Busan on foot

How to walk them

• These are residential villages and real trails, not attractions. Keep your voice down, do not block doorways or photograph into homes, and stick to the paths.
• Wear proper shoes. Expect stairs and slopes in the villages and uneven rock on the coastal trails.
• Most of it is free. Where a train or monorail runs (Taejongdae's Danubi, the 168 Stairs monorail), that is the only paid or optional part.
• Go on a clear day for the sea views, and earlier in the day for fewer crowds at Gamcheon and Huinnyeoul.
• One transit card (T-money or Cashbee) covers the buses and metro that reach all of them.

Gamcheon Culture Village 감천문화마을

Saha-gu · Toseong (Line 1) + a short bus up the hill

A refugee-era hillside neighbourhood that an art project turned, from 2009, into Busan's most famous village: pastel houses stacked in tumbling rows, murals down the alleys, and small galleries and craft shops. The Little Prince and his fox sit on a wall looking out over the rooftops, the postcard shot.

The walk Pick up the art-map at the entrance and follow the marked route through the lanes, or just wander. It is all stairs and narrow alleys, and people live behind the murals, so keep it quiet and unhurried.

Huinnyeoul Culture Village 흰여울문화마을

Yeongdo-gu · bus from Nampo or Busan Station

A row of white-walled houses perched on a cliff on Yeongdo island, with the open sea below and a narrow lane running between the homes and the drop. The gaps between the houses frame the water, which is why it turns up in so many films and photos.

The walk Walk the clifftop lane, then take the steps or the short tunnel down to the coastal path at the water's edge. A working residential cliff, so watch your footing and mind the doorways and laundry lines.

Choryang Ibagu-gil & the 168 Stairs 초량 이바구길 · 168계단

Dong-gu · Busan Station (Line 1)

The "story road" up the mountainside behind Busan Station, through one of the oldest refugee-era neighbourhoods. Its landmark is the 168 Stairs, a steep straight staircase climbing the slope, with a tiny monorail running up beside it for those who would rather ride, and harbour views the whole way up.

The walk Follow the Ibagu-gil signs past the little history stops and lookouts. It is steep, so one easy plan is to take the monorail up and walk back down.

Taejongdae 태종대

Yeongdo-gu · bus from Nampo

A forested cape at the southern tip of Yeongdo, ringed by dramatic sea cliffs, with a lighthouse, pine-lined trails and lookouts over the open water. The wildest and greenest of these walks.

The walk A loop road runs round the cape; walk it at an easy couple-of-hours pace, or ride the Danubi road-train and get off at the stops. The cliff-edge lighthouse lookout is the one to aim for.

Igidae Coastal Walk 이기대

Nam-gu · bus from Gwangan (Line 2)

A coastal cliff trail on the far side of Gwangalli bay, part of Busan's Galmaetgil coastal path. It runs along the rocks above the sea toward the Oryukdo islets, with the Gwangan Bridge and the city skyline across the water.

The walk An out-and-back or one-way cliff walk with steps, boardwalks and rocky stretches. Wear proper shoes: it is a real trail, not a promenade, and can be exposed in wind.