After 5 nights in Seoul, we headed to the coastal town of Busan, two and a half hours away by high speed train. Busan is South Korea’s second most populous city and its premier beach destination. There are a number of top sights to see in Busan including temples, cultural villages, mural villages, beaches, a fish market, and much more. The Busan metro isn’t as well connected as the Seoul one though sadly, it takes a lot more time and effort to get to places. As a result, Busan was the much slower part of the holiday.
We did a lot of walking in Busan which was great. It was generally cooler and more rainy in our time there. Our hotel was in the Haeundae beach area. There is a long promenade all along Haeundae beach and beyond. We walked this promenade multiple times and didn’t tire of it. One day we also walked the 3 km or so from Mipo Station to Cheongsapo Station of the Haeundae Blueline Park. Highly recommend stretching your legs and enjoying the flat walks around Busan.
After the walk on the Haeundae Blueline Park Promenade, we took an uber further up to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. Perched on rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean, it is famous for being one of a few oceanside temples in Korea. Everyone raves about this temple, but honestly we’ve been to bigger and more interesting temples. It was super crowded. Was an ok visit, but possibly not worth the effort to get here.
The Cliffside Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Bingsu
On the Saturday and our last full day in Korea, we booked a full day trip to Gyeongju. Known as a museum without walls, Gyeongju was the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom for almost 1000 years. It has many temples, royal tombs, cultural villages, and many other UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The first stop of the day was Bulguksa Temple. Records show a temple has resided on this site since 528, with construction on the current temple starting in 751 by King Gyeongdeuk and multiple renovations until ~1805. Bulguksa Temple is considered a masterpiece of the Silla Kingdom and contains six National Treasure including stone pagodas, bridges, and Buddha statues.
After a delicious and very unexpected poke lunch, the next stop was the Yangdong Folk Village. Jointly maintained by the Wolseong Son and Yeogang Yi clans for over 500 years, the village provides a beautifully preserved look into society during the Joseon Dynasty. Descendants of the original noble families still reside in some of the homes. There are about 150 traditional structures still intact. We visited a home of one of the noble families and one of a lower or servant class family.
Yangdong Folk Village
The third stop was the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, a massive park with 23 grass covered burial mounds of royalty from the Silla Dynasty. Only one of the tombs is open to the public and it is prohibited to climb on the mounds, but it is permitted to walk freely around the mounds and through the park.
Nearby the tomb complex park is the Cheomseongdae Observatory. Built in the 7th century by Queen Seondeok of the Silla Dynasty, the observatory is the oldest surviving observatory in Asia. It is 9.17 m tall and is made of 362 granite blocks and was used to observe the stars, forecast the weather and guide farmers as to the best times to plant and harvest.
The nearby Hwangnidan-gil Street is a popular shopping and cultural street where businesses and eateries are located in restored or modernized hanok buildings. It was crowded! But fun to walk around looking for a snack.
Cheomseongdae Observatory
Popular cheesy snack from Hwangnidan-gil Street
The final stop for the day was the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. Built in the 7th century, this Silla era palace was the residence of the crown prince and used for state banquets. The palace hasn’t been restored yet, but there are several reconstructed pavilions around the man made lake which are beautifully lit up at night. This is a popular spot for an evening walk and famous for reflections in the pond. It was hugely crowded!
After this last stop it was a long drive back to Busan arriving around 22:00. It was a long but very worthwhile day and the best weather of our days in Busan. Highly recommend this day trip if you have a spare day in the area.
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
And then suddenly it was the last morning of the trip and time to head to the airport.
