As a peninsula, Korea has countless beachside towns and cities that offer the perfect escape from the busier areas of Seoul and Incheon. One of my favorites is the city of Busan. Busan is just a quick three hour train ride away and offers the opportunity for the perfect weekend getaway. It still has all of the conveniences of city life with countless cozy cafés and western restaurants, however, it sits right along a beautiful coastline housing various beaches to relax.
In addition to the coastal vibes, there are also cultural attractions that bring people to this part of the country. One of the areas on the top of the list for many is the beautiful Gamcheon Cultural Village. Gamcheon is a picturesque little setting of hundreds of brightly painted homes complete with small alleyways to explore and countless painted murals to admire.
After grabbing brunch at a local restaurant, some friends and I decided to make our way up to the village for an adventure and the ultimate Busan photo-op. We bused up the curving mountain until we reached the top and could admire the spectacular view. Throughout the village there are dozens of roadside stops offering coffee, ice cream, snacks on a stick, and just about anything else you could imagine. Even a small boutique specializing in socks. We took hours to wind our way through myriad of alleyways; stopping to take pictures of the view and artwork along the way.
This sweet village offers such a juxtaposition to the traditional setting of Korea which is, for the most part, filled with tall office and apartment buildings and generally follows a gray color scheme with hints of green roofs. We couldn’t have been happier to experience this pop of color for a weekend and explore an entirely new part of the city we love in the country that has been home for nearly two years.
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bbm travels 