Have you wanted to spend a weekend in Busan attending the theater? This Busan theater weekend Itinerary will make it all seem fun and possible.
About Busan
Busan is a port city that exists on the southeast coast of South Korea. Busan also exists as one of South Korea’s seven Special Administrative Districts or Metropolitan Cities. It’s also the second-largest city in South Korea.
Busan has 15 major administrative districts and a single county that together include a population of around 3.6 million. The full metropolitan area, the Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region, has a population of approximately 8 million people.
Busan has an active cultural scene with many creative neighborhoods, museums, theaters, and the Busan International Film Festival. We love to visit Busan to take advantage of the many creative activities and delicious food. Come along on our most recent trip.
Booking Theater Tickets in South Korea
We have our FRC cards and open a Korean Bank Account. This allows us to easily book tickets online for shows and events. It also provides us increased freedom to book places to stay on Korean hotel apps which often offer better prices.
We use Interpark to book our theater tickets in Seoul, Cheonan, and Busan. Interpark does not always offer the easiest shopping experience but it does provide access to amazing shows across Korea.
Leaving Pyeongtaek on a Friday Afternoon
And we’re off. Heading to the train station to grab the bullet train to Busan. Seeing Lion King tomorrow down there. We catch the SRT bullet train from Jije Station. We leave our car in the nearby parking lot for the weekend.
Jije Station
000-000-0000
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기도 평택시 경기대로 777
E-mart is about a 10 minute walk M Bus Stops outside Jijae Station SRT (High speed train) Station
Pro-Tip: Always remember that no bullet trains stop at AK Plaza. Many people may tell you to, “Catch the KTX from AK Plaza.” However, they are confusing the KTX with the ITX or not realizing that bullet trains and regular trains differ.
Goof
0507-1320-2750
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 부산진구 동성로 25
Self-styled as a record bar, this is the place where the “Cool Kids” hangout. Offers many different drip coffee beans, cocktails, and some delicious food.
Welcome to @goof_busan! We arrived in Busan and decided to finally try this great cafe/bar in our favorite area of Busan. We started with the basil milkshake and passion fruit ade, which were flavorful and not overly sweet. The prosciutto and melon arrived shortly after followed by the baked Brie. To end the Goof food and drink tour, we indulged ourselves with a fudgelicious chocolate cake and the signature “Cool Kids” latte. The pomegranate seeds with the ice cream and chocolate cake might just be what dreams are made of.
Saturday Explore the Busan Before the Theater
Yeongdo Island
We decided to spend the day exploring Yeongdo Island, which is the island where the beginning of the book/TV show “Pachinko” takes place. We walked there across a bridge, but back in the day travel between the island and Busan was done via ferry.
AREA6
1644-1953
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 영도구 태종로105번길 37-3
This art community has a number of local artisan shops: teas, coffee, deli, art, scents, towels, and more.
Arrived at AREA6 – a cultural space full of little artisan shops on Yeongdo. Made our way through each one.
Grabbed breakfast @lolowa_daily – this amazing grocery and deli on Yeongdo. The cook, a word we just learned in Korean – 요리사, was SO nice, and we are now Instagram friends. Every time that I think we make progress in Korean, though, is just another failed attempt. However, everyone kindly allows us to slaughter the language with our accent and incorrect grammar and diction;)
The area around AREA6 used to be older markets, with the Yeongdo Traditional Market still right by it. We stumbled upon the restored fish cake grocer and museum. Grabbed an interesting version of the sotteok-sotteok. The dish includes rice cake and hot dogs nestled in a fish cake. Forgot to grab a picture though.
After breakfast, we headed to the Heuinyeoul Culture Village via the Jeoryeong Coastal Trail in search of a cafe.
Cupnut
0507-1370-1541
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 금정구 금정로149번안길 18
Donut shop in Busan.
Grabbed a light, flavorful donut from @cupnut_yeongdo to tide us over on our exploration.
The Having
0507-1365-6919
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 영도구 절영로 224-1
Hip, minimalist cafe overlooks the ocean and a view of Songpo Beach.
Had some amazing fanciers @thehaving_coffee not to mention one of the best vanilla lattes I’ve had.
After The Having, we walked around Huinyeoul Culture Village some more, taking in the color.
Strolled along the coast for a while before heading back to the area of the theater for dinner.
Jeonpo Restaurant
051-818-2330
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 부산진구 전포대로186번길 28
This small and stylish restaurant has bulgogi, marinated crab, kimchi stews, banchan, etc. Menu was in Korean.
Whenever we are in Busan, it has become our tradition to get dinner @jeonpo_bobjeep. It’s our favorite traditional Korean restaurant in Busan. After dinner, we tried @liedown.roasters for two tasty lattes, a chocolate chip walnut cookie and a fudgy chocolate cake. Not one regret to be had!
Dream Theatre
1833-3755
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 남구 전포대로 133
New theatre space in Busan within a newly constructed mall and hotel
]The Lion King International Tour is the reason we came to Busan this weekend! Such a great show and the @dreamtheatre_busan is one of our favorite venues! Don’t hesitate to see a show while in Korea.
Sunday is Brunch and Return Home Day
After a big Saturday exploring Busan and seeing a show, we take our time on Sunday. We wake up a little later, enjoy a slow brunch, and then catch a mid-day train home. This allows us an evening to relax at home and get ready for your work week. This trip’s brunch was a classic we look forward to on every visit.
Ole Coffee House
070-4300-6933
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
부산 부산진구 동성로39번길 19 2층 오엘이커피
This safe abs brunch place makes everything from scratch, such as their preserves and granola. The food is made with fresh ingredient. The ambiance has an earthy aesthetic and is soothing to the soul.
After the amazing performance, we needed to eat before heading home. A vibrant wall of azaleas ushered us to brunch on this sunny spring day. The last time we were in Busan, we discovered @olecoffeehouse and are so glad to be back to enjoy their artisan food!
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Chad Card holds a Master’s of Arts in Second Language teaching and a Master’s in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. He works for the Department of Defense (DODEA) as an ELA educator. Mr. Card travels extensively in South Korea and internationally. His passion includes studying languages, culture, and diversity.
Brian Rich holds a Master’s in Clinic Social work and a Bachelor’s in English Teaching. Mr. Rich is an experienced social work clinician who transitioned into education and works for the DODEA.
Together, Brian and Chad work as Cultural Liaisons and Content Creators developing travel itineraries focused on arts and culture across South Korea. Their love of learning, culture, and life is evident in all of their work.
