I rekindled my love for Busan when I brought my parents to Korea this time around. Too much K-drama I presume has made everyone romanticize about this country. And so I "warned" my parents about the realities of Korea. More about that in a later post.

Now, I present you 5 must-visit places when travelling with families/parents if you have at least 2 to 3 days which will be more than suffice. I have covered all there is to see in Busan and will not be returning again.

Here's our itinerary for Busan which may also suit you if you are intending to bring your older folks on a free-and-easy trip:

I did hesitate over Taejongdae, wondering if it was worth the trip and effort to head there, especially with my parents in hand. Turned out to be a wonderful treat of the coastal line in Busan. The view was splendid and I recommend you to head out there if you have the time.

I had time only to visit Busan within a day and thus explored only 2 places in central Busan — Jagalchi Market and Gamcheon Culture Village.
I had travelled using public transport.

Alternatively, if you are really clueless and prefer a safer form of pickup, city tour buses are available in Busan too.

Busan was in fact not in my planned itinerary, it was purely an impromptu decision that saw me traveling from Seoul to Busan.. Of course, I travelled via the KTX, instead of taking a flight and the journey took 3 hours.

 Get out from exit 10 of Busan Station.  

Below is the station you will see when you exit from the Busan Station ( where you took the KTX from Seoul Station). But this is not the place to take the inter-city Subway Station. I had originally thought that the subway station would be located in the same building as well since there is a 'Busan Station' in their subway line, but it's not.

To go to the Subway Station which will lead you to different areas of Busan, you got to cross the huge plaza in front.

Keep to your left and walk past this round statue and in a few metres ahead, look out for an entrance and a sign directing to the Subway station. I am sorry I didn't take photo of the signage 'cause it was way freezing cold and my brain wasn't functioning properly.

You will then be walking some stairs down leading you to the subway station.  

So I entered this shop..... 

Grilled fishes lay outside the shops... looks good right? 

From the menu:

생선구이 7000won.  생선 means fish and 구이means grilled. You will see a lot of '구이' along the eateries.   

모듬 생선구이means the whole piece of fish ( maybe 2 or 3 pieces for the small portion) plus fish meat etc, a mixture of everything. It comes in small 20,000won, medium 30,000won or large 40,000won. 

조개구이= grilled shellfish 30,000won. 

낙지= octopus  20,000 or 30,000won. 

전복=abalone 30,000 or 40,000 won. 

꼼장어 (tied eels. Not sure how but that's what it meant)/ 장어구이= grilled eel 30,000-50,000won 

회= raw fish 

 Okay so I ordered the 생선구이. It's basically parts of fish meat with some bones but not too fine ones, and reasonably simple to eat.  Wished the portions were larger though. ^_^

Really tasty and crispy.

Loved seasalt freshness of the grilled fish. I can have those for lunch everyday for sure. Served with side dishes and rice, all inclusive. Free rice and side dishes refill.

After lunch, I walked around the market..... It was definitely interesting!
 Had fun taking photos.

Anchovies~~~~ so cool~

Buy a basket of fish?

Fresh eels for you?

Sea Urchins!!! 

Moving into Jagalchi, the air-conditioned part of the market. 

Beautiful sea creatures lay in front of the stalls. 

All kinds of seashells 

Prawns for sales

There is an eating area where you can get your seafood cooked at the 2nd level and dine in right away.

But honestly, I think walking along the wet market outdoors was more interesting than the indoor Jagalchi Fish Market. 

 The next place i am heading to is right in front!! See those colouful blocks of houses afar?? More about it later on, read on. 

Anyway, if you walk out from the Jagalchi area and cross the main street, you will reach a shopping district with many shops and bustling with tourists and locals known as the BIFF area.

Walking straight all the way down, at the next cross intersection, you will spot the 국제지하쇼핑겐터 Gukje Underground Shopping Centre. There are various entrances leading to the underground shopping centre. I didn't go down though. See right corner for entrance sign.

This is another entrance no. 6.

Another attraction is the 국제지장 Gukje Market

It's a huge market with the streets of General Store, Arirang Street, Street of Youth and Electronics Shopping Street.

Selling Hello Kitty.

I strongly recommend you to grab a stool and sit down like the locals while wolfing down bowls of Japchae or Milmyeon.

Gwangbok-dong Fashion Street

Somehow without knowing, I exited the market and came into the Gwangbokjungang-ro Street, which to my amazement is another shopping district for youngsters. Super delighted.

Modern shops and cafes of all brands and sizes can be found there. I wished I had more time to walk leisurely and enjoyed more but I was in a hurry to head on to Gamcheon Culture Village before it gets dark.

It would be perfect if you have 2 to 3 days to spend in Busan. There will be lots of time for sightseeing and shopping.

A bustling shopping district.

Possibly similar to Seoul's Myeongdong.... 

Gamcheon Culture Village

Now, let's move on to Gamcheon Culture Village.
Take the subway to Toseong Station, Line 1, exit 6.  Upon exiting, walk and make a short right turn then walk straight all the way till you see a hospital on your right.  locate the bus stop just nearby the hospital with bus 2 or 2-2 right in front. 

Once in the village, follow the fishes arrows. But I will first advise you to stop by the information counter. From there you can obtain a huge 'treasure hunt map' and embark on your gem stamp searching.
Through the guides on the card you can explore the place at your own pace and have lots of fun! 

Fish arrows indicating the direction you should head. It would be great if you are able to spend more time in Gamcheon Village. 

Many artistic features along the preserved village. 

Cute drawings everywhere.

Too many pictures at Gamcheon Culture Village, but the above are just some of the interesting art pieces you can see.

... this famous hotteok stall has been on TV numerous times and became famous after Lee Sung Gi's visit while filming 2 Day 1 Night. You will not miss the crowd and the photos of celebrities on its signage. Operating from just a push-cart umbrella, it's to believe that they are that famous locally and overseas with tourists.
 Selling at only 1000won per piece. So popular there's always a long queue and bought them in dozens.

 Been around for 40 years... no wonder they are so popular

Other snacks include this shop selling egg wrap roll in different sauces and flavors... ^_^

This is the product!