These are some of the best indoor activities in Busan, South Korea!

I spent a grand total of two months in Busan in the summer of 2024, as I had received a full scholarship from the U.S. State Department to study Korean at Pusan National University. Before this, I had only been to Seoul and Anyang, and had no other experiences outside of those two regions in South Korea.

But with two months and adult money (the first time I came I was a high schooler on a similar program), I decided I was going to make the most of my time here in Busan. However, there’s one big problem if you come to Korea in June and July: the monsoon hits for the vast majority of the time you’re here.

So there were a lot of days where it was pouring down rain, and I invested in some good umbrellas while here. That said, I spent a lot of time exploring more indoor options when there was nothing to do outdoors and I couldn’t do one of the many incredible hikes around Busan.

This is a great outdoors city, but there are certainly some options when it comes to finding something indoors! You just have to know where to look. I spent a lot of time doing that, trust me.

Here are some of my favorite indoor activities.

The Busan Aquarium is right by the ocean in Haeundae.

We decided on the second week to hit up the Busan Aquarium, which, if you buy your tickets online and in advance, is much cheaper to purchase online. I paid only 22,000 won for my ticket online, but if you showed up in person, I believe it was around 33,000 won to buy at the counter. My friend unfortunately had to do that, as she couldn’t figure out how to do it properly online.

Coming from somewhere where there is a national aquarium in our country (Baltimore, Maryland), I thought this aquarium was kind of small. But that’s my expectation of someone coming from an area that has a really good aquarium, so it’s kind of unfair to make that statement. It was my initial thought though.

There are quite a few fish, sharks, and animals scattered throughout this aquarium though! I enjoyed their presentation at the very end where they feed all of the sharks and stingrays in front of an audience, but the otter feeding time got too crowded and I couldn’t see over people’s heads and the mass of cellphones they were raising.

I enjoyed it overall though! Buy your tickets in advance and it won’t be too bad of a deal. It’s also right on the Haeundae Beach, so if the weather clears up you can wander onto the beach and strip right next to it.

I absolutely adored the Busan Museum.

I went to the Busan Museum the very first weekend we were in Korea, which was a great idea, as I caught the exhibit that was just about to close. It was on the art collections of chaebols in Korea, and the art they were featuring in the exhibition was absolutely gorgeous.

The Busan Museum is free to enter, as it is a Korean national museum. All national museums in South Korea are free to enter; if they do not have this status, they are likely going to charge you money to come inside.

But the Busan Museum has several exhibitions of interest, especially if you want to learn more about the history of the city. I found it quite compelling once we reached the colonial period, as Busan was an entryway for the Japanese to expand their influence into the peninsula.

We also can see how it was the only part of South Korea left during the war, which meant that there are some fascinating artifacts on display at this museum. I really enjoyed this museum a lot, and it’s near the cultural center and the UN Memorial Park. While I was there the cultural center had a Western art exhibition that I also went to.

Cafe and bar hopping is always a great idea in South Korea.

Cafe hopping is a must for some people when they go to Korea. I love a good cafe, but I didn’t dedicate my life to cafe hopping while I was here because it wasn’t my thing. There are some really wonderful cafes I went to though.

When it’s raining out, you can find some really cool cafes in Jeonpodong Cafe Street, or in Gwangalli or Haeundae. The more famous ones are located in Haundae or Gwangalli, as they tend to have views of iconic tourist attractions, but I found I loved Jeonpodong.

Bars are also really cool here if you wander around. I went to some in Jeonpodong and Seomyeon, and the aesthetics at some of these places were absolutely insane. The United States could never with the level of detail and care that went into the design of some bars/cafes I went to.

Shinsegae is the largest department store in the world, and near Spa Land.

If you’re into shopping, you have to go to Shinsegae at least once. But something to note: if you have anxiety like I do, or aren’t particularly consumerist, you’re going to hate this place. It’s full of people, and the food court alone made me want to have a panic attack.

That said, if you don’t fall into this category, you’ll love this place. There are a ton of Western, Korean, and general Asian brands available to purchase here. If you’re into luxury concepts, then this might also be a place to pick up some goods cheaper than in the West. There’s also a movie theater on the top floor if you want to catch a movie while waiting for the rain to slow down.

I also recommend going to Spa Land if you get the chance. There are many different kinds of spas available in this location, so even if you don’t want to go into Shinsegae and shop, you can come here to unwind for a bit during your trip or time in Busan.

History lovers would enjoy the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum!

This was my second favorite museum during my time in Busan. It’s free, as it is also a national museum in Korea, but the Modern and Contemporary History Museum is about three floors of exploring Busan’s history.

When we went there was a photography exhibition from a photographer who just wandered the streets from the 1970s-1990s and documented how the city was slowly changing. We went here towards the end of our time in Busan, so we were shocked to see some of the landmarks we’ve come to know not exist until the early 2000s. In that moment we certainly had to confront Korea’s rapid modernization.

The higher floors of the museum were dedicated to explaining Busan’s history. There are some contextual sections where it goes more into 1600s and how Busan was an important maritime player in the region’s history, but then we go into the Japanese colonial period very heavily throughout the middle sections of the museum.

Lots to learn here—they go very in-depth compared to the Busan Museum, as this one specializes specifically in this period. I found the museum to be very informative and worth a shot if you want to understand how Korea came to be the way it is through the lens of Busan, which is a much different city than Seoul or even Gwangju.

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.