Mother-son Busan trip
K&Smama
3 days ago
Me, my 5-year-old son, and my 3-year-old daughter, a mom-and-kids trip to Busan, Korea. We took it easy and relaxed over 3 nights and 4 days from Tokyo.
[DAY 1] Arrived in Busan in the evening.
- I’d estimated about 30 minutes by taxi from Busan Airport to Seomyeon, where our hotel was, but in the evening the roads from the airport were extremely congested and it took about an hour.
- After checking in at our hotel in Seomyeon, we had samgyeopsal for dinner in Seomyeon. It was soooo delicious. Both my son and daughter ate a lot. Maybe it’s a Busan thing — the seafood city — but eating samgyeopsal with the ocean flavors of seaweed, sakura shrimp, and anchovy sauce was a totally new food experience, and it was amazing.
[DAY 2] Seaside Train
- In the morning, we went to a warehouse-renovation cafe in Jeonpo. It was super cute.
- Then we headed to Songjeong to ride the Seaside Train. Taxis are cheap in Korea, which is great for traveling with kids! The Seaside Train was so good. We got on and off freely along the way. For an observatory, I recommend Daritdol Observatory, where the floor is see-through. For lunch, we went to Alice Donuts in Cheongsapo. Alice Donuts also has donut sandwiches, so it was nice to have options that aren’t just sweet!
- After arriving at Mipo, we took a taxi to Shinsegae Department Store. On the rooftop of Shinsegae Department Store, there’s a dinosaur-themed rooftop garden called ZOORAJI, and we let the kids run around. I’d heard there was a merry-go-round, but it wasn’t there anymore. I asked a maintenance gentleman in Korean, “Is there a merry-go-round?” and he explained something in Korean, but I couldn’t catch it… I just heard a “boom!” sound and a hand gesture, so I wondered if it maybe broke in a dramatic way and got removed?
- At night, we were back in Seomyeon again. For dessert, we went to Sulbing in Seomyeon. Sulbing portions are so big, we shared one, and still couldn’t finish it… sorry!
[DAY 3] Gamcheon Culture Village and a drone show
- In the morning, we went to a gukbap place in Seomyeon. After that, we bought freshly pressed sesame oil at Bujeon Market! The sesame oil shop packed it really well, and they were so kind, they even gave the kids Yakult.
- Then we went back to the hotel once, and headed to Gamcheon Culture Village. We grabbed lunch while snacking our way around the village, then went to a hanbok rental shop. They even styled my daughter’s hair beautifully at the vanity, and she was thrilled, like she’d become a princess. Lots of people complimented them, and the siblings were so happy.
- After Gamcheon Culture Village, we picked up gimbap and chicken to-go in Jagalchi. Then we went back to the hotel again and had the kids take a nap. We planned to stay up a bit later tonight, so this was to prepare for that.
- After 6 p.m., we left the hotel again and went to Gwangalli Beach. While letting the kids play in the sand, we had a picnic at sunset. Then the 8 p.m. drone show!!! It was so beautiful. I’d heard it lasts about 20 minutes, but it ended in a little over 10 minutes. On the way back we walked to Gwangalli, but the route was crowded, so I thought it might have been nice to pop into a nearby shop once along the way.
[DAY 4] Return home on a midday flight
- On the way in, it took about an hour from Busan Airport to the hotel, so we left the hotel early because I was worried about getting stuck in traffic. But then we arrived at the airport in under 30 minutes, and finished check-in right away. Busan Airport is very compact, but after passing security there was also a convenience store called CU inside the restricted area, so while waiting for boarding to start, we spent time eating yogurt we bought at CU and leftover gimbap from the day before.
The people in Busan were so kind, giving up seats for us on the subway, giving the kids juice, candy, and gummies, and a cheerful ajusshi even gave each of the kids 10,000 won for some reason, and an ajumma sitting next to us on the subway massaged my son’s legs... they were so considerate in so many ways, and it turned into such a heartwarming trip!!! I definitely want to go to Busan again!!
