Busan | Songdo Beach

We were looking to get away from the crowds found at the most popular beaches in Busan, Haeundae and Gwangalli, and discovered Songdo Beach. “Song-do” which means “Pine Island,” refers to the groves of ancient pine trees that once stood in this area. The beach opened in 1913 and was Korea’s first official beach. Despite its notoriety, Songdo Beach is smaller, quieter, and off-the-beaten path. We often found ourselves as the only people on the beach. 

We squeezed in some beach time late one afternoon, not long after arriving in Busan. After checking into our hotel, we quickly changed, walked to the corner market for some cold drinks, and then spread out our old beach towels on the sand.

For a brief 30 minutes or so, we basked in the sunshine, soaking up the warmth of the sun. I pulled out my book and Sly pulled his hat over his eyes and took a nap.

Not long after, the weather changed from hot and sunny to windy and chilly. We tried our best to endure the sand pelting us in the face, but eventually we gave up, gathered what little we brought to the beach, and went off in search of food.

It rained all night and we wondered if the weather would clear up enough to allow us for some more beach time. We peered through our hotel room window, taking note of the overcast sky. By mid-morning, the sun finally peaked out, so once more we packed up our things and walked down to the beach. 

Because we were there so early (early meaning any time before noon in Korea), we had the entire beach to ourselves.  We didn’t have any real plans for the day so we fell asleep on the beach for a good portion of the morning, taking breaks to play in the cold ocean water whenever we became too hot. 

Surrounded by a cluster of high rise buildings and shops, Songdo Beach definitely felt like a beach in a foreign country. Or maybe like a beach in a South American country? Or maybe it just felt like an urban beach with all the activity occurring around us.

At one end of the beach we watched divers at what looked to be some kind of diving school while at the other end, groups of people walked steadily across a bridge that led to what I think was a viewing platform. In front of us, a personal watercraft zipped back and forth repeatedly. It looked to be a rescue jet ski, but we couldn’t figure out why a beach of this size, with such few people, would necessarily need a lifeguard on a jet ski patrolling the waters. A large whale statue, with the head and tail placed an awkward distance apart from one another, emerged from the water as if it were casually (and randomly) swimming close to shore. Off in the distance, clusters of cargo ships congregated as they waited to sail into port.

There was a lot to take in and I found my attention drifting from the pages of my book and focused on everything else.

We contemplated taking a walk on the nearby coastal trail, but by then, the beach had already done its damage. We were too lazy to even imagine anything beyond lying on the hot sand, napping, pretending to read books, and roasting ourselves a deep golden brown.

DETAILS

Songdo Beach (부산 송도해수욕장) |  DESCRIPTION: Small, family-oriented beach on the Southern tip of Busan, far away from the crowds of Haeundae and Gwangalli. There is a bridge that leads to a viewing platform (?) on one end of the beach and on the other, a trail (look for the orange railings) that wraps around the coast line. The view from the beach is somewhat odd as there are lots of statues in the water as well as many cargo boats that pass through on their way to port. In a strange way it feels either futuristic or post-apocalyptic as in the States so many beach towns that once had working ports no longer function as such. On a clear day, this is a good beach to watch the sunset, and at night, apparently it’s popular to watch the ships literally passing in the night. Like most beaches in Korea, there are plenty of shops, restaurants, hotels, fountains, and clean facilities within walking distance. | VERDICT: It’s not a beach that will blow your mind like the ones you can find in Southeast Asia, but if you’re an off-the-beaten-path sort of person looking for beach time in Busan, then Songdo may appeal to you.