You all know Iโm a beach girl at heart. If there is one to be found I will be there with bells on. There are a few beaches in this sprawling metropolis and I am visiting the most famous one first. A beautiful day at Haeundae Beach in Busan was just what I needed.
Getting There
An easy metro ride from where ever you may be in the city on line #2 and exit at Haeundae Station. When you climb the stairs to reach the roadway, simply turn around where you are standing, and when you spot the coast, walk towards it.
This large pedestrian thoroughfare is called Gunam-ro and is lined with restaurants, convenience stores and shopping. There are even some arcades and fair or carnival like games and photo shops. The walk to the beach is about 10 minutes.
The Beach
At 1.5km long this light tan sandy beach is gorgeous. The sand area is enormously wide, enough for thousands of people to enjoy. Swimming is allowed in June, July and August and the water is clear and quite cold. Keep in mind I just came from Bali where the water temperatures were like a bath. ๐
The small strip of wet sand right at the waters edge is compact enough for a good easy walk, however most of the sand is dry, fluffy, and difficult to walk on. There were numerous interesting shells and bits of seaweed and hardly any garbage at all. The municipal workers do a terrific job keeping this beach clean.
Sand Castles
I was super lucky when I visited, a sandcastle competition was being dismantled that very day. These were enormous creations and absolutely the coolest thing to see on this day in Busan.
There were many, all with an easy walking path to follow and each with a sign stating the artist and country they were from. The Canadian fella made the โLast Supperโ. At one end of the exhibition, a huge tractor was levelling these ginormous mounds of sand. If I had have come a single day later, I would have missed these.
Esplanade
The entire beach is paralleled by a beautiful esplanade. Some of this is under shade trees in a park like setting. Right beside the sand however is a wide concrete walkway, perfect for a run or brisk walk. There are public toilets up here and busking stations that I hear may have singers performing in the evenings during the summer months.
While I was walking along, I noticed a group of ladies, all dressed in gorgeous traditional dresses, setting up what looked like a picnic for themselves. Its was so pretty, under the trees, all the colours of flowers, floating in the breeze.
If you are visiting Busan, I highly recommend coming to this beach if you are not already staying in a hotel here. Many tourists will be in this neighbourhood already, as it has one of the highest concentrations of hotels in the city. Iโll be back to Haeundae Beach, with a bag of snacks, my beach sarong and a bottle of sunscreen. That soft sand and big sun are calling my name.
