Songdo, on the west side of Busan, has three things visitors often blend into one: a beach, a walkway over the sea and a cable car. They are separate, with different hours and costs. This guide sets out what each is, with practical information from official sources and separate family visit notes, and lists what we could not confirm.
Our Family Ride: Two Children, Two Reactions to the Glass Floor
We took the glass-bottom Crystal Cruise with our children, aged 5 and 3. Our younger child was frightened and clung to Dad, while our older child lay down to look at the sea through the floor. The same cabin was exciting for one child and unsettling for the other.
That difference would guide my choice next time. I would talk to the children about the floor before choosing a cabin, rather than assume that the glass-bottom option will be everyone’s favourite. This is our experience of the Crystal Cruise, not a comparison based on riding both cabin types.
Afterwards we ate jajangmyeon at Bokseong Banjeom in Hadan. That was a separate meal stop from our family day, rather than a restaurant immediately beside the cable car.
Family notes added 15 October 2026. The visit date was not recorded. The children were aged 5 and 3 at the time.
The Three Attractions at a Glance
- Songdo Beach: a public beach.
- Songdo Cloud Trails (Cloud Walk): the skywalk, free to enter.
- Busan Air Cruise (부산 송도해상케이블카): the Songdo Marine Cable Car, which needs a ticket.
Note the naming. Official pages use the names Songdo Cloud Trails and Songdo Cloud Walk (송도 구름산책로) for the walkway.
Songdo Beach
According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Songdo Beach is 800 metres long and 50 metres wide, and was one of the first beaches to open in Korea, in 1913. It was rebuilt over five years from 2000. KTO lists opening hours of 06:00 to 23:00 and available parking. The information line is +82-51-240-4000.
KTO also names nearby attractions: Jagalchi Seafood Market, Amnam Park (a coastal ecological park with a 3.8-kilometre promenade and an observatory) and the Provisional Capital Memorial Hall.
Songdo Cloud Trails: The Skywalk
Visit Busan calls this the largest skywalk facility in Busan, with walkways facing the ocean that create the sensation of walking on the sea. English VisitKorea says it is 365 metres long, opened in 2015, and has sections with a clear glass floor. The website songdocloudtrails.com gives a height of 9.3 metres.
- Hours: 06:00 to 23:00 (Visit Busan and VisitKorea). VisitKorea adds that hours may change because of weather, and says the skywalk is open all year with no regular holiday. Visit Busan says access may be limited in snow, rain, strong wind or during repair work.
- Fee: free, according to Visit Busan.
- Address: 129-4 Amnam-dong, Seo-gu, Busan.
- Phone: the two official pages disagree. Visit Busan gives +82-51-240-4081; VisitKorea gives +82-51-231-0252. Try both, or ask at the 1330 Travel Hotline.
- Getting there: Visit Busan says to take Exit 2 of Jagalchi Station on Busan Metro Line 1, transfer to bus 26, 30, 7, 71 or 96, and get off at Songdo Beach. Public parking is available.
We did not confirm whether the walkway or its glass sections have footwear rules, so check on arrival.
Busan Air Cruise: The Marine Cable Car
KTO says Busan Air Cruise was built to revive the reputation of Songdo Beach. It lists 39 cabins, including crystal cabins with transparent floors, travelling over the ocean between Songnim Park on the east and Amnam Park on the west. Other attractions listed include Songdo Doppelmayr World, called the first cable car museum in the country, and a Sky Swing.
The operator’s own site names the stations as Songdo Base Station (송도베이스테이션) and Songdo Sky Park (송도스카이파크). The two sources use different place names for the ends of the line, and we have not reconciled them.
Hours
KTO lists these hours:
- January, February and December: 09:00 to 20:00
- March to June and September to November: 09:00 to 21:00
- July and August: 09:00 to 22:00
The last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing. It is open year round but closed in bad weather, announced in real time on the website. The operator’s site showed 09:00 to 21:00 on 30 September 2026, which matches KTO for that month.
Fares
The operator’s site listed these regular prices on 30 September 2026:
- Air Cruise: round trip 19,000 won (adult) and 14,000 won (child); one way 15,000 won (adult) and 12,000 won (child).
- Crystal Cruise (transparent floor): round trip 24,000 won (adult) and 18,000 won (child); one way 19,000 won (adult) and 15,000 won (child).
The operator also lists these (Korean-language page, checked 1 October 2026):
- One-day free pass: 35,000 won (adult) and 30,000 won (child), unlimited rides in the cabin type you choose for one day. The page marks it as weekday only.
- Speedy Cruise (boarding without waiting): 45,000 won (Air) or 55,000 won (Crystal) per person, with no adult or child split.
- Premium Cruise (private cabin, up to 8 people): 270,000 won (Air) or 340,000 won (Crystal) per cabin.
The operator defines a child as aged 36 months to 12 years (elementary school age), and an adult as 13 or older. Children under 36 months are listed as free. The page also lists concession discounts, for example for older passengers, but you must show proof, so read the details there. Prices change, and we read only the Korean page, which we could not confirm is the full or current price list, so check the operator’s site before you go.
Address and phone
171 Songdohaebyeon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan. The phone number is +82-51-247-9900. KTO lists parking as available (500 spaces).
Putting It Together
Our suggestion, not an official route: because the beach, the walkway and the cable car are all in Songdo, you could see the beach and skywalk first at no cost and decide about the cable car afterwards. Check the weather first, since the cable car may not run in bad weather and the skywalk hours can change.
First-time visitor tips
- Our suggestion: see the free parts first. The beach and the skywalk cost nothing, so you can judge the weather and your energy before paying for the cable car.
- Do not mix up the three places. They have different hours, and only the cable car needs a ticket.
- Check the weather before you commit. Visit Busan says skywalk access may be limited in snow, rain, strong wind or repair work, and KTO says the cable car closes in bad weather.
- Mind the cable car’s closing time. The last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing, and the closing hour changes by month.
- Decide your ticket type before queuing. The operator lists one-way, round-trip, transparent-floor and other options at different prices, so choosing first saves time at the counter.
FAQ
Do I have to pay for the skywalk?
No. Visit Busan lists the Songdo Cloud Trails skywalk as free. It is open 06:00 to 23:00, though hours may change with the weather.
Is the cable car open all year?
KTO says it is open year round but closed in bad weather, announced in real time on the website. Hours vary by month, so check the operator’s site for the day.
What is the difference between the Air Cruise and the Crystal Cruise?
The Crystal Cruise cabins have transparent floors, and the fares listed on the operator’s site are higher than for the Air Cruise. Prices change, and we read only the Korean price page, so check before you go.
What is the skywalk’s phone number?
The two official pages disagree. Visit Busan and VisitKorea give different numbers, so try both or ask the 1330 Travel Hotline.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Walking time and distance between the beach, the skywalk and the cable car station. We found no official figure.
- How to reach the cable car stations by public transport. Visit Busan gave directions only for Songdo Beach.
- The correct phone number for the skywalk.
- Any discount specifically for foreign visitors. The operator’s discount list we read named other groups, not visitors from abroad.
- The station names versus KTO’s park names, as noted above.
Before You Go
Check the day’s weather and the cable car’s real-time status on the operator’s site, and decide on your ticket type before you queue.
We post short first-timer guides on Instagram too: @rolo.koreaguide.
Related guides
Sources
All checked 30 Sep 2026; the operator’s fares and the Visit Busan skywalk page were re-checked on 1 Oct 2026.
- Korea Tourism Organization, TourAPI English service: Busan Songdo Beach (content ID 1054924), Busan Air Cruise (2657034). Photographs: KTO, KOGL Type 3, used unaltered (Songdo Beach photo 3 of the TourAPI set, different from the photo used in our beaches guide).
- Visit Busan, “The three major skywalks of Busan”: https://www.visitbusan.net/index.do?menuCd=DOM_000000302002001000&uc_seq=282&lang_cd=en
- English VisitKorea, Songdo Cloud Walk: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/whereToGo/locIntrdn/rgnContentsView.do?vcontsId=60296
- Songdo Cloud Trails: https://songdocloudtrails.com/en
- Busan Air Cruise operator site: https://www.busanaircruise.co.kr (hours, stations, phone) and fares page https://www.busanaircruise.co.kr/info/price?rank=1 (Korean; fares, age limits).
