Jagalchi and Old Downtown Busan

Getting to the start

KTX from Seoul Station to Busan, then two stops on Metro Line 1; exit 10 at Jagalchi puts you in front of the market. The market is busiest in the morning and closes early, so it belongs first and the tower later.

The route

1. 1

   Jagalchi Market

   Jagalchi Station, Busan · 1h 30m

   Korea's largest fish market. The ground floor of the seafront hall is lined with tanks; you pick a fish there and it is prepared upstairs for you to eat. Outside, the stalls run a long way along the shore road, and that side is louder and more of a spectacle. Prices are often settled by haggling, so ask before you commit. Mornings are busiest and it tends to close early.

   Official site →
2. Walk15m

   Cross the main road north of the market and you are on the Gwangbok-ro shopping street. Partway along it an escalator carries you up to Yongdusan Park, so the hill is optional. If you miss the escalator there is a stairway instead, but it is steep.

   2

   Busan Tower

   Yongdusan Park, Busan · 1h 30m

   An observation tower on the hilltop of Yongdusan Park. You can reach the park by escalator from the shopping lanes of Gwangbok-ro, so the climb is optional. From the deck you take in the north harbour, Yeongdo island and the bridge that runs between them, with the roofs of Jagalchi Market below. Crowds build from dusk. The park is free and only the tower is ticketed.

   

Map

• Jagalchi Market →
• Busan Tower →

Also close by

Other places close to this route's stops — useful if you have time left or want to swap something out.

• Gamcheon Culture VillageStreets & city · 2h1.9km
• Gwangalli BeachParks & nature · 2h9.9km
• Haeundae BeachParks & nature · 2h13.1km

Good to do next

• Gamcheon Culture Village, BusanSaha, Busan · Half day

  Houses stacked up a hillside and painted in pastels. It began as a refugee settlement and people still live here.

• Gwangalli Beach by NightSuyeong-gu, Busan · Half day

  A beach with Gwangan Bridge spanning the view head-on. The point of the place starts when the sun goes down and the bridge lights come on.

• Haeundae, BusanHaeundae, Busan · Half day

  Korea's best-known beach, with a wall of towers behind it. A path runs from the far end around Dongbaekseom island.