Go to Korea Research Team

Understanding Busan Galmaetgil: Busan’s Scenic Galmaetgil Trail Explore the unique greenway of Busan, combining sea, mountains, rivers, and hot springs along the Galmaetgil trail, a cultural and historical walking path established since 2009. Busan Galmaetgil means 'Galmaetgil,' combining Busan's seagull symbol and the word for path. It was named in 2009 through a citizen contest. … Read more

01 Yeongdo is the island across the harbour from central Busan, and this section walks its western and southern shore: the painted cliffside houses of Huinnyeoul Culture Village, then the sea cliffs and pine forest of Taejongdae. It is the most dramatic coastline in the city and it is twenty minutes from the main train … Read more

01 Not every part of Galmaetgil is coastline. This section is the urban one: it runs through the old centre of Busan, past Jagalchi, Korea’s largest fish market, and into the covered alleys of Gukje Market. There is no scenery in the usual sense and it is one of the most interesting hours of walking … Read more

01 This is the Galmaetgil section most visitors walk, and with reason. It runs along the Haeundae waterfront, loops the wooded headland of Dongbaekseom, and follows the old coastal railway that is now the Blueline Park. It is flat, it is entirely on the subway network, and you can do it in a morning. Course … Read more

01 This section pairs two things that look unrelated on a map and make complete sense on foot: the cliff-edge Songdo Skywalk and coastal cable car on one side of the ridge, and Gamcheon Culture Village, the hillside of painted houses, on the other. Between them is the climb that explains how Busan is built. … Read more

01 North of Haeundae the coast turns rockier and quieter, and the trail runs through the fishing villages of Gijang towards Haedong Yonggungsa – a temple built directly onto the sea rocks rather than up in the mountains, which is unusual enough in Korea to be the reason most people come. Course 1 33.6 km … Read more