Riding the Instagram-famous Busan Sky Capsule

The Sky Capsule in Busan, South Korea is one of the coastal city’s top attractions, thanks to its Instagram-worthy combination of cute photo-ops and scenic views.

These four-seater pods glide slowly along an elevated track through Haeundae Blueline Park near Haeundae Beach, with each curve revealing breathtaking ocean vistas, craggy cliffs and great shots of the colourful capsules passing by. The Sky Capsule moves slowly at about 4 km/hr, so there’s lots of time to set up the perfect shot.

Quick find

Highlights of Haeundae Blueline Park in Busan

Haeundae Blueline Park has a lot going on, and you’ll want to budget at least a couple of hours for the full experience. A wooden boardwalk winds along the same path as the Sky Capsule, which is a popular spot for locals to enjoy a waterfront walk or jog.

There’s also a Beach Train running on the tracks underneath the Sky Capsule, so some visitors opt to to take the Sky Capsule one way then the Beach Train on the way back, or hop on at Cheongsapo Station and continue to the Songjeong Station stop.

Highlights in the park include:

Dalmaji Tunnel, a boarding area for the Beach Train
Haewol Skywalk (Haewol means ‘to meet the sun and the moon together and enjoy the scenery’), a crescent-shaped deck with a transparent glass floor right over the water
Daritdol Observatory, another overwater walkway a short walk past Cheongsapo Station.
Songjeong Station, where there’s another beach. From here, it’s a 30 minute walk to the spectacular Haedong Yonggungsa Temple which was uniquely built right along the coast.

My recommended itinerary to enjoy all the highlights is:

Take the Sky Capsule from Mipo Station to Cheongsapo Station
Hop on the Beach Train and take it to Songjeong Station
Wander along Songjeong beach and visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Take a taxi back to the Cheongsapo area, walk on the Daritdol Observatory and follow the boardwalk back to the Mipo entrance with a stop at the Haewol Skywalk.

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Cheongsapo in Busan, South Korea — Cheongsapo

Once you make it back to the Mipo entrance, it only takes a minute to walk down to Haeundae Beach where you’ll find a large swath of golden sand that gets absolutely packed with sunbathers in the summer. The strip is lined with restaurants and attractions like an aquarium, BUSAN X the SKY observation deck and Club D Oasis, an all-ages spa and waterpark.

Globe Guide tip: Purchase a Visit Busan pass here or at select retailers in Busan to save money on many of the city’s attractions. If you get the physical card, you’ll also be able to load it with money to use for public transportation.

Tips for visiting the Sky Capsule

The Sky Capsule runs between Mipo Station and Cheongsapo Station along the Haeundae Blueline Park and takes about half an hour. It’s best to book a ticket starting at Mipo Station, since it’s right along the waterfront whereas the Cheongsapo departure runs along the hillside (you’ll still get views, they’re just a bit obscured).

While round trip tickets are available, I’d instead recommend booking the Sky Capsule from Mipo-Cheongsapo, then either walking or taking the beach train back. We really enjoyed strolling back along the stroller-friendly boardwalk, which took us about 40 minutes including a stop at the skywalk.

Haewol Skywalk in Busan — Haewol Skywalk.

Kids under three years old are free and don’t need a ticket. I was a little worried that we’d get paired up with another group since the Sky Capsule fits four adults and there were only two of us, but I didn’t see any passengers get mixed together despite a long line so it seems the operators are good about allocating one car per booking.

Sunset is one of the most popular times to ride the Sky Capsule thanks to the soft lighting; however, we went mid-day and still got lots of great photos.

How to buy Busan Sky Capsule tickets

As the Sky Capsule is incredibly popular, it’s crucial to make advance reservations–especially if you’re visiting during holidays and weekends in high season. We booked our tickets about three weeks ahead of time and even then a lot of the slots were already sold out, so try to confirm at least a week in advance to avoid disappointment.

Globe Guide tip: If the Miso departures aren’t available, try booking tickets from Cheongsapo station instead since that direction isn’t as popular.

The entrance to Haeundae Blueline Park heading into Mipo Station

The best way to snag seats is to book directly online through the official website, which costs about $20 per person for a one way ticket. You’ll then get a confirmation with a QR code, which is scanned at the entrance upon arrival (be sure to show up at least 10 minutes before your scheduled ride time). There’s also a package deal with tickets for both the Sky Capsule and Beach Train.

However, as with many websites in South Korea there are sometimes issues when using foreign credit cards. In this case, you’ll either need to know someone who has one and get them to purchase tickets for you, or buy from a third-party provider.

There’s a markup for this: GetYourGuide charges double the price (about $40 per person). You can also try booking with Klook to avert the credit card issue, but will still need to make the reservation on the official Sky Capsule site to reserve a slot.

Another option is to book this full day tour which also visits the photo-worthy Gamcheon and Huinnyeoul Culture Village cultural villages and includes transportation between the three sites, or this one to Gyeongju which stops at the Sky Capsule on the way out of Busan:

Finally, you can try to secure Sky Capsule tickets at one of the electronic kiosks at Haeundae Blueline Park, but there’s a good chance they’ll already be sold out for the day.