Heading to Busan this summer? Then make sure to add Gwangalli Beach in your itinerary! Here are the things that you need to know when visiting Gwangalli Beach in 2021.
About Gwangalli Beach
The Gwangalli Beach (๊ด์๋ฆฌํด์์์ฅ) is one of the popular beaches in Busan. It is a 1.4 km long beach that is famous for its fine sand. Aside from relaxing at the beachfront, you can also delightful yourself by dining in at the romantic restaurants and cafes nearby. There are also stores that sell famous fashion brands. Moreover, you can have a spectacular night view of the Gwangandaegyo Bridge which exhibits bright lights stretching across the horizon.
What to see in Gwangalli Beach
Beach
This beach may not be a white sand beach but it is famous for its fine sand where you can just relax with family and friends, or just by yourself. The public beaches in Busan were closed for a period of time during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city. So when the social distancing and other measures were more relaxed, my friends decided to head to Busan and visited the Gwangalli Beach.
As expected and given the summer season in Korea, there were still a lot of people visiting the beach. But for our safety, we made sure that we were wearing our masks, practiced social distancing and using hand sanitizers all the time. Although itโs really hard to enjoy the beach at its fullest while wearing a mask since you canโt fully feel the breeze that it brings.
Gwangandaegyo Bridge
Good thing Gwangalli beach gives you an spectacular view of the Gwangandaegyo Bridge from the beachfront. This bridge stretches over 7.4 kilometers from Namcheon-dong in Suyeong-gu, Busan to Centum City in U-dong, Haeundae-gu. It is also the longest bi-level bridge over the ocean in Korea. With the use of thousands of LED lights, the bridge showcases a beautiful lighting exhibition at night that changes with the seasons.
Photo Zones
Aside from that, there are also several photo zones in the beachside where you can take good photos with lightning effects at night. There are variety of seats too where you can just relax while enjoying your time at the beach.
Where to Eat in Gwangalli Beach
If ever you get hungry while walking at the beach, you donโt have to worry because there are a lot of restaurants within the area. From restaurants, to coffee shops and resto-bars, you can find them all there. However, during the time of pandemic, you must still be careful in dining in crowded places. Most of the restaurants are open until 10:00 PM only and can only accommodate a group of 4 persons. Although I noticed that most of the restaurant bars there are still jampacked with customers who are not practicing social distancing and not wearing their masks.
Looking for a good yet less crowded place to eat was a challenge for us. It actually took us about an hour to decide where to have our dinner but we ended up in a good place. We had our dinner at Whealthy Fusion Stir Fry Restaurant just few minute walk from the beachfront. Their menu is simple and the price is quite affordable but their meal was good. In addition to that, you will also have a good view of the Gwangalli beach while eating. Read more about it here.
How to get there
Location: 219, Gwanganhaebyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan (๋ถ์ฐ๊ด์ญ์ ์์๊ตฌ ๊ด์ํด๋ณ๋ก 219 (๊ด์๋))
Directions: Take Busan Subway Line 2 and get off at Geumryeon Station, Exit 1 or 3. Make a u-turn and turn on the first street toward the beach.
Other Sample Busan Itineraries
If you are looking for simple itineraries and guides to help you plan your trip to Busan, Korea, you may refer to the sample below:
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