One of Busan’s most famous neighborhoods – and one that should be on every visitor’s checklist – is the Gamcheon Culture Village. Located nearby – yet secluded from – Busan’s main port, the neighborhood was established during the 1920’s as a place for laborers to live.
As the area grew, poverty increased. However, since 2009 Korea’s Ministry of Culture has engaged in a wildly successful turnaround effort to turn the neighborhood into an arts-driven cultural hub. On top of improved infrastructure, the entire neighborhood is now bursting with public artworks, shops, stalls, and restaurants of all kinds, and of course the now-famous colorfully painted houses:
We spent nearly a full day exploring this neighborhood, taking photos at the scenic spots and wandering our way through the labyrinth of alleyways. We enjoyed a traditional tea ceremony:
And had some coffee with a view:
I’ll say it again – this neighborhood is a must for anyone visiting Busan. One of the more unique and cool areas we’ve seen on our travels!
Bonus – Bosudong Book Street
On our way back from the Gamcheon Village, we decided to get off the bus at another well-known corner of Busan – the Bosudong Book Street. This is a fairly small area (just 1-2 alleyways) where every store is a seller of new and used books. The whole thing started during the Korean War, when one man started selling/trading books and comics on the street. The area has only grown since – there’s even a statue of the man along one of the streets:
This was another very cool and unique area to explore. Unfortunately most of the books for sale are in Korean (obviously) but some people did have English books to offer – of course we had to buy one!
