hear a voice calling out in the distance. It was repeating the same Korean phrase over and over and it piqued my curiosity. When we finally caught up with the voice, it was at a shaded rest area, and the owner of the voice was sweating, as he too was on walking the trail but carrying a large ice box: he was selling ice cream. (That reminded me of hot days on the beach in my home country, where we would excitedly rush to the voice calling out popsicles.)

Did we buy ice cream? It was tempting, but we resisted: we wanted to reward ourselves with a big meal at the end of the hike.

Jeoryeong Marina Coastal Walk

Our last day in Busan was meant to be free and easy. Free from hikes! But after having lunch with my Korean friend, she decided to take us to Jeolyeong Marina Coastal Walkway in Yeongdo. The Jeoryeong Marina Coastal trail is 3 kilometers long, but because we were pressed for time, we just walked the first kilometer up to the tunnel. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and some cloud cover, and it was fun catching up with my friend while burning some calories.

Well, that makes two hikes in Busan. At least it still fit the "free and easy" plan!