This was now my second trip to Busan, I was wondering what could I possibly see or do that I have not already done? I was pleasantly surprised by the number of sights to see in Busan. I had a very long list of places planned, but alas a very short period of time. I also found out during this trip that Busan is very sprawled out. Most of the attractions of interest are not very close to each other. This fact alone can take up a lot of time, going from one destination to another. To solve this problem, my friend and I took a taxi from each destination.

Our first stop was Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, normally from Central Busan by transit it takes an hour and a half to reach this destination. In a cab it took less than 30 minutes, maybe 25 minutes! The cab ride itself was not very expensive either, around 13,000 won. In the main area you pass through a street with plenty of souvenir and food vendors. It is a delight to all your senses. Seeing, smelling and hearing everything before arriving at the gates of the temple. The first thing you will see are the zodiac animal statues.

Main building temple rooftop

View from Yonggunsa Temple

Then the stairs to descend down to the temple. There are options to veer off to the right to get a view of the entire temple, which is what my friend and I decided to do. The views of the temple architecture against the rough seaside landscape was simply beautiful Make sure to visit all the areas of the temple as each provides a very unique viewpoint and picture opportunity!

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is open from 5am till 7 pm and can be reached from Haeundae Station. From the station take Bus 181 and get off at Yonggungsa Temple.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

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View of houses in Gamcheon Cultural Village

After getting off the bus there is a little bit of an uphill walk, so wear your comfortable running shoes! Next on our list was going to Gamcheon Cultural village, this place was dubbed at the “Santorini” of Korea. It is located in a very hilly area, so wear your walking shoes! Since we took a taxi to this area, we managed to skip most of the hard uphill walking. At first it is a bit confusing trying to find the area with that iconic view of all the pretty little houses. The information center sells a map, but my friend and I were determined to find these picturesque views on our own. After some stumbling around we found the main view point, and it was spectacular, seeing rows and rows of colorful houses was out of this world. Besides finding all these lovely photo locations, there’s plenty of gift shops and cafes to peruse through.

A whole day can easily be spent in this lovely area of Busan. Gamcheon Cultural Village is open from 9am – 5pm November-February and until 6pm March-October, to reach here go to Toseong Station Exit 2 and come out from Exit 6. You’ll see an intersection, here turn right at the corner and go straight. Look for the hospital and go to the bus stop in front and take bus 1-1, 2 or 2-2, it will take you to the top of the hill to the village.

Main building of Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

Being a history nerd, I wanted to find out more about Busan’s past. I found out, that during the Korean War the capital was temporarily moved to Busan. Many people fled and evacuated to Busan during this time. The building that served as the main government building during this time can be visited!

It is the Provisional Capital Memorial Hall. It was absolutely fascinating to see all the artifacts and history of what Korea was like during the war. It might not be of interest to all tourists, but for those who love history, this stop is an absolute must. I learned so much from the exhibits and pictures, it was probably my favorite out of all the places I visited in Busan.

Inside the exhibit in the memorial hall

To visit the Provisional Capital Memorial Hall go to Toseong exit no.2 and then follow signs on the roads to find this building. It is open from 9am till 6pm, but closed on Mondays so make sure to check before you visit! Overall my trip to Busan felt way too, short and I need to visit again to see all the other areas that I missed out on this time!

Gamcheon Culture Village

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Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

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My very first experience with Central Busan Hotel was on the internet. I noticed that they have an English website in addition to all the booking options on hotel sites like booking.com. I decided to make my reservation directly with the hotel, to get a feel for their staff and services. I was able to make my reservation directly with the hotel, and was advised that I would be charged only upon checking into the hotel. I asked to receive a confirmation email for my reservation, and it showed up in my inbox the very next day. I was told I can check in at any time, and that there was always English speaking staff at the desk 24/7. Since it was late, I decided to take a cab to the hotel instead. The cab driver was a bit confused about the location,when we arrived at the hotel I could not see any visible signage, until I stepped out of the cab and looked up at the building.

The lobby was located on the 3rd floor of the building. Upon checking in I was greeted by a lovely gentleman that gave me my key and answered any questions I had about the area. I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff, when I was booking my stay, but I very much felt the same when I checked in as well. The hotel lobby looked like it was out of the 70’s or 80’s very retro!

I went to Busan with my friend who was visiting me from China, so we got a twin room. Our room was located on the 11th floor. The room itself upon entering also had a retro feel to it. Out the window there was a nice view. It was kind of funny that though it was a twin room, the bed sizes were different! One was a double, while the other was a twin. There was a piece of paper outlining the types of services provided by the hotel. On the t.v there was also a breakdown of the list of channels available.

Hotel Room Entrance

Hotel Room

Lobby Restaurant

I went back to the lobby to find out what kind of places there were nearby to eat. There were Busan city maps and brochures free for guests to take. The coffee table in the lobby listed out all the types of restaurants by cuisine, price range and distance of travel! Yeonsan subway station was located a short distance away from the hotel. Making it easy to reach via public transportation. Even closer is a taxi stand which my friend and I used to see our 1st tourist destination! The information provided along with the friendliness of the staff, made you feel very welcome at Busan Central Hotel!