Category Archives: Places to See in Korea

A guide of places to see in Korea

Hi Class Pension, Namhae Island Review

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I first heard of the Hi Class Pension (now called High Class Pool Villa) through Everyday Korea, a blog that has a section on unique accommodation in Korea (among other things). Dave and I had just come back from Phuket where we stayed in an amazing pool villa and we were craving more. We checked the prices on the Hi Class website and were really shocked by how expensive they were! In fact, at $700 a night (during high season), they were more per night than our Phuket pool villa. I was a bit hesitant about staying at Hi-Class for that price, but Dave decided that we should bite the bullet and do it, just for a night.

Hi Class Namhae Korea

Hi Class pool villa

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Korea Bucket List – 15 Must See Places in Korea

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I reached out to my travel blogger friends to see who had been to South Korea and what amazing place or experience they think should be on everyone’s “Korea Bucket List.” I’m really happy with the responses and I think they made a pretty good list.

WheresSharon.com This information is by Sharon from Where’s Sharon? (and Joshua, Soraya and Isaac), a blog originally about Sharon’s journeys around the world, but now about exploring the world with two little ones in tow – the good, the bad and the (hopefully not too) ugly.  You can also find them on Facebook.

DMZ WheresSharon.com

Looking across the border to North Korea. The line on the ground between the two blue UN buildings is the border.

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Tongdosa Temple, South Korea

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In my last post, I told you a bit more about what Haeundae Beach is like during summer. My next summer time recommendation is Tongdosa Temple. It’s located in Yangsan, just between Busan and Ulsan.

There’s a stream near the entrance that is quite popular among the Koreans.

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The Men of Haeundae Beach

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As you learned in my last post, Haeundae Beach (Busan, South Korea) in the summer is more than a little overwhelming. If you find yourself at this chaotic beach in summer, my advice is to soak up the scenery…

Men of Haeundae

… then head towards the Westin Chosun Hotel.

Don’t forget to people watch along the way!

Men of Haeundae-12

Take a left just as you see the Westin and head towards the rocky end of the beach. Once there, it’s now time to check out what I’ve decided to call, “The Men of Haeundae.” They are an interesting bunch!

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Summer Chaos at Haeundae Beach

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Curious what Korea’s best beach is like during summer?

The Korean students are out of school for the summer so this is the week that most families take vacation. Many businesses even close so that the owners and employees can enjoy some well deserved time off. Many of them head to Haeundae Beach in Busan.

The beach is completely lined with umbrellas as far as you can see… because who wants to get sun at the beach, right? And the sea is full of yellow floats.

Haeundae Beach in summer

Anapji Pond at Night

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Dave and I took a road trip to Gyeongju after he got off work on Thursday night. I wanted to take photos of Anapji Pond at night. It was quite rainy, but we were still able to get some good shots.

Gyeongju is the same city where you can see the lotuses bloom in summer. In fact, there’s an amazing lotus pond just outside the entrance to Anapji.

Entrance fee to Anapji Pond is 1,500 won per person.

It can get really busy at night so it’s a good idea to get there a bit before the sun goes down so you can get a parking space and a good spot for photos. At least that was our experience this week, which happens to be the same week most Koreans go on vacation.

Anapji at night

Trick Art Museum – Jeju Island, South Korea

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Monday, September 10

Day 7

Our last day on Jeju Island was a busy one. We knocked out two “theme parks” in one day. First, we went to the Trick Art Museum. It’s a great little place where you can become part of the art. I went to an exhibit when I first got to Busan back in February 2011 (click HERE for the photos from that trip) and Joni loved my photos so I knew if she ever visited I’d have to take her to the permanent museum they have on Jeju.

After the Trick Art Museum, we went to Locadio World. It’s a place where you can play dress up! I think it’s basically a TV show museum and they have different sets and allow you to dress up and take photos. You walk yourself through so we just kind of had to figure it all out as we went along. After the Korean section, they have an international section, too. It was a lot of fun!

If you click on the first photo, you can easily scroll through the entire set. Or you can click on photos individually.

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Busan Aquarium

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Saturday, April 2

One of the most famous attractions in Busan is the Busan Aquarium. It’s located right on Haeundae, Busan’s most popular beach. If you go, watch out for those pesky birds. As always, click on any picture below to see the full size image.

  

 

  

  

  

 

The aquarium is nice, but it’s actually quite small. The entrance fee is 18,000 won (about $16.50). We thought that was a bit too expensive. It’s definitely good to get it checked off of the To Do List, but we won’t be back.

After the aquarium, we stopped off at the darts booth and Andy and I threw some darts at balloons. Here we are with our prize seashell necklaces…

Our next stop was Fuzzy Navel for drinks and chips and dips… and more darts.

Afterwards, we headed to the Wolfhound Pub and had some Irish food and played more darts.

  

Mt. Geumjeong Fortress

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In Korea, mountains are everywhere. It’s really different for me because I come from Texas and it’s very flat there. I love being able to look into the distance and see the mountains. My friends and I decided to take the cable car up one of the mountains here so we could visit Mt. Geumjeong Fortress. It was a super easy 20 minute hike each way. You can look at the pictures below.

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 We weren’t sure what to expect, but we definitely weren’t expecting to only see a stone wall. Apparently there are several different “gates” like the one we saw, but they are quite spread out. If you take certain hiking trails you can see the walls of the fortress span quite a distance. I’ve seen some of my friends pictures and it’s really a great site. That’s definitely on my to do list.

Jagalchi Fish Market

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The Jagalchi Market is a giant indoor fish market. It’s one of the most famous places in Busan. It’s a must see. It’s located in a really great area so you can get a lot of touristy things out of the way just by getting off the subway at Jagalchi and making your way down to Nampo-dong (where you can visit PIFF Square and Busan Tower). I have been to Jagalchi twice in my two months in Busan. You can see the pictures and video below.

*Click on the pictures to see the full size image.*

  

Outside of the market – a woman preparing an octopus

  

Walking tour of the inside of the Jagalchi Market

  

If you head outside of the fish market you will run into some outdoor markets and restaurants.

   

  

If you live in Busan and you have never been to the Jagalchi Fish Market, I recommend you go. And if you are visiting Busan, you should definitely check it out. If you live across the world and will never experience the market, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and videos.