The best market in Busan is a local secret.

As we like it, of course. Less of those loser tourists to deal with.

Busan is a city on the southeastern coast of South Korea- the second largest in the country, with a port that is one of the busiest in the entire world.

The bustling atmosphere of this city doesn’t stop at the coast though. Busan is full of life, and much of that life is concentrated in its plethora of markets.

But the best of these is Namhang Market on Yeongdo Island.

How to get to Namhang Market

Namhang Market is located on Yeongdo Island. As you can see on the map above, Yeongdo Island is quite large and is located a short bridge walk from the center of the city (Nampo-Dong).

So, if you’re staying in Nampo-Dong (which you should), the walk shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. If you’re feeling extra lazy, you can hop on either the 82 or 85 bus and it’ll take you straight there.

If you’re staying in the Haeundae area, the 1003, 1006, or 1011 bus should do the trick.

As always, I recommend you download Naver Maps. The lines I suggest should be accurate, but it’s a much better idea to check it the day of. They’ll also give you the exact times that the buses are set to arrive.

Just take the bus until you reach the location I’ve pinned on the map above. I believe the bus stop itself is called Namhang Market, but I’m not 100% sure.

What makes Namhang Market the best market in Busan?

Busan is full of famous markets.

There’s Gukje Market, the largest traditional market in all of Korea. Bupyeong Kkangtong, filled with all sorts of Korean street food classics. Jagalchi Fish Market, an absolutely massive complex where you can go pick your very own live fish and go sit comfy while it’s killed and cooked.

The problem is that with fame comes crowds. And that’s my main bone to pick with these center city markets. They’re great- and definitely worth a visit- but are thoroughly degraded by those pesky tourists.

Namhang Market has all the same benefits but without this drawback.

You won’t find much written about this market. It’s a completely local joint, and you can tell that they want to keep it that way.

I almost feel guilty writing about it. Then again, at the moment I have about two daily readers including my dad, so I think it’s fine for now.

I found the product quality here to be superior to the more touristy markets, which came as no surprise. Nor did the difference in cost- items (specifically food) were often over 50% cheaper.

So I don’t really know what else you need to be convinced: less tourists, more locals, more authentic, better food, cheaper prices.

Now let’s dive into some specifics.

What to do and eat at Namhang Market

Me and a friend stumbled across Namhang completely by chance. We went to peek inside, not realizing that we were about to discover the best market in Busan.

We entered via a small entryway to a narrow indoor passage with a few small stands selling an assortment of items.

We thought this was the extent of it, but were soon shocked as the narrow passage led to another passage, and it became clear that we were in a massive indoor market with hundreds of stalls.

How could no one have known about this? The blogging community had failed us.

So what exactly did these stands have to offer?

I love kimchi. And Namhang Market is kimchi heaven. Lots of stands selling all different sorts of fermented goodness for you to try.

As a bonus, the kimchi stands often also sell these tiny little dried fish coated in a sweet & spicy sauce- a wonderful snack if you’re into that sort of thing.

There are also plenty of stands selling freshly cooked scallion pancakes, which are fantastic. Just make sure you ask for one fresh. Otherwise they’ll just give you one that’s been sitting out and getting soggy.

As an example to my point earlier about the pricing here, a scallion pancake at Namhang will put you back around 2,000 won ($1.4 USD) whereas you’re looking at 5,000 won ($3.5 USD) minimum at the other markets.

There are a good collection of baked goods and local desserts to sample, once you’ve had your savory fix.

Then go and explore the outdoor area, which is at the northern end of the market.

Sample a hotteok. If you haven’t had one yet- first off, I don’t know what the heck you’ve been doing. But it’s essentially yeasted dough that’s stuffed with cinnamon and sugar and fried to glorious perfection.

In Busan it’s popular to add sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

You can find one in this outdoor section of the market. From the north exit of the indoor market, walk directly across the road and you should reach a busy area of the outdoor market. Walk a minute or so until you reach an intersection. On the far right hand side, you’ll find the best hotteoks in town.

Bonus tips

Since you’re already visiting Namhang Market, you may as well take the opportunity to explore Yeongdo Island if you haven’t already.

As I mention in my post on the 8 best things to do in Busan, Yeongdo Island might just be my favorite area in the entire city.

It’s got my favorite market in town- don’t know if I’ve mentioned that. It also has one of the best hikes and viewpoints in Busan.

It’s called Bongnaeasan, a mountain at the center of the island, and the view up top is absolutely spectacular. It really gives you a perspective of just how vast and sprawling of a city Busan is.

There’s plenty more to explore- I won’t get into too much detail in this post, but check out the photo below which shows a list of all the attractions to see on the island.

But to close on task, you really have to check out Namhang Market. It doesn’t require much time to get to, is in a beautiful area, and is truly the best market in Busan.