Dongnae ( 동래 )

For where Dongnae station is located on the subway, you would think it would be a lot more popular then it is. For the most, every time I have visited the Dongnae Station area, I hardly see another foreigner. Maybe I have some bias towards Dongnae or maybe it’s just not that well known so people tend not to venture there. Don’t get me wrong it is not a big as Seomyeon, doesn’t have a beach like Haeundae or doesn’t have a large seafood market like Jagalchi but if you are wanting to eat somewhere that isn’t exactly too touristy then Dongnae has what you need. There are plenty of restaurants and bars here to spend the whole night (you won’t need to go to another place after this), and the best part, it very convenient.

 

Looking at the Busan Subway Map, you can see Dongnae is easily accessible to many other places around Busan including Busan National University, Haeundae Beach, Shinsegae and Seomyeon.

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If you want to view the complete subway map for Busan the link is here.

 

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my pics from my time there 🙂

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Outskirts of Dongnae station.

 

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Exiting Dongnae station. Pretty much straight in front of that small bridge is start of the Dongnae Restaurant / Bar strip.

 

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Walking towards the main drag.
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More restaurants.

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Loads of restaurants with a good variety.

 

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Shrimp / Prawns, if you like seafood, order away!

 

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One of the many restaurants. From the sign it says cheese fondue haha

 

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I’ve been to this restaurant quite a few times and always seem to order something different so if you can’t decide here is not a bad start.

 

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Your guess is a good as mine here, I went inside but they were full some came straight back out :/

 

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I didn’t get to try this restaurant but the sign looks enticing…

 

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Squid 오징어 – I would definitely recommend eating raw Squid in Busan.

 

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As the sign shows – Octopus 문어

 

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Ox Blood Rice Soup is the name of the game here. Usually you can pick up other stuff at places like this, like: Odeng, Mandu & Dok Bokki etc

 

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You should try 돼지국밥 (pieces of pork with soup) as it is a Busan specialty.

 

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As expected there is a place to sing your heart away.

 

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We settled on fried chicken which went down well. Benefits of 치맥. Chicken 치킨 + Beer 맥주 = 치맥

 

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The place on the right sells pig feet which is a must in Korea.

 

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벚꽃 keeping the streets picturesque.

 

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After dinner we wandered down towards a small gathering/festival which is usually held during 벚꽃 season. Its only a short walk down this road. Loads of people exercising so don’t worry it’s quite safe 🙂

 

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Lots of people ride/walk through here on a nightly basis.

 

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벚꽃 + lights are easy on the eyes.

 

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You can start to see the small pop-up tents.

 

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Really good place to eat if you want dinner or a snack.

 

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Plenty of lights, food & drinks.

 

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This looks like a chestnut stall.. maybe not

 

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Along the small river here, its packed with flowers 벚꽃

 

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For some reason i’m always drawn towards this stuff 🙂 호떡

 

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It’s a crime to be this cheap 500 Won 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

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Didn’t dissappoint! 호떡 호떡 호떡

 

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This stuff isn’t my favourite haha and by the smell probably isn’t for a lot of foreigners 번데기

 

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I think this is marinated pork skewers. Didn’t have one here by I did in Jinhae. Pretty good value.

 

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Odeng/Omuk is always welcomed on a cold night.

 

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Some tents had started to pack up once we arrived so we were just in time to take some pics.

 

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Still a few people eating/drinking away the night.

 

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Part of this reads Korean BBQ and it does looks pretty tasty. Pity I was too full to try this. Looks amazing!

 

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I will definitely keep an eye out for when these tents return as this looks like a great place to spend a night drinking and eating with friends 🙂

 

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Few last snaps of the 벚꽃

 

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Was perfect weather for these tents as well.

 

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Need more lights then pick one of these up.

 

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This street was surprisingly beautiful tbh.

 

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A little boring compared to the other stuff but none the less delicious.

 

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I can’t get enough of this stuff as well. Its a stuffed squid 오징어순대.

 

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Few last shops that are open.

 

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The sheer amount of lights always makes the place look better IMO.

 

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Time to walk home.

 

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People finally packing up.

 

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Lights out.

 

I hope you enjoyed my snaps and that you feel it was enough to convince you to visit the Dongnae Station area on your current or next trip to Busan. If you do go please leave me a comment on any recommendations you may have and I’ll be sure to check it out.


Busan Places | Busan Attractions | What to do in Busan | Things to do in Busan

4 thoughts on “Dongnae ( 동래 )

  1. Hi! I’ll be going to Busan in November this year. Dongnae seems a great to catch some dinner. which exit did you use in Dangnae Station to start your journey?

    1. Hi Thiya,

      You can Exit Dongnae Station(on Line 1) through exit number 2 or 4 (then simply walk down the main street in between those two exits 2 & 4). While walking down the main street look down side streets on your left 🙂

      If you only have 1 or 2 nights in Busan, I would recommend Gwangalli Beach and/or Seomyeon as they are a bit busier etc. If you really like the look on the Dongnae Station area then it’s still a perfectly good area for eating and drinking.

    1. Hi Nic, these tents were set-up as part of a small food festival as such but I believe it has been discontinued. If you are looking to eat food from tents then I can recommend 2 really good places.

      First one being in Seomyeon:

      And the second one in the Nampodong/Jagalchi area:

      Any questions please let me know 🙂

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