When travelling to South Korea, most people only have Seoul in mind; a place where you can get your fill of street snacks, stay caffeinated all day with ample coffee and cafes, then stay up all night with an eclectic nightlife, shop till you drop, and get a good dose of history and culture. So, yeah, Seoul is great, but there’s also other cities in South Korea that are worth a visit. One of these cities is Busan, located in the South Eastern tip of the country. Busan is a much more quiet, yet very vibrant city in comparison to Seoul. There are many things to do in Busan, including taking a trip up to the Busan Tower for some excellent aerial views of the city.
The Busan Tower was built in 1973 and, similar to the Seoul Tower, offers visitors a 360° view of the city from 120 m high. The tower is located a short walk from Nampo Metro station, Line 7, in Yongdusan Park. You can enjoy a stroll throughout the park before you head up the tower – when we were there a lantern festival was taking place, so there were various sculptures set up throughout the park.
Again, similar to Seoul Tower, there is a “love locks” area in the park where you can write a message on a lock and attach it to a fence. Just make sure you bring the lock along with you since I did not see any vendors selling them in the park. Cue the “awwe”.
Once at the top, you can take some time to walk around and see the city of Busan from above. There are great views (depending on how clear the skies are) of the city with the mountains and the water. Unfortunately for me, it was another typical smoggy day in the city, so the views weren’t as crisp and clear as I would have liked. Welcome to life in most Asian cities..
The cost to go up the tower is ₩4000 / $30 HKD.
