Eulsukdo is an island where the Nakdong River meets the sea on the western edge of Busan. It is free to walk around, it has an eco center about birds and wetlands, and it has a contemporary art museum. This guide puts the island, the museum, a transit route and two Hadan restaurants in one order, and it says what we could not confirm.
We checked every fact on 2 October 2026 and say where sources disagree.
Where to Go: Eulsukdo (을숙도)
Visit Busan, the city’s official tourism site, says Eulsukdo is where the main stem of the Nakdong River crosses the seawater of the South Sea. It calls the island an ecological storehouse of rich soil, freshwater fish and shellfish, and a large winter home for migratory birds. The name means “clean island with birds”. Visit Busan says it was considered Asia’s largest habitat for migratory birds in the 1950s.
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) explains how the park is organized. A road linking Hadan and Myeongji splits it into two parts: Eulsukdo Migratory Bird Park on the lower part of the island and Eulsukdo Ecological Park on the upper part. KTO says the lower part sits inside a cultural heritage protection zone for the Nakdong River estuary bird sanctuary. It adds that a wetland restoration project on the former farmland and landfill site finished in 2005.
Start at the Nakdong Estuary Eco Center (낙동강하구에코센터)
Visit Busan suggests starting your trip at the Nakdong Estuary Eco Center. It says the center reopened in May 2024 after renovation under the theme “Zoom-in on Eulsukdo Island”. A second Visit Busan page lists three exhibition spaces: an Archive Space with ecological data, a Birding Space for watching migratory birds up close, and a Bird Experience Space for children.
KTO says the center also runs a wildlife treatment center and the Amisan Observatory. It is open 09:00 to 18:00 and closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a public holiday) and on 1 January. The phone number is +82-51-209-2000.
Walk the lawns and the sculptures
Visit Busan describes the area around the Eulsukdo Cultural Center as a place for a quiet walk, with a field of reeds, a sculpture garden and a pond with a resting area. The cultural center hosts exhibitions and performances. Visit Busan says the cultural center is a 10-minute walk from the Eco Center.
In its autumn guide, Visit Busan also names Chohwawon Garden, a Picnic Plaza and a trail along the river on the edge of the island. It says free bicycle rentals are available. The same guide says pink muhly grass and cosmos flowers grow in Chohwawon Garden in late autumn. An older note on that page says the pink muhly was cut back because of COVID-19, so we cannot say whether it is in bloom now.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (부산현대미술관)
KTO says the museum opened on 16 June 2018 on Eulsukdo, which it describes as Natural Monument No. 179. It lists the site at 29,900 square meters, the building area at 15,312 square meters and exhibition space at 5,910 square meters. Visit Busan says the building’s wall is covered with plants, like ivy, and that it holds a collection of contemporary art from the first basement level to the second floor. It adds that the museum has a children’s library and a playground in the basement.
Admission is free according to KTO, but some exhibitions charge a fee. The museum is open 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30. It is closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a public holiday) and on 1 January. The information number is +82-51-220-7400.
A children’s space: Eulsukdo Deullak-Nallak (을숙도 들락날락)
KTO describes this as a children’s culture space created by Saha-gu and EBS, themed on an art salon. It lists an atelier on the basement level, a gallery on the first floor, a free-drawing zone on the second floor, a library, and a café and viewpoint on the third floor. It is open 10:00 to 17:30 and closed on Mondays. KTO also lists public holiday closures, so check before you go. The phone number is +82-51-294-0505. The English name is our romanization.
What to Eat: Two Noodle Shops in Hadan
KTO’s restaurant listings include two noodle shops in Hadan-dong, the neighborhood around Hadan Station. We did not visit them or measure the walk from the station. The hours below are KTO’s listings, and we could not confirm prices, card payment or English menus.
Bokseong Banjeom (복성반점): seafood jjamppong
Jjamppong is a red noodle soup that Korean-Chinese restaurants serve. KTO says Bokseong makes it with seafood bought that day, such as squid, scallops, clams and shrimp, and that you can choose a normal or spicy level. The menu also lists Sichuan jjamppong, jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) and donburi.
It is at 289 Hasin-jungang-ro, Hadan-dong. KTO lists it as open 10:30 to 21:00 with last order at 19:50, closed on Tuesdays, with parking available. The phone number is +82-51-291-7834. To order, say 짬뽕 하나 주세요 (jjamppong hana juseyo), which means “one jjamppong, please”. To choose the heat, you can say 보통맛 (bo-tong-mat, normal) or 매운맛 (mae-un-mat, spicy).
Haginyeon Jinju Naengmyeon (하기연진주냉면): cold noodles
KTO says Haginyeon serves Jinju-style naengmyeon, a regional dish from Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province. The broth is based on beef and seafood. The noodles are made with Jeju buckwheat and topped with pear, cucumber, egg garnish and yukjeon, which is beef coated in egg and pan-fried. The menu lists mul naengmyeon (in broth), bibim naengmyeon (mixed with sauce) and small yukjeon.
It is at 34 Goejeong-ro, Hadan-dong. KTO lists it as open 10:30 to 20:20 with last order at 19:50, closed on Sundays, with parking and takeout available. The phone number is +82-51-207-6555.
If you have a food allergy or a diet rule, ask staff about the ingredients, broth and sauce. We found no allergy, halal or vegetarian information for either shop.
Plan Your Visit
Getting there
Visit Busan gives this route to Eulsukdo: leave Hadan Station on Busan Metro Line 1 by Exit 3, take bus 3, 55, 58, 58-2, 168, 520, 1005, 2000, 58-1 or 221, get off at Eulsukdo (Cultural Center) and walk 10 minutes. A second Visit Busan page lists different bus numbers (128-1, 161, 61, 55, 3, 171 and 124) and a 13-minute walk to the Eco Center. Buses 3 and 55 appear on both lists, so look for those first, and check a map app.
Parking is at the Eulsukdo Island public parking lot. KTO lists the fee as 100 won per 10 minutes, up to 2,400 won per day.
A half-day order (our suggestion)
- Ride to Hadan Station and take a bus to the Eulsukdo (Cultural Center) stop.
- Visit the Eco Center (open from 09:00).
- Walk to the museum, about 0.6 kilometers away in a straight line (our estimate from KTO coordinates).
- If you have children, add Deullak-Nallak, about 0.2 kilometers from the museum in a straight line (our estimate).
- Ride back to Hadan for lunch or dinner.
The museum stops admitting visitors at 17:30 and the Eco Center closes at 18:00, so start by about 13:00 if you want all three stops. Deullak-Nallak also closes at 17:30. We found no bus travel time or last return bus in our sources.
Hours: where sources differ
KTO lists the park as open 08:00 to 19:00, and its exhibition hall as 09:00 to 18:00. Visit Busan lists the park as open every day with a nighttime entrance limit from 20:00 to 08:00. KTO also lists Mondays as the park’s rest day, while Visit Busan says the Eco Park is open all year and only the Eco Center is closed on Mondays. We could not resolve this, so plan around the Monday closures of the indoor places and check on site.
First-Timer Tips
These are our suggestions, not sourced facts.
- Visit from Tuesday to Sunday so the Eco Center and the museum are both open.
- Rain? The Eco Center and museum are indoors, but the lawns and river trail are not.
FAQ
Is Eulsukdo free? Visit Busan lists it as free except for parking. The museum is free, but some exhibitions charge a fee, according to KTO.
When can I see migratory birds? KTO says many migratory birds visit the restored wetland in winter. Visit Busan’s autumn guide says birds return to the wetlands around late autumn. We could not find species names or dates, so check the Eco Center.
Is there a Monday option? The Eco Center, the museum and Deullak-Nallak are all listed as closed on Mondays.
Can I rent a bike? Visit Busan says free bicycle rentals are available. We could not confirm hours or rules.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Bus travel times and last return buses.
- Whether the park is open on Mondays, because the sources disagree.
- Whether the pink muhly grass is currently in bloom.
- Prices, card payment and English menus at the two restaurants.
- Walking time from Hadan Station to either restaurant.
- Allergy, halal and vegetarian information.
Before You Go
Pick one indoor stop and one long walk, then eat in Hadan afterward. For a card-sized version of this plan, follow @rolo.koreaguide on Instagram.
Related guides
Sources
Checked on 2 Oct 2026.
- Korea Tourism Organization, TourAPI (Korean service): Eulsukdo Park (content ID 127974), Nakdong Estuary Eco Center (630874), Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (2605688), Eulsukdo Deullak-Nallak (3350219), Bokseong Banjeom (2785270), Haginyeon Jinju Naengmyeon (2785276). Photographs from 127974 and 630874 (KOGL Type 1, resized) and from 2605688, 3350219, 2785270 and 2785276 (KOGL Type 3, unaltered).
- Visit Busan (official Busan tourism site): Eulsukdo Island, https://www.visitbusan.net/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000301001001000&uc_seq=304&lang_cd=en ; Autumn stroll in Eulsukdo, https://www.visitbusan.net/en/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000302002001000&uc_seq=1193&lang_cd=en ; Ecotourism with Migratory Birds Under the Autumn Sky, https://www.visitbusan.net/en/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000302002001000&uc_seq=2184&lang_cd=en. Read 2 Oct 2026.
- Distances: straight-line calculations from the KTO listing coordinates, not walking routes.
