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.

Read the full trip

• Day 1 | Jeju travelogue
• Day 2: East of the island | Jeju travelogue
• Day 3: West island tour | Jeju travelogue
• Day 1 in Busan: Oryukdo Skywalk & Haeundae beach
• Day 2 in Busan: Gamcheon village, Taejongdae and BIFF square