Huinnyeoul Culture Village is often referred to as Santorini of Korea and unlike in case of Gamcheon village, I agree to this reference. The village is in white and blue colors and just next to the seaside. This was one of my favourite areas in Busan and definitely should be on any itinerary of Busan. I have put together a small guide for you to understand how to visit the village and what to expect.
Getting to Huinnyeoul Culture Village
You can get to the upper road of the village – Jeoryeong-ro – by bus from either Songdo, Nampo or Busan station. This is the approximate location you should get to on Google. And on Naver. From Songdo, you can take bus 6 or 71, but the bus numbers can change on different days and times. Make sure to consult Naver Maps to find the best option, for the time you are visiting. Hop off at the start of the road and find stairs down to the narrow pathway – you can choose any stairs or alley.
For more information about transport in South Korea, see my detailed post.
Accessibility note: The area is unfortunately not easily accessible, you will have to go up and down the stairs or steep hills and we haven’t found another way to access it. For instance, if I was travelling with mom, I would probably not manage to bring her here, as she would have a hard time climbing the many stairs up to leave the village.
If you prefer to visit with a guide, the Huinnyeoul Culture Village is included in the Small Group Day Tour of Busan offered by GetYourGuide. Or you can included it in the private guided tour.
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Highlights of the Huinnyeoul Culture Village
This lovely seaside area has so many things to offer – the cute narrow pathways, small colorful houses, lovely seaside walk, viewpoints, tunnel, cute cafes and restaurants and so on. Similarly to Gamcheon, the village housed Korean war refugees after the war and was a poor settlement. In 2011 it was remodeled, as an art village for tourists to visit. It became more popular after being featured in various K dramas, including the Attorney (which I have yet to see) and a cute romantic drama Waiting for Rain.
We visited it in the late afternoon on a sunny and lovely day. It was a weekday, but the area was quite crowded. While we didn’t see almost any foreigners or any tour groups (thankfully), it was full of locals and Korean tourists.
Note: While the village is very touristy, people live in these houses. Therefore, all visitors are asked to respect them, while wandering around.
The village lies along the coast and has three main levels. First is the seaside level with blue and white walkway, second is the middle pathway through the village with views of the sea. This one has a lot of shops and cafes. Third is the main road on the highest level, where your bus can drop you off. You will find some cafes here as well.
All areas of this cute village are very picturesque and great for photos. If you hire a photographer or join this small group photo tour, you will get amazing professional photos here.
Cafes at the Huinnyeoul Culture Village
I suggest to start exploring from the middle pathway of the village. Firstly, on the edge of the village to the Nampo side, you will find the Film Archive building, where you can see the information about all K dramas filmed around here. Walk along the cute houses and pop into one of the cute cafes here. My absolute favorite is the Huinnyeoul Beach Café, which is housed on four floors – you can access it up from Jeoryeong-ro, as well as from the pathway downstairs (see the review in my post dedicated to Busan cafes linked below). The café was completely empty, when we visited, so we basically had it to ourselves for a bit. You can also visit this café before or after exploring the village – whenever you need some rest and coffee fix. There are many other lovely cafes in the area.
We also loved just walking around and peaking into the many colorful gift shops, as well as small alleys with various murals.
Jeoryeong Coastal Trail
After walking along this path – you can go all the way, if you prefer – choose any stairs down to the coastal path. The Jeoryeong Coastal Trail is very cute painted in white and blue and makes a lovely stroll. From here you can also see the views over to Songdo.
Rainbow Stairs
Walking along the coast you will come by stars painted in rainbow colors – the rainbow stairs lead back to the main road. It’s a lovely photo opportunity, although difficult to find it empty.
Huinnyeoul Coastal Tunnel (Tunnel of Love)
Just next to the stairs you will find the entrance to the Huinnyeoul Coastal Tunnel – sometimes referred to, as tunnel of love. The main reason for this name – inside you will find some fun installations, like touch panel for couples. If you do touch it, they light up.
After you go through the tunnel, you can enjoy the rocky seaside area. I don’t believe it would be easy to continue walking along these rocky areas along the coast. We didn’t try. Next to the tunnel you will find the stairs to go up. The stairs are a bit steep in this location, so be careful. Murat managed to stumble and fall, thankfully with no injuries though. Climbing these stairs, you will find lovely photo opportunities, like this swing pictured below. Besides, there’s a great viewpoint.
You can walk back along the middle pathway towards all the cafes and shops again. Or if you want to leave, climb all the way to Jeoryeong-ro. You can hop on a bus from Jeoryeong-ro to Nampo or continue exploring the area by going to Taejongdae instead.
Taejongdae Park is close to the Huinnyeoul Culture Village and, if you have the time, a recommended next stop. However, if you have 2 days or less in Busan, the Park can be skipped.
See also:
Post about visiting Busan and possible itineraries.
Suggested 1-day itinerary for visiting Busan
