Excursion Cultural village & market tour at Busan

Gamcheon Culture Village

Located in the Korean coastal city of Busan, is nestled into the side of a mountain, the former slum a mishmash of pastel-colored, Lego-like houses, painted in 2009 to lure visitors up steep slopes and through its tiny alleys. Gamcheon Village, once a dilapidated neighborhood that housed refugees following the Korean War, it was transformed in 2009, when the government's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism launched an initiative to turn the area into a creative community. Under the theme, "Dreaming of Busan Machu Picchu," painters and sculptors added their artistic touch to the streets, homes and businesses of Gamcheon. Nowadays, tourists flock here to look at some of the street art in the country.

Yongdusan Park

Yongdusan Mountain (49m) in downtown Busan is one of Busan's three famous mountains. The mountain held shrines for the mountain gods built by the Japanese before the 8.15 Liberation. Now the mountain is home to a variety of monuments, including Cheokhwabi Monument, Chunghontap Pagoda, 4.19 Revolution Monument, a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, and the Busan Tower. During the Korean War, refugees built houses on the side of the mountain all the way to the summit but these neighborhoods were burned down twice, leaving the mountain bare. Since then, fierce efforts of planting trees have led to transforming the burnt mountain to a beautiful park. The park was called Unam Park at the time of the Liberal Party‟s ruling but was renamed to Yongdusan Park after the April 19 Revolution in 1960. The park offers views of Busan Port and the surrounding scenery. Busan Tower is a symbol of Busan that stands proudly at 69 meters above sea level at a height of 120 meters. The top of the tower is modelled after the Baldaquin of Dabotap Pagoda in Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju.

Gukje International Market:

Following the Korean War, refugees who fled to Busan set up stalls in order to make a living, and this was the beginning of the Gukje Market (gukje meaning "international" in Korean). The Gukje Market is one of Korea‟s largest markets; each alleyway is crowded with stalls, and it connects to Bupyeong Market, Kkangtong Market, and other smaller markets. The market stocks such a wide variety of goods, that you can find almost everything you need right here.

Points of interests

Points of interest seen on this excursion may include: Gamcheon Cultural Village, Views from Busan Tower, Yongdusan Park, Gukje International Market

Note

Please note: This tour has an extensive amount of walking of approximately 4 km or 2.5 km with more than 200 steps and steep hills at Gamcheon Cultural Village and a few steps to negotiate to get on/off the coach. It is not suitable for guests with limited mobility or those who utilize a wheelchair. We suggest wearing comfortable clothing and walking shoes as well as sun protection.