Andersen Fairy Tale Village (안데르센 동화마을) is a themed park on a forested hillside in Jangan-eup, Gijang-gun, in the north-east of Busan. It is built around the stories of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, and it mixes play areas with a walking trail. This guide pulls together what the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Visit Busan say, including a bus route, and it flags where those two sources disagree.
We checked the sources on 3 October 2026. The family section below comes from our own visit; hours, fees and transport come from the named sources. One of those, an older Visit Busan page, refers to the pandemic, so some of its details may have changed.
Our Family Visit: The Storybook House Was the Draw
We visited Andersen Fairy Tale Village with our children, aged 5 and 3. The candy-house sculpture caught their attention: they were excited by the idea of being Hansel and Gretel and ran around enjoying the storybook setting.
The only toilet in our notes was at the entrance, so take young children there before you set off on the trail. We cannot say whether facilities have changed since our visit.
On the same day we also went to the Busan National Science Museum and stopped for bakery treats at Chilam Sa-gye. If you plan a similar day, our notes say the museum’s hall for infants and toddlers (Saessaknuri-gwan) needed advance booking on its website at the time, so check the current rule first. We did not record travel times between the three stops, so this is not a tested timetable.
Family notes added 15 October 2026. The visit date was not recorded. The children were aged 5 and 3 at the time.
What Is There
KTO describes the village as part of a pottery-themed “healing village” in Gijang. It says visitors can learn about Andersen’s life and works, and that the grounds include a garden recreated in the 18th-century Baroque style and a variety of play facilities for children.
The Visit Busan page, written in Korean, gives a more detailed walk-through. It says a pink Andersen Theater stands on the mountainside, and that a short walk past it leads into a “fairy tale trail” with settings from Andersen’s stories. It names a table set for the girl from The Little Match Girl, which it calls a popular photo spot, and a house made of sweets that the page links to Hansel and Gretel. It then describes a forest path to a viewing deck and a lake called Ugly Duckling Lake, with a wooden deck across the water and a duck sculpture in the middle. The page is tagged June and says daisies and coreopsis were in bloom, so those flowers are not a promise for other months.
Visit Busan also says the Andersen Theater was created to give children positive messages through Andersen’s life, and that at the time of writing the children’s performances were paused because of the pandemic. We found no current performance schedule, so we cannot say whether the theater is running shows now.
Hours and Closing Days: Two Sources Disagree
This is the most important point to check before you travel. KTO lists the opening hours as 09:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 16:00, and says the village is closed every Monday. Parking is listed as available.
The Visit Busan page lists the hours as “always,” with the theater’s hours treated separately. It lists entry as free, with theater performances charged separately. KTO does not list a fee. The two sources also give different addresses: KTO gives 211 Jangan-ro, Jangan-eup, while Visit Busan gives San 126, Giryong-ri, Jangan-eup. They may describe the theater and the forest area separately, but we could not confirm that.
Because of this, we suggest treating the KTO hours as the safer plan, and avoiding a Monday. KTO’s information line is 051-792-4761. Visit Busan lists 051-728-3909 for the Andersen Theater. Both are Korean numbers, so you may need local help to call.
Getting There
Visit Busan gives one public-transport route. Take Busan Metro Line 2 to Jangsan Station (장산역) and leave by Exit 5. Transfer to bus 182 and get off at the Gijang Telephone Office stop (기장전화국). Then take the village bus Gijang-gun 9 (마을버스 기장군9) and get off at Hajangan (하장안), followed by a walk of about 30 minutes. We did not find ride times, the frequency of either bus, or the first and last departures, so check a map app on the day. The Visit Busan page is older, and bus routes change.
For car travel, Visit Busan lists the Andersen Theater parking lot, and KTO lists parking as available. We found no information on parking fees or capacity.
If you plan to use the metro, see our Busan metro and T-money guide. The east coast has other family-friendly stops that you can pair with a trip to Gijang, such as the Busan National Science Museum and the Ahopsan bamboo forest. We did not check travel times between them.
Practical Notes
Visit Busan says you can walk with a pet if you bring a leash and waste bags, and that camping and cooking are not allowed. KTO lists baby-stroller rental as not available. KTO also lists credit-card payment as “none,” which may simply mean there is nothing to pay at the gate. We do not know what the situation is at the theater or any shop, so bring some cash.
The trail includes a wooden deck and a lake boardwalk, and the Visit Busan page describes a forest path. We found no sourced information on the length of the trail, the slopes or food; for toilets, see our family note above. If someone in your group needs step-free access, ask before you go.
First-Timer Tips
These are our suggestions, not sourced facts.
- Go on a day other than Monday, and aim to arrive well before 16:00 in case the KTO last-entry time applies.
- Bring water and snacks. We found no information on food on site.
- Wear shoes you can walk in. The Visit Busan page describes a forest path and a deck walk.
- Check the weather first. Our photos show green summer scenes and some bare branches, and we have no sourced advice on autumn conditions.
FAQ
Is Andersen Fairy Tale Village free? Visit Busan lists entry as free, with theater performances charged separately. KTO does not list a fee, and the Visit Busan page is older, so confirm at the gate.
Is it open on Monday? KTO lists Monday as the weekly closing day.
How do I get there by public transport? Visit Busan lists Jangsan Station Exit 5 on Line 2, bus 182 to Gijang Telephone Office, village bus Gijang-gun 9 to Hajangan, then a 30-minute walk.
Can I bring a dog? Visit Busan says pets can walk the trail on a leash, with waste bags.
Are there shows? The older Visit Busan page says performances were paused during the pandemic. We found no current schedule.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Whether the opening hours are 09:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 16:00 (KTO) or open at all times (Visit Busan).
- The current fee, and whether the theater charges for shows.
- A current performance schedule.
- Whether the two listed addresses are the same site.
- Ride times and frequency for bus 182 and village bus Gijang-gun 9.
- Toilets, food on site, the length of the trail, and step-free access.
- Whether the village is a good fit for autumn visits. Our photos show green summer scenes and some bare branches, and their dates are unknown.
Related guides
- Busan National Science Museum Guide
- Ahopsan Forest in Gijang: Bamboo Forest Guide
- Chilam Port and Ilgwang Beach: Gijang Coast Day
- Busan Metro Guide: Tickets, Hanaro, T-money
We post short first-timer guides on Instagram too: @rolo.koreaguide.
Sources
Checked on 3 Oct 2026.
- Korea Tourism Organization, TourAPI (Korean service): Andersen Fairy Tale Village (content ID 2661452). Photographs from this listing (KOGL Type 3) used unaltered.
- Visit Busan (official Busan tourism site), Korean page on the Gijang pottery-tourism theme forest and Andersen Theater: https://visitbusan.net/index.do?lang_cd=ko&menuCd=DOM_000000201001001000&uc_seq=804 . The page is undated and refers to the pandemic. We translated the details ourselves.
