Hotels near Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Haedong Yonggungsa is one of very few Korean temples built on the sea rather than in the mountains. The original was founded in 1376 by the monk Naong Hyegeun, destroyed during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, and rebuilt in the 1930s. The complex sits on black rock directly above the water in Gijang-gun, and a 108-step stone staircase drops through a stone gate to the main hall.

Admission is free and the grounds open from roughly 05:00 until sunset. The 108 steps stand for the 108 earthly desires in Buddhist teaching, and the small stone pagoda near the entrance is where visitors toss coins for wishes. Sunrise on 1 January draws tens of thousands of people. For seasonal opening hours and city-wide event dates, the official Visit Busan tourism site keeps an English calendar.

Pro Tip: Take the earliest bus 181 you can manage and be at the gate by 07:30. By 10:00 the staircase moves single-file in both directions and the sea-facing platform is unusable for photographs.