Day 1 in Busan: Oryukdo Skywalk & Haeundae beach
Day 1 in Busan: Oryukdo Skywalk & Haeundae beach
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Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and home to gorgeous coastlines. The residents we met were friendly so we felt really welcomed in Busan too! To get to Busan, we took a domestic flight after spending three nights in Jeju and wasted no time to start our exploration of the city!
Oryukdo Skywalk & Igidae park
Once we offloaded our luggage in our Airbnb near Busan station, we headed to our first stop – Oryukdo Skywalk. We took bus 27 from Busan station, which took us about 50 minutes.
The skywalk is a 15-metre horseshoe-shaped glass bridge overlooking the ocean and some amazing cliffs. The bridge features a see-through floor and you can look down directly at the 35-metre cliff that the skywalk is perched on.
To get on, you’ll have to slip on some foolish-looking socks that cover your shoes. I think it’s either to protect the glass or for anti-slip, or both. You will probably spend less than 10 minutes on the bridge; the bridge is rather small and popular so it gets pretty crowded. It’s somewhat of a novelty and not as thrilling as it might have seemed. The good thing is that admission is free.
Off and on the bridge though, the views are amazing:
After we got off the skywalk, we went over to Igidae park and did part of the coastal walk. The trail is moderate and offers excellent views without the crowds, which made it more enjoyable than the actual skywalk. I highly recommend to include it in your itinerary!
Haeundae beach
After the skywalk, we headed over to Haeundae beach, one of the most, if not the most, famous beach in Busan. The clean beach and the waters are definitely a draw for people. We took bus 24 then transferred to 1003 at Kyungsung University to get to the beach.
We happened to visit during the weekends and stumbled upon their ARDOR market. Held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the flea market sees lots of artists and vendors selling handmade items. There are also a ton of restaurants and bars around if you need meal options. Or you could even opt for tantalising snacks from street vendors like the one in the picture above. [icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]
We were lucky to also catch a sand sculpture exhibition while we were there!
Dalmaji-gil road
We were not exactly dressed for the beach, so we quickly took off after a quick walk on the beach. Bus 1003 took us to Dalmaji-gil road in less than 15 minutes. Best known for the rows and rows of cherry blossom trees in spring, the Dalmaji-gil road makes for a nice trail with great coastal views overlooking a modest part of the city’s skyline. For much of the stretch, the road is flanked by cafes and restaurants and you can hop in to enjoy a cup of coffee. The trail was lovely and I’d imagine it would be even more fetching in spring with the cherry blossoms.
Only the first day in Busan and she was definitely spoiling us with all the beautiful vistas. Stay tuned for the next two days in this charming port city.
Waaahhh I didn’t know there was so much to do in Busan! Thanks!
There’s a lot more! We merely grazed the tip of the list!
This place is really nice. I haven’t been to Korea yet, but wish to be there one day. It is not so easy to tour around in this country so this is a good reference for me.
I’ve never heard about this place before but it looks stunning there! 🙂 I also love your photos!
It’s a lovely city! Hope you get the opportunity to visit in the future.
Thank you! 🙂
This is awesome Eunice! I may be going to South Korea soon, so definitely keeping this blog post handy!
Hope you get the opportunity to visit Busan! 🙂
Busan seems like a very interesting place to visit. Lots of beautiful coastlines. I’ve been on a skywalk like that in Grand Canyon, Arizona. It’s a little scary to hang so high up above the ground though.
I would love to do the one in Grand Canyon!
I have never been somewhere where I have had to wear those foot covers outside! I guess it would help keeping the glass clean! The sand sculpture exhibition looks impressive. I love stumbling unique things like that. I didn’t know much about Busan, thanks for sharing some ideas what to do there 🙂
Oh right, it could be just for ease of maintenance! The sand sculpture is on every May I believe.
I have not considered visiting South Korea until now but given my love for beaches and coastlines, I might just include it in my bucket list! Busan looks like a great place to start, I love the Oryukdo Skywalk. Glass bottom bridges with such amazing views are the kind of places I like to make it to!
Yes, South Korea has excellent coastlines!
ooh, one crack on that skywalk and you will be on the rocks – literally. But what an awesome view to have. The beach looks quite popular – judging by the crowd. It’s good that you caught the sand sculpture. It looks gorgeous
Haha, the skywalk isn’t that scary actually. Feels pretty sturdy too.
This city looks so interesting and beautiful, I hope I can visit it one day! 🙂
Wow, the Oryukdo Skywalk looks fantastic, although that glass floor is a little scary…
I’ve never been to South Korea and don’t know much about the country, but from your shots it looks like a very interesting place to explore!
South Korea has a good mix of natural landscapes and city life and there’s really a lot to explore. Hope you get the opportunity to visit in the future.
I never knew about Busan and it has wonderful coastline in Korea before reading your article. The view from Oryukdo Skywalk is really stunning and good to know that it can reached through bus from Busan. I love flea markets and therefore would love to explore Ardor market and check some local handmade items there.
Ardor market was a complete surprise. Definitely worth the visit when you’re there.
Korea is on my radar but I hadn’t considered which places to visit and now I must add Busan. You’re much braver than me to walked out on the Skywalk! I never really thought about going to the beach during a trip but that’s good to know. The sandcastle is amazing – great timing! I’m always grateful for posts that explain how to get to places using public transportation.
Yes, please include Busan! It was our favourite city because the people were friendly and welcoming (not characteristic of South Koreans I feel) and the places were not as crowded compared to Seoul.
Busan looks like such a contrast to Seoul. The views from that sky bridge are amazing, and I’d be curious to see what these funny socks look like lol. Can’t wait to read more about Busan!
Busan has a old-school city vibe! We loved it there. 🙂
Ahh this place is so naturally beautiful I’m in love!
Hi. How long it take from Oryukdo to Haeundae beach by bus?
If I remember correctly, we took about an hour 🙂