Busan | A Must-Visit for Tourists: Gamcheon Culture Village
YU LUN
3 months ago
Last year, I inexplicably went to Busan twice. Revenge travel after the pandemic is really scary.
Busan is a city I feel I can never get tired of visiting. On these two trips, I went with different groups who had never been to Busan before, so we visited similar places.
This time, I want to share a must-visit attraction for all tourists going to Busan—Gamcheon Culture Village. Many people may have already visited, and there are many shares online, but I still want to provide my own travel experience.
For transportation, since we were staying near Busan Station while going to Busan, it wasn't very far from Gamcheon Culture Village, so we took a taxi directly there. During our stay in Busan, we took a lot of taxis. The cost, since it was split with friends, wasn't much different from the subway, so I highly recommend taking a taxi. (However, be prepared as Busan taxi drivers can drive quite fast and recklessly.)
If it's your first time in Gamcheon-dong, it's highly recommended to buy a map at the tourist center at the entrance, which can reduce the chances of getting lost. The map marks the locations for stamp collection, and collecting all the stamps can be exchanged for a postcard.
Because I had been here before, I didn't buy a map for these two visits. I just walked around the village with a faint memory. The route I took was probably towards The Little Prince, then after passing The Little Prince, I walked towards the main road, and followed the fish signposts into the village.
The most famous place in Gamcheon Culture Village is The Little Prince. I personally recommend if you want to take a photo with The Little Prince, you should arrive around 8 AM. Usually, you won't need to wait in line, or you will only need to wait for one or two people. Around 8:30 to 9 AM, many tourists will start to arrive one after another, and you will have to wait in a very long line.
When I went in March, I was walking through the village alley and happened to meet a cute cat. Actually, you can see cats everywhere in Busan alleys. The residents here are very friendly to cats. While I was squatting by the roadside to greet the cat, an elderly lady from the neighboring house came out and sat at her doorstep to bask in the sun. Then she started introducing me to the cat's name and their relationship. One thing I love about Busan is that it is full of warmth and friendliness; the grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts are all very nice.
Walk down the stairs to reach other larger alleys, and if you go in the right direction, you'll come across a blue café. This café is one of the locations where Kyuhyun filmed his music video, and there is also Kyuhyun's autograph at the ordering counter.
The most special thing used to be delivering meals with a hot air balloon, but it seems to be too cold for anyone to sit outside these two times, so the hot air balloon service wasn't operating. The decoration inside the café is very warm and cute, and it can't accommodate too many people at once. When we went, there happened to be no other customers, so my friends and I happily warmed up and took photos inside. The famous drink is the Cloud Coffee, with a huge marshmallow on top of the coffee that is very cute and adds flavor to the coffee. Another drink I really like is the Grain Latte (I think this is the correct translation), which is topped with lots of cereal cookies, changing the whole texture of the drink.
Across from the café, there are also art installations of rain boots and umbrellas for photos. After drinking coffee, it’s perfect to go across and enjoy the view and take pictures. This café is situated higher up, so you can overlook the village. From up there, you can also capture the sea in your photos. Highly recommend stopping by to relax.
Leaving the café and walking down the road, you will pass another visitor center. At the entrance, there is an art installation of an ajumma. Many people take pictures at the entrance and then leave, but you can actually go inside. There will be staff at the counter, just nod and greet them, and you can walk in without worry. Inside, there is an old bathhouse model you can visit. In December, there was a small art exhibition that you could check out.
There are also very clean restrooms available here, and there is a large mirror outside to tidy up. It is a bathhouse-style visitor center. Small but very comfortable, it's perfect to take a restroom break and rest a bit after having coffee. It makes for a very smooth trip.
Finally, walk down the road to the foot of the mountain, and follow the map to the traditional market after a few turns. This traditional market doesn't actually sell goods but has models of old markets, giving a glimpse of what was sold in the past. At the end of the market, there's a small souvenir shop with more exquisite and varied items than those in other stores. This area seems less frequented by tourists, so I highly recommend visiting the charming little alleys. When we went in March, we met a friendly elder and chatted with the souvenir shop owner, who also gave us a Jeju Island tangerine each as we left. People in Busan are so warm and lovely!
This is the last stop in Gamcheon-dong. After leaving the traditional market, walk along the road to the main street, and you can take a taxi or bus to the next destination!
