The Three Best Views in Busan

view from a mountain overlooking a panoramic view of the sea and skyline of the city of Busan, with some mountains in the distance

Busan is a city with no shortage of fabulous views.

A sprawling city on the southeastern coast of South Korea, Busan is filled with intermingled hills and mountains that offer exceptional viewpoints all over the city and beyond.

I’ll be giving you my three favorite views in Busan– in no apparent order.

Two of them are hikes, and one of them is an elevator ride. So I’ve got you covered no matter how lazy you’re feeling today.

Bongnaesan Mountain

How to get to Bongnaesan

narrow steep alleyway in between small buildings made of brick and another smaller building painted blue — You may walk up through alleys like these on the way to Bongnaesan

Bongnaesan Mountain is located on Yeongdo Island, which is a bridge crossing away from the Nampo-Dong area of Busan.

I advise you to stay in Nampo-Dong, at least for a portion of your trip. It’s essentially the center of Busan, comprising of attractions like the Busan Tower, Jagalchi Fish Market area etc.

From Nampo-Dong, Bongnaesan is easily walkable. You can get to the base in around 45 minutes and it’s a further 30-45 to the top. Maybe an hour if you really take your time.

If you’d rather take the bus to near the base, this is also possible. It’s pretty necessary if you’re not staying in Nampo-Dong.

If you’re staying in the Haeundae Beach area (or most areas to the east), take the 1003, 1006, or 1011 bus to Haedong Hospital on Yeongdo Island.

It’s possible there are other buses that will work as well. I highly recommend you download Naver Maps to make sure you find the right bus for you. If you’re new to Korea, Google and Apple Maps aren’t the best here.

The next step is to download AllTrails, a fantastic tool in Korea (and everywhere).

There is a main entrance to Bongnaesan, but if you go on AllTrails you’ll see that there are numerous entry areas that shorten your hike.

I’ve pinpointed one specific entry area on the map here which is where I recommend starting the hike. It’s right by a temple and gives the quickest access to the top.

Note that the spot on the map isn’t exact- you have to walk a road in towards the mountain, and the entrance should look like the first photo below.

narrow entrance road to a small temple complex — Entrance from the main road

split in a narrow, steep road with a trail on the right and a temple visible in the background on the left — When you see the temple, keep right

From there, you just walk up. There are a number of ways to get to the top, and if you want to plan a route then use AllTrails.

In reality, if you keep heading in the upwards direction I’m confident that you’ll make it to the summit.

Eventually, at least.

Why Bongnaesan?

I said there was no apparent order, but Bongnaesan might have the number one best view in Busan.

Bongnaesan is pretty much right in the center of the city. It’s not the tallest viewpoint, but its location and proximity mean that you can literally see the entire city- in all directions around you.

me sitting on a large rock overlooking a panoramic view of the sea and skyline of Busan — See those mountains in the distance? We’ll be talking about them next.

You have the city on one side, and the sea on the other with small islands poking up in the distance. It’s quite special. And a good photo opportunity.

On your way down, take a stop at Namhang Market- my favorite market in the city. It’s a more local market and far less touristy than the popular ones in Busan. You get similar options for a fraction of the price.

While we’re on the topic, you should check out my list of some other great things to do while you’re in Busan, or my essential 3 day itinerary.

Seunghaksan Mountain

How to get to Seunghaksan

trail map in front of a wooden staircase heading up a mountain — The entrance should look something like this

Seunghaksan is located a bit further from Nampo-Dong.

Like Bongnaesan, there are multiple entry points. In fact, many more entry points. Seunghaksan is a massive hiking area, as we’ll soon discuss.

I recommend that you start at the entrance by the Dong-A University.

To get to Dong-A University from Nampo-Dong, you’re going to take the 1 line (metro) to Hadan. Take Exit 7 and walk to the entrance to Dong-A.

You’ll see a parking lot with buses. Go up this lot and continue until you see a path ascending up to your left.

Again, just download AllTrails. Even Naver Maps will do, it shows you the entrance. Much simpler than trying to follow my vague instructions.

view over a city skyline with interspersed green mountains and the sea in the background

Why Seunghaksan?

I think the photo speaks for itself.

Head to Seunghaksan if you’ve got some time on your hands. The other two spots on this list are 1.5-2 hour activities at most. But Seunghaksan is massive, and there are actually multiple peaks and views that you can get to.

The first peak with the view in the photo above takes a little over an hour to reach from the entrance by Dong-A University.

You can head back down and call it a day, but I highly recommend continuing for a while. There’s a good loop that you can do which takes you back to the metro. And many other routes as well.

I’ll try and soon write a post purely about Seunghaksan and the best routes to take.

For now, download AllTrails and forge your own path! Which might honestly be the best way to do it. Adds an adventurous touch.

rocks and small rock plinth marking the summit of a mountain with rivers and land visible in the distance and the sun blazing overhead

Lotte Department Store Roof

How to get to the Lotte Department Store Roof

This one’s gonna take a lot less effort.

You’re going to head to the Lotte Department Store. It’s located in Nampo-Dong right by the bridge that takes you to Yeongdo Island.

You can take some time to explore the mall. It’s called a department store, but it’s pretty fancy and I’m sure a lot of time can be spent in there if that’s your thing.

Then you’ll head as far up as you can go. Most of the elevators will take you to the 11th floor, and you’ll have to walk out onto the terrace and climb a couple more staircases to make it to the top.

Why the Lotte Department Store Roof?

the facade of a massive mall on a busy downtown street — The Lotte Department Store

This is the ultimate sunset spot in the city.

The Lotte Department Store Roof is absolutely massive and offers views in every direction. It’s also a very different sort of view compared to the previous two, as you’re more ingrained in the city instead of looking down at it.

And I haven’t even mentioned the best part yet- somehow, there’s nobody there. At least in the couple of times that I’ve gone. Granted, I was there in the spring so it’s possible it gets busier later on.

But even with those pesky tourists it would probably still be amazing.

Strutting around that massive rooftop with my headphones in, watching the sun set over the city was really one of the more magical moments of the four month trip to Asia I was on. No joke.

A brief note before we adjourn: the other two spots I’ve mentioned are also incredible spots for sunset. Perhaps moreso- just be aware that you’ll have to hike down with little sunlight, so bring lights.