A weekend escape through Busan, South Korea’s coastal gem

If Seoul, South Korea’s capital, is the glamorous, centre-of-attention sibling, Busan — the second-most-populous city — is the cool, rough-around-the-edges one. While its beaches are the main draw, Busan’s real charm is in how it wears its past on its sleeve. The influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from all over the peninsula to Busan, the last safe haven during the Korean War, shaped it physically and culturally. Also, the birthplace of Korean cinema, the city is the host of the 30-year-old Busan International Film Festival. Busan is grappling with population decline as a growing number of its residents move to Seoul (the cities are connected by a two-and-a-half-hour-long ride via high-speed rail), but those who stay do so with the passionate insistence that Busan is second to none.

FRIDAY

4.30pm | Browse the markets

Visit two markets downtown, within walking distance of each other, that flourished shortly after the Korean War: First, Bosu Book Street, an alleyway of shops where refugees sold their books for survival. Next, Gukje Market, one of South Korea’s largest, features a wide range of goods including K-pop paraphernalia and piles of used clothes (from 2,000 won, about US$1.40 or S$1.80). There, find Bomulsum, a shop and a museum with relics from the ’60s onward, like beepers, ’88 Olympics-branded glassware and decades-old soju bottles (admission 5,000 won). Get a snack from the nearby Nampo-dong: The original home of both the Busan International Film Festival and ssiat hotteok, a fried pancake stuffed with seeds and sugar, in the neighborhood’s Street Food Alley.

6.30pm | Say ‘cheese’ in a photogenic village

Gamcheon Culture Village, comprising hundreds of colourful homes on the steep slopes of Cheonmasan, began during the Korean War as a settlement for a religious sect called Taegukdo. Its population peaked at 30,000. Whole families crammed into houses no larger than 355 sq ft; the entire community relied on a few dozen bathrooms. An exodus began in the ’80s, and a 2009 development project turned the abandoned homes into a tourist attraction. Most of the souvenir shops close before 6pm, but at that time there are fewer crowds and better light for photos (an iconic spot is next to a statue of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince). Approximately 1,500 people — many of them elderly — still live here, so stay on a designated course and leave before about 8.30pm. Free admission.

9pm | Feast on seafood and soju

While the Jagalchi Fish Market — one of the country’s largest — may seem the obvious choice for seafood lovers, locals prefer pojangmachas, or “pochas.” In Busan, these covered wagons were once synonymous with seaside eating and drinking but have mostly been forced indoors in the past decade because of increased regulations and gentrification. Enjoy Busan nightlife as it was meant to be on Yeongdo Island, an up-and-coming neighbourhood south of Busan Station. Sandwiched on the pier between the Yeongdo and Busan bridges, vendors on its Pocha Street grill the day’s catch and serve cuts of meat: Los Angeles-style grilled short ribs, live octopus and cockles (dinner for two with drinks, from 25,000 won). Pull up a plastic stool, pour a Korean beer or a shot of soju, and enjoy.

SATURDAY

9am | Have an award winner’s coffee

Busan has a thriving coffee scene. One of the nation’s leading names is Momos Coffee, a cafe and roastery chain that has grown since 2007 from a 142-sq-ft takeout shop to four locations in Busan. Part of its success can be attributed to the co-founder Joo Yeon Jeon’s win at the 2019 World Barista Championships. If you’re staying downtown, the closest location is housed in a former shipping warehouse on Yeongdo Island. Or if you’re staying farther east, try Momos in Marine City. Pair an Americano (6,000 won) in the cafe’s signature Es Chocolat blend with a pastry (from 3,000 won).

10am | Walk Busan’s coast

For stunning sea views, hike at Igidae, a 477-acre coastal park on a peninsula just north of Yeongdo Island. The park encompasses 80-million-year-old volcanic formations and is named after two courtesans who, according to legend, died taking down Japanese soldiers during the invasion of 1592. The three-mile-long Igidae Coastal Trail alternates between flat roads, stairs and suspension bridges that wind over rocky cliffs. Play “I Spy” with notable rock formations along the way: Chima Rockface is named for its skirt-like shape, and another, called Nongbawi, looks like a four-block rock tower. Start from the park’s northern entrance to finish at the Oryukdo Skywalk — a glass-bottom observation deck that looks out over the blue water to a cluster of six islets called Oryukdo.

12.30pm | Lunch on regional cuisine

Busan’s dishes reveal its history. The soup dwaeji gukbap was born of pork bones discarded by American soldiers during the Korean War. Find a slightly elevated version at the original Namcheon-dong location of Anmok, a chain that uses a broth simmered for 24 hours (10,000 won; reservations recommended). Another Busan signature, milmyeon, was developed by refugees from the North. Looking to recreate naengmyeon, a cold noodle dish made of buckwheat, they used wheat flour provided by U.S. military rations. Get it at Seomyeon Milmyeon — a no-frills restaurant in central Busan known for its sweet and spicy red sauce (9,000 won). More adventurous eaters can also try puffer fish, toxic to eat only when improperly prepared, and a local delicacy, in soup (from 12,000 won) at Kumsu Bokguk, a longstanding restaurant near Haeundae Beach.

2pm | Tap into your inner cinephile

Inside the futuristic Busan Cinema Center, the current home of the Film Festival, is a little-known gem: A free cinema library with more than 44,000 items. The library is on the fourth floor of its Double Cone building, named for its funnel-like shape and protruding ramp spirals. Browse rare, hardbound film magazines (mostly in Korean, but highly visual) and listen to an LP of your favourite movie soundtrack. Choose from an extensive DVD collection and pop into a private booth or watch a festival-winning short or feature in the Streaming Room. The collection includes English-language productions and movies with subtitles. Afterward, hungry cinephiles can find the sushi box (40,000 won) served in the 2022 Park Chan-wook film Decision to Leave at Sushi Nan, a 10-minute cab ride away.

4pm | Sweat, scrub and soak

The world’s biggest department store may not sound tranquil. But across the street from the Cinema Center, at the behemoth Centum City Shinsegae shopping complex, the jjimjilbang, or bathhouse, Spa Land offers deep relaxation (25,000 won, four hours). The complex has two main buildings: Follow the signs to Spa Land on the first floor of the confusingly named “Mall” building (not the one named “Department Store”). The baths, filled with thermal water pumped from 3,000 feet below ground, are fully nude and separated by gender. Pyjamas are provided for the co-ed facilities, which include 13 different kinds of saunas, nap rooms, a gaming centre and a ramen bar. For an additional 35,000 won, have an expert exfoliator give you a 25-minute Korean-style body scrub.

6.30pm | Ride the seaside rails

Catch the Sky Capsule — a brightly-coloured railcar that moves on elevated train tracks — at the Haeundae Blueline Park. Redeveloped from disused railways, the park consists of two types of trains, three main stations and a three-mile walking path. Take the Sky Capsule route from Mipo Station to Cheongsapo Station, which takes you as high as 33 feet and offers the best sea view (30 minutes one way; ticket for two, 40,000 won). Switch it up on the way back on the Beach Train (8,000 won, one way), which runs along the ground and offers first-come first-served seating. All of the seats face the ocean, and the train makes more stops in case you’d like to get out and walk part of the way.

8.30pm | Go on a curated bar crawl

Get a taste of South Korea’s changing bar scene in the Millak-dong neighborhood, on Gwangalli Beach’s eastern end and near the Gwangan Bridge, which lights up at sunset. Recently, loud music and cheap beer are making way for thoughtful drinks and curated ambiance. Start at Ggulggeok House, a craft makgeolli (Korean rice wine) brewery that doesn’t use chemical sweeteners and offers small bites (glasses from 6,500 won). Then drop into Soochaehwa4rang, a restaurant and bar with ’80s-style decor. Request your favourite Korean indie hit on vinyl and order the house highball (9,000 won) and kimchi udon (14,000 won, ordering food is required). Lastly, visit Hongdan, which uses Korean ingredients like Jeju kiwis, red beans and seaweed in its innovative cocktails (from 18,000 won).

SUNDAY

8am | Hit the beach

No Busan experience is complete without the beach. The mile-long Haeundae Beach is the country’s most famous and hosts the Haeundae Sand Festival, the Haeundae Light Festival and parts of the Film Festival. But if you prefer smaller crowds, try Songjeong Beach, three miles north, where you can watch the sun rise from the east-facing shores or go for a quiet swim. Songjeong has a designated surfing zone, and myriad surf shops offer beginner classes in the gentle waves. October and November are peak surf season. Both beaches have shower facilities (1,000 won per minute) and lockers (from 1,000 won at Haeundae and 3,000 won at Songjeong).

9.30am | Visit a temple

Spend the morning at a Buddhist temple. A 10-minute cab ride from Songjeong Beach, you’ll find the oceanside Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, popular among tourists. Take photos with statues of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, pay respects to the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy and throw coins into a wishing well. Or take a taxi 40 minutes to Beomeosa Temple on the slopes of Geumjeongsan. The Seon (Zen) temple, from 678, houses relics from the Silla Dynasty (about 57 B.C. to A.D. 935), including a ninth-century, three-story stone pagoda. Don’t miss the “sea of rocks,” a dreamy one-and-a-half-mile hiking trail surrounded by boulders and wild wisteria trees. Admission to both temples, free.

1pm | Hike into old Busan

Refuel with dumplings (4,500 won) from the takeout kiosk at Shinfayuen, a family-run Chinatown institution since 1951, and coffee (5,300 won) at Brown Hands Baekje, a nearby cafe in the building that previously housed Busan’s first modern hospital. Then walk the Ibagu-gil, a mile-long uphill path. Signposts illustrate local history, including the lives of the refugees who poured into this neighbourhood, Choryang-dong. See the Choryang Church, the first in Korea outside Seoul, founded in 1892, and the 168 Stairs, an outdoor stairway that residents used to transport water from a nearby well until the ’80s. If it’s not too busy, a free monorail, intended to help the neighbourhood’s older residents, is a shortcut up the steps and symbolises the city’s progress. At the top is a deck, allowing a last view of Busan.

By Hahna Yoon © The New York Times

This article originally appeared in The New York Times