A Weekend in Busan and Jinhae

Busan is a wonderful weekend trip that offers a different type of city than Seoul and beautiful beaches! It is a 5 hour bus ride away so it is wise to plan to spend a whole weekend, if not more, there. Also, depending on what you want to do, doing research ahead of time is a way to guarantee you do all that you want and make the most of your time in Busan. It is a large city with many different activities to offer, in addition to the areas that surround it. One could easily spend their entire weekend visiting temples, hiking, enjoying the beach, or all 3!

Getting to Busan:

Busan can be reached by train, bus, or plane. I recommend bus as tickets are no more than 26,000 Won each way and you can catch the first bus, sleep the whole 5 hours, and arrive by noon. You can take the bus to Haeundae at Dong Seoul bus terminal (Gangbyeon stop, line 2). There are hostels all over Busan so you should have no issues booking one a week in advance :)

What to do in Busan:

While in Busan, I chose to spend my time sightseeing the city, beaches, and parks. I also took a day trip out of Busan to Jinhae for the cherry blossom festival along the Yeojwa Stream (late March to early April). Haeundae beach and Dongbaek Island are beautiful areas to walk or relax right along the edge of the city. When walking around Dongbaek Island you will see the magical coastline, the Dongbaek Island lighthouse (great for pictures) and you will have a view of the Gwangan Bridge. My favorite part of the city to explore was at the stop Nampo. There are tons of restaurants and shops, from western style, to very Korean, and this is where you can go to the famous Jagalchi Fish Market. In addition, you can catch a bus in Nampo to Amnam Park. Amnam Park is absolutely BREATHTAKING. It is a small park along the cliffs that go right up to the ocean. Some parts of Amnam can be quite a hike but there are plenty of routes to choose from. The best part of Amnam was exploring; one of the trails leads directly to the ocean and the view is like nothing else!

What to do in Jinhae:

To get to Jinhae from Busan go to Sasang stop on the green line and buy a bus ticket for approximately 6,000 Won at Seoubu bus terminal. The bus ride is an hour and they drop you off at the Jinhae bus terminal right on the edge of town. From the bus terminal you can walk right to the festival tents and buy a souvenir or grab a snack. Yeojwa Stream is only a few blocks from the bus terminal and you can follow the crowds or ask anyone how to get there, as it is the main attraction. Once you arrive at Yeojwa Stream, take a stroll and stand in awe at the beauty of the Sakura trees and blossoms. ;)