There are coffee shops and pubs lining near the sea. You can stay at a lodge with a beautiful ocean view at a relatively cheap price. You can eat the raw fish you bought at market price at any restaurant by paying for the sauce only. You can go to the sea at the end of the quiet road between houses at a cheap price compared to Haeundae. Where is it? The answer is, Gwangalli.

It is an unusual place to pick a coffee shop you want among a small shop to a huge franchise as well as pubs, good side dish, meal, rice noodles, mutton, etc. You can reach here by crossing the 2-lane road after dusting sand off from your shoes at the beach. Because the road and the beach are within easy distance thankfully, Gwangalli is a unique place as ever.

Getting off at Gwangan station, you are surrounded by the apartments and houses. You can easily see tourists asking ‘where is Gwangalli beach?’ on the 10-minute long way from Gwangan station to the beach. Do not get confused even if you cannot see the beach from the urban rail exit. With Gwangan station as the center, one side is mountains and the other is a gradual road. Walking on the road for a while, the sea will show up like magic.

The leports-lovers are everywhere, going jogging and cycling all day long, because there is a well-paved road for both bikes and pedestrians close by the long sandy beach. The studios or officetels in Haeundae require high monthly rent prices to have the ocean view, but it is different in Gwangalli. The houses here are as much expensive as those for the students in Kyungsung university and Bukyung university area. Those who have lived in Gwangalli agree on this topic. Not every Busan people lives near the sea. Gwangalli is the best place to enjoy the easy accessibility for the station, the beach, educational institutions, convenience facilities, etc. There are many culture artists living in Gwangalli on the quiet.

It is very usual for Busan people to come to Gwanganli by taxi after enjoying social drinking until dawn. How exciting it is to complete TGIF with the ocean view! Besides, there is a 24-hour Bean Sprout Hangover Soup restaurant in Gwangalli. This restaurant, surprisingly, offers a free valet parking service. Even if you have never experienced the service, not being interested in this valet or ballet, whatever, you can now hand over your key to the driver and get into the restaurant. Your car will be safely waiting for you at the customer parking lot until you finish your meal.

If you visit Gwangalli on weekend evenings, you can enjoy diverse music performances with the sea as the background. Gwangalli is the best for the weekend evening performance. Hiphoppers, bands, instrument players, tango dancers, singers with an acoustic guitar. All of them come out to the seaside and turn their amps on to play music. When the audience sit surrounding the musicians, that is the stage, no need of tickets. It is possible in Gwangalli that you buy their CD if you like the music instead of buying a ticket, which is the stage of the simple indie musicians. Moreover, it is the calm sea at night. As walking from one end of the beach to another, the music surrounding you from all ages changes over and over again. The acoustic guitar music of 80s, gangster rap, lively modern rock, finger-style guitar, and sometime ukuleles.
You can enjoy the raw fish at Millak raw fish center or a restaurant at the end of the beach, but it is another fun way to eat the raw fish at the waterside park. Millak waterside park is a special place where the waves directly come in to the park with precast pavers. When the tropical night continues during summer, it is very usual to see families eating a watermelon and beer with dried snacks with their friends. On the park is a rock even bigger than a person with the explanation that it was hauled from the deep sea due to the typhoon Maemi.

It is easy to travel Gwangalli on foot. Get off at Gwangan station, walk on the beach, and then you can either take the urban rail at Geumnyeonsan station or keep walking toward the opposite direction. Because there is a traditional market at Geumnyeonsan station, you can buy some fruits in season for your walk. For those who have pets, this course is also perfect. The pet-lovers who regularly show up in Gwangalli has their own rules, so they hardly unleash their dogs or leave a violent dog without control.