Busan Citizens Park and Samgwangsa: Day Plan

Busanjin-gu sits in the middle of Busan. This guide puts three stops into one easy day: Busan Citizens Park, a bowl of pork soup near Seomyeon Market, and Samgwangsa Temple if you still have energy.

Every fact below comes from a named source, checked on 2 October 2026; where we could not confirm something, we say so. Skip the temple for a half day, or add it for a full day. Hours and bus numbers can change, so confirm on a live map before you set out.

Pond with a small pine-covered island ringed by red flowers, and tall trees behind, in Busan Citizens Park — Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Our Family Visit: Room to Move at Citizens Park

We visited Busan Citizens Park with our children, aged 5 and 3. With no cars inside and wide, flat spaces, they raced around freely on their kick scooters. That is our memory of the outing; check the park signs for current rules before bringing a scooter.

If you drive, our notes mention public car parks at both the south and north gates, and they were busy on weekends, so we would aim for a morning arrival. We also ate pork soup at Songjeong Samdae Gukbap on our Busanjin outings. We have no notes from Samgwangsa, so our experience covers the park and the meal, not the whole suggested route.

Family notes added 15 October 2026. The visit date was not recorded. The children were aged 5 and 3 at the time.

Where to Go: Busan Citizens Park and Samgwangsa

Busan Citizens Park (부산시민공원)

Visit Busan, the city’s official tourism site, says Busan Citizens Park was transformed from the former US Army Camp Hialeah. It lists a white sand beach, fountains, wide lawns, children’s play areas, forest book cafes, workshops and a barefoot red clay trail. The address is 73 Simingongwon-ro, Busanjin-gu.

The Busan city website (busan.go.kr) says the park was created around five themes: memory, culture, pleasure, nature and participation. It lists more than one million trees of 97 species, four fountains, six squares, nine play areas, and stretches along two streams, the Bujeoncheon and the Jeonpocheon. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) says Hialeah Lawn Plaza, in the middle of the park, is the largest open space. KTO also lists an information center, a park history center, cafes, convenience stores and restrooms.

Admission is free. Visit Busan and KTO both give the hours as 05:00 to 24:00, every day of the year.

Two park rules are worth knowing. Visit Busan says cooking is not allowed and pets must be kept on a leash. The city website describes the park as alcohol-free and smoke-free. We could not check how strictly this is enforced today.

For rain or a hot afternoon, the Busan Citizens Park History Museum is on the same address. The city’s museum site gives its hours as Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00, with free admission. It is closed on Mondays (or the next day if Monday is a public holiday) and on January 1. The museum page lists four exhibition rooms: the Japanese colonial period, Camp Hialeah, the lives of nearby residents, and the campaign to reclaim the site as a park.

Samgwangsa Temple (삼광사)

A white stone pagoda beside a temple hall hung with rows of colorful lanterns at Samgwangsa Temple in Busan — Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 3)

Visit Busan says Samgwangsa is a large Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Baegyangsan Mountain, at 77 Choeupcheon-ro 43beon-gil. It says many people pray quietly here and walk around the pagoda. KTO describes it as a representative temple of the Cheontae order, and lists a temple stay program.

Visit Busan says it is open every day of the year and free, with free parking. KTO lists it as always open. The temple is known for its lotus lantern festival around Buddha’s Birthday. Visit Busan gave the 2026 festival dates as 15 to 24 May, with lights on daily from 19:00 to 01:00. That has passed, and we could not confirm whether lantern displays are up in other months. Treat the lanterns in the photo above as a festival feature, not something to count on in October.

Citizens Park and Samgwangsa are separate trips. From the coordinates in the KTO data, they are about 1.6 km apart in a straight line. That is our estimate, not a walking route.

What to Eat: Dwaeji Gukbap in Seomyeon

Dwaeji gukbap (돼지국밥) is pork soup served with rice. Visit Busan describes Songjeong Samdae Gukbap (송정3대국밥) as one of the original restaurants in Seomyeon’s dwaeji-gukbap alley.

Corner entrance of Seomyeon Market in Busan with a large sign, under a blue sky with high-rise buildings behind — Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Here is what the sources say about the restaurant:

Address: 33 Seomyeon-ro 68beon-gil, Busanjin-gu (Visit Busan and KTO agree).
Hours: Visit Busan says open 24 hours a day, and closed on Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok. KTO lists it as open all hours, with no regular day off.
Menu: Visit Busan lists dwaeji gukbap (pork soup with rice), sundae gukbap, naejang gukbap (offal soup), ttaro gukbap, suyuk baekban (boiled pork set), chapssal sundae and suyuk (boiled pork slices). KTO names ttaro gukbap as the first menu item.
Taste: Visit Busan says the pork soup is milky and clean-tasting. KTO says the broth is rich and the portions of meat are generous.
Parking: KTO says no parking.
Phone: 051-806-5722 (Visit Busan).

The photo above shows Seomyeon Market, not the restaurant. Visit Busan calls the market nearly 60 years old and says its food alley serves noodle soup, old-style fried chicken and pork soup with rice. From the coordinates, the restaurant is about 60 m from the market in a straight line, our estimate.

How to order. Say 돼지국밥 하나 주세요 (dwaeji gukbap hana juseyo), which means “one pork soup, please.” Menu words such as sundae (Korean sausage) and offal may be new to you, so ask staff what is in the dish. We found no source on allergy, halal or vegetarian options. If you have a diet rule, ask about the ingredients, broth and sauce before you order.

There is one conflict in the sources. Visit Busan says the restaurant has been in business for 80 years, while KTO says 40 years. We could not confirm which is right, so we do not give a number.

Plan Your Visit: A Simple Route

This is our suggested order, not an official route.

Morning: Busan Citizens Park. Visit Busan lists two ways to reach the park: a 17-minute walk from Exit 1 of Bujeon Station on Busan Metro Line 1, or a 6-minute walk from the bus stop where buses 33, 44, 63 and 179 stop. The History Museum’s page lists a different route, via Bujeon Station on the Donghae Line, so check a map on the day.
Midday: Seomyeon. We did not find an official source for the ride from Bujeon to Seomyeon, so check the Busan Metro map or a map app. KTO lists Seomyeon, Buam and Jeonpo stations as the nearest to Seomyeon Market. Walk to the gukbap alley for lunch.
Afternoon, optional: Samgwangsa. Visit Busan says to use the bus stop opposite the Young Kwang Book Store by Exit 9 of Seomyeon Station, then take village bus Busanjin-gu 15. Buses 44, 54, 63, 81 and 133 stop at the temple entrance.

A heart-shaped flower arch on a wooden boardwalk with visitors walking in Busan Citizens Park — Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Rainy-day swap. Spend more time at the History Museum, go straight to lunch in Seomyeon, and skip the temple if the weather is poor. This is our suggestion, not from a source.

First-Timer Tips

Wear comfortable walking shoes. The park and the temple grounds are outdoors, and we have no source on path surfaces.
Bring a transit card. Our Busan metro and T-money guide explains the options.
Arrive at the park earlier in the day if you want a quieter walk. This is general advice, and we have no crowd data.
Carry a charged phone with a map app. Official pages list different station exits for the same park, so a live map helps.
If you travel with a stroller or wheelchair, Visit Busan lists wheelchair rentals, accessible parking, elevators and accessible restrooms at the park.

FAQ

Is Busan Citizens Park free? Yes. Visit Busan lists admission as free, and the park is open daily from 05:00 to 24:00.

Can I get to the park by metro? Visit Busan lists a 17-minute walk from Bujeon Station (Line 1) Exit 1. Buses 33, 44, 63 and 179 are also listed.

Is the restaurant open late? Visit Busan and KTO both list it as open 24 hours. We recommend a quick check on a map app before you go.

Is Samgwangsa open in October? Visit Busan and KTO list it as open year-round. We could not confirm lantern displays outside the May festival.

Do I need a reservation anywhere? We found no reservation requirement for any of these places.

What We Could Not Confirm

Menu prices, an English menu and card payment at the restaurant.
How long the restaurant has been in business (sources disagree).
Allergy, halal and vegetarian information for any dish.
Bus times, metro fares and exact walking times between stops, and the metro ride from Bujeon to Seomyeon.
Whether lantern displays are up at Samgwangsa outside May.
Which station exit is best for the park, because official pages list different exits.

Related guides

We post short first-timer guides on Instagram too: @rolo.koreaguide.

Sources

Checked on 2 Oct 2026.

Korea Tourism Organization, TourAPI (Korean service): Busan Citizens Park (content ID 2663341, photos KOGL Type 1), Samgwangsa (127150, photo KOGL Type 3), Songjeong Samdae Gukbap (3432951), Seomyeon Market (2763900, photo KOGL Type 1). Photos used unaltered.
Visit Busan: Busan Citizens Park, https://www.visitbusan.net/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000301001001000&uc_seq=354&lang_cd=en ; Samgwangsa, https://www.visitbusan.net/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000301001001000&uc_seq=347&lang_cd=en ; Samgwangsa Lotus Lantern Festival, https://www.visitbusan.net/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000301005001000&uc_seq=403&lang_cd=en ; Songjeong Samdae Gukbap and Seomyeon Market food pages (uc_seq 1616 and 328); Busan Citizens Park History Museum, uc_seq 2155.
Busan Metropolitan City: Busan Citizens Park, https://www.busan.go.kr/eng/park01 ; Busan Citizens Park History Museum, https://www.busan.go.kr/citizenpark_eng/index . Both pages re-read on 2 Oct 2026.