Korea’s second-largest city, Busan, is a feast for the senses: imagine streets perfumed with incense, teeny local restaurants serving mouthwatering spicy pork dumplings, neon-lit shopping centres and misty mountains overlooking windswept shores. You can spend the morning hiking to a temple-topped mountain, be back downtown for lunch of succulent king crab at Jagalchi Market, and end the day with some duty-free shopping right at your hotel. Whether you’re interested in picking up luxury goodies at the world’s biggest department store or just want to relax on Gwangalli Beach, this city’s got you covered.
When it comes to hotels, you’ll find cool and comfy spaces from the buzzing city centre to the serene mountains and the sandy shoreline, making accommodation in Busan as diverse as the city itself. Chill out in outdoor spas overlooking the East Sea, or set your little ones free in indoor play zones where they can zoom around in kid-sized BMWs. Foodies can explore tantalising Korean specialties – including Busan signatures like hearty dwaeji gukbap (pork rice soup) and hwe iguksu (noodles with raw fish) – alongside Western and Eastern favourites on the city’s hotel menus before retiring for an evening of drinks on your private balcony.