Guide On MapNampo: Old Port and Markets of Busan
From 40 Steps through Yongdusan to Jagalchi Market
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About the walk
You will walk through old central Busan: starting at 40 Steps, you will climb Yongdusan, pause by the tower, then descend through the shopping districts to the fish market by the harbor.
This is Busan without beaches or resort towers. The route ties together portside slopes, a green park, cramped two-story rows, a cinema street, and the waterfront, where you will see the catch right by the water.
Along the way, you will find small clues to big changes: a wooden carrier's frame, a stone with a charm against fire, newspapers and a bottle of solvent, tables that had to be cleared away for spectators. The answers remain within the stops. The story stays calm and precise: where a version is disputed, you will hear the caveat; where an object settles the matter, the object speaks for itself.
By the end of the walk, you will be able to explain how old Busan rose from the docks up the slope and returned to the water through the markets of Nampo.
Why this order
Beginning at 40 Steps retraces a wartime refugee's path between the docks and homes on the slope. That is why you will next climb the same Yongdusan: where cramped shacks once stood, trees now grow. Busan Tower stands inside the park on the site of a former shrine, and the walk to it continues the story of the vanished settlement on the summit. You will then descend to Gukje Market, where many residents of the slopes made their living through trade. Nearby BIFF Square follows because the film festival needed a shopping street and the cinemas that stood beside it. The final descent to Jagalchi brings the route back to the port: by the water, you will learn how fish trading helped families put down roots in Busan.
Those who want to understand old Busan through human stories Fans of markets, port districts, and urban history Those looking for a connected walking route with no transfers
Those looking for beaches and modern waterfronts Those who find stairs and slopes difficult Those who prefer quiet museum routes
Before you go
Wear shoes that are comfortable on stairs, slopes, and wet market floors. Bring headphones: around BIFF Square and in the markets, conversations and street noise can easily drown out the audio. At Gukje Market and Jagalchi, do not block the passageways, touch the goods, or take close-up photos of a seller or stall without asking permission. Treat a climb inside Busan Tower as a separate visit: the route still makes sense without the viewing platform, but check access yourself before you set out.
When to go
Choose a time when you can walk most of the route in daylight: it will be easier to spot memorial details, the flower clock, and the impressions in the pavement. Come to the markets without rushing, while the trading rows are still going about their usual work; check the hours of individual pavilions and venues on the day of your walk.
Backup plan
In rain, keep pauses on open sections short and shift your attention to the covered trading rows of Gukje Market and the Jagalchi complex; the steps and market floor can become slippery. If Busan Tower is closed or the line is too long, take in its silhouette, pagoda-shaped top, and flower clock from outside, then continue the story in the park. If BIFF Square is very crowded, walk the full street first, then return to the impressions from a less busy end. You can skip any inaccessible site without changing the order of the stops.
Walk plan
Open in maps ↗- 1
40 Steps
This point establishes the route's vertical axis: the port below, refugee housing above. - 2
Yongdusan Park
Here you will understand why this green hill cannot be seen as a preserved empty corner of the old city. - 3
Busan Tower
This stop shifts from the history of the refugee-covered slope to the history of the summit, where a colonial shrine disappeared after liberation. - 4
Gukje Market
The market rows explain how people without their former jobs and connections rebuilt their lives in Busan. - 5
BIFF Square
Here you will learn why a commercial street in Nampo was chosen for the first film festival. - 6
Jagalchi Market
The finale by the water returns to the people who began trading with a basin of fish on the reclaimed shore.
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