Busan Itinerary Day 1 — Dumplings, Ochoryang & Ananti Stay

Korea Travel • Food & Drink • Busan

Busan had been on my list for years. Every summer felt too humid and crowded and every winter too sharp and windy so I kept postponing it. This May I finally stopped overthinking it, booked the KTX and went. The Busan waiting for me was not the one I remembered from old trips. It felt softer and more stylish with quiet neighbourhoods tucked between beaches and towers. Day 1 set the tone for the whole weekend. lazy train, old dumpling shop, rainy tea house and a sea view stay at Ananti Cove that made it very hard to go back to Seoul.

Jump to: KTX from Seoul · Stay: Ananti at Busan Cove · 신발원 (Sinbalwon) Dumplings · 오초량 (Ochoryang) · Dinner at ROU (루) · Day 1 in a sentence

Seoul to Busan: The Lazy Girl’s Choice

We considered driving (romantic in theory, stressful in reality). In the end, the KTX train won.

Route: Seoul Station → Busan Station
Time: ~2 hours 30 minutes
Fare: ₩59,800 (~$44) (standard seat; fares vary by date/time)

No traffic, no navigation arguments, just two friends gossiping while the countryside blurred past the window. Arriving without stress is a travel hack in itself.

Stay: Ananti Cove

Ananti at Busan Cove in Gijang, Busan — peaceful seaside resort overlooking the calm coastline and ocean horizon. — Calm Gijang coastline from *Ananti Cove* — our quiet base in Busan.

Ananti at Busan Cove hotel room with ocean-facing windows and minimalist design — Ananti Cove room with ocean-facing windows and minimalist design

Ananti at Busan Cove garden path and greenery, resort grounds in Gijang — Stone paths and greenery connect cafés, shops and the seaside trail.

Ananti at Busan Cove garden terrace and coastal walk near Haeundae — Another corner of the grounds, quiet terraces with a view toward the sea.

Our base for the trip was Ananti Cove, a seaside resort in Gijang. Many people think it is members-only, but non-members can also book stays through normal hotel sites. Membership just gives access to extra perks. Once you are in, it feels like Busan’s best kept secret.

The sea stretches endlessly, pools and gardens hide in quiet corners and the whole place whispers “stay a little longer”. You will want a taxi or car to get around; once you arrive, the stillness is the point.

Info — Ananti Cove

Location: 268-31 Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-gun, Busan (about 20–30 min from Haeundae)
Booking: Open to non-members (extra perks if you are a member)
Vibe: Quiet, sea-front resort complex (cafés, shops, bookstore, trails)
Tip: Choose this if you prefer calm over nightlife

Lunch at 신발원 (Sinbalwon) — Dumplings Since 1951

Sinbalwon dumpling house near Busan Station, famous since 1951 — 신발원, Busan’s classic dumpling house. Expect lines; they move fast.

First proper meal in Busan? Dumplings. We went straight to 신발원 (Sinbalwon), a legendary spot near Busan Station that has been folding and steaming since 1951. Queues are part of the experience. We ordered ambitiously, pork, fried, shrimp, boiled, mala. Seven trays in total. The owner even double checked, worried we had overdone it. Spoiler: we had not.

Sinbalwon since 1951, historic dumpling restaurant in Dong-gu Busan — They have been folding dumplings here since 1951, longevity you can taste.

Pork dumplings at Sinbalwon, juicy steamed mandu near Busan Station — Classic pork mandu, juicy and generously filled. Our table favourite.

Crispy fried dumplings at Sinbalwon, Busan dumpling restaurant — Golden, shatter crisp fried dumplings, gone in minutes.

고기만두 (pork) — juicy, classic, unbeatable
군만두 (fried) — golden, crispy, gone too fast
물만두 (boiled) — soft little pillows
새우교자 (shrimp) — that sweet shrimp bounce
마라만두 (mala) — fiery, numbing, addictive

Info — 신발원 (Sinbalwon)

Address: 62 Daeyeong-ro 243beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
Hours: 11:00–21:00 (Closed Tue; last order 20:20)
Since: 1951
Tip: Go early or off peak; lines move fast but they are real

오초량 (Ochoryang): Rain, Tea and 100 Years of Stillness

Ochoryang cultural space, 1925 Japanese-style house near Busan Station — 오초량, 1925 Japanese-style house reborn as gallery and tea space near Busan Station.

After dumplings, we headed to 오초량 (Ochoryang), a cultural space tucked near Busan Station. It is a 100 year old Japanese-style house (built 1925), restored into a gallery and tea café. From outside it is framed by apartment towers, but inside, the pace changes. Busan turns soft, poetic, unhurried.

We began with a guided walk through the house for the special exhibition ‘The Time of Soil’. Sculptures and installations explored memory, nature and the quiet beauty of impermanence. Each room had its own light and rhythm.

Ochoryang 'The Time of Soil' exhibition installation view in Busan — Special exhibit ‘The Time of Soil’, quiet sculptures and earth toned textures.

Only after the exhibition did we settle in for tea. Each guest received a personal tea basket, a teapot, cup, delicate sweets almost too pretty to eat and even a slender book to browse. We sat on the maru (wooden veranda) and listened to the rain under the eaves. The floor creaked softly, the garden glistened and time folded in on itself.

Ochoryang personal tea basket with teapot, cup, and booklet on maru veranda — Each guest gets a personal basket, teapot, cup, sweets and a small book to read.

Tea set and wagashi-style sweets at Ochoryang, Busan — Tea with delicate sweets, rain tapping the eaves and pages turning softly.

Pouring hot tea at Ochoryang on the wooden veranda during rain — We sat on the maru and poured tea slowly, listening to soft rain.

Tea with a small poem booklet at Ochoryang cultural house in Busan — A slim booklet in each basket, read, sip, breathe. Time slows here.

Info — 오초량 (Ochoryang)

Location: 22 Gogwan-ro 13beonna-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
Built: 1925 (Japanese-style residence → gallery and tea café)
Visits: Reservation required (set times, often 11:00 and 14:00)
Experience: House tour and exhibition → individual tea basket (teapot, cup, sweets, book)
Vibe: A poetic pause amid Busan’s apartment skyline

Dinner at 루 (ROU) — Chinese at Ananti Village

We finished Day 1 back at Ananti Cove, in the Chinese restaurant ROU (루), inside Village de Ananti. The space feels tall and dramatic with a refined, almost gallery like design, more modern fine dining than your typical Chinese restaurant.