---
node: dest_busan
type: destination
slug: busan
title: "Busan"
lead: "Busan is South Korea's second city and its great southern port, a coastal metropolis of beaches, seafood and hillside villages. It pairs the country's most famous beach with a huge fish market and temples above the sea."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: busan.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colorful_houses_in_Gamcheon_Culture_Village_at_sunset_in_Busan_South_Korea.jpg"
image_author: "Basile Morin"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

Strung along the coast between mountains and the sea, Busan is a busy port and beach city with a more relaxed, southern feel than Seoul. Its beaches, hot springs and hillside quarters give it a holiday air, and it hosts Asia's leading film festival each autumn. Warm and open, it is a place to eat well by the water, wander colourful hillside neighbourhoods and reach temples and coast within the city.

## Highlights

Haeundae is the country's most famous beach, backed by towers and a boardwalk, while the Gamcheon Culture Village tumbles down a hillside in a maze of painted houses. The Jagalchi fish market is Korea's largest, and the seaside temple of Haedong Yonggungsa perches on the rocks above the waves. Hot springs, coastal walks and the autumn film festival round out a stay.