The elevator doors closed, and a hot-air balloon animation filled the walls around me. Fifty-six seconds later, I was standing on the 100th floor of Busan X the Sky, looking down at Haeundae Beach through floor-to-ceiling glass. The swimmers below looked no bigger than sprinkles on frosting. I arrived in the afternoon, fully expecting to stay an hour — I ended up staying nearly three, watching the ocean shift from bright blue to soft grey to a carpet of city lights.
Busan X the Sky sits on floors 98 through 100 of the Haeundae LCT Landmark Tower, the second-tallest building in South Korea at 411.6 meters. The tower stands at 30 Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae-gu, Busan — right at the eastern end of Haeundae Beach, within walking distance of the subway. Haeundae-gu itself is Busan’s most visited coastal district, home to the country’s most famous beach, Dongbaekseom Island, and the Mipo harbor area that has grown rapidly in recent years thanks to the Blueline Park beach train. If you have been to observation decks in Seoul or Tokyo, this one hits differently: instead of an endless urban grid, you get coastline, mountains, and open ocean stretching toward the horizon. <!– Image 1: Busan X the Sky entrance –>
Table of Contents
Busan X the Sky: Essential Visitor Info
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Address | 30 Dalmaji-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan |
| Hours | 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM daily (extended to 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM during peak summer) |
| Admission (on-site) | Adult ₩29,000 (~$19 USD / €16 EUR) · Child (ages 3–12) ₩26,000 (~$17 USD / €15 EUR) · Senior (65+) ₩26,000 (~$17 USD / €15 EUR) · Under 36 months: free |
| Online discount | Adult ₩23,000 (~$15 USD / €13 EUR) · Child ₩20,800 (~$14 USD / €12 EUR) — check prices and availability here |
| Getting there | Busan Metro Line 2, Haeundae Station Exit 3 → 1.2 km walk (~20 min) or ~₩5,000 taxi (~$3 USD / €3 EUR). Alternatively, Jungdong Station Exit 7 → 800 m walk (~15 min) or ~₩5,000 taxi (~$3 USD / €3 EUR) |
| Time needed | About 3 hours (longer if you want sunset + night view) |
| Parking | 2 hours free with ticket validation at the 1F info desk · 3 hours free if dining at the restaurant |
On-site lines can get long, especially on weekends and during summer. Booking online ahead of time not only saves around 20% but also lets you skip the ticket queue entirely — your voucher gets confirmed instantly, and free cancellation is available before you exchange it. I always recommend comparing a few platforms before committing, but this link consistently offers one of the lowest rates I have found.
100th Floor — The First Thing You See
After scanning your ticket at the gate, you step into the Sky Cruise elevator. The cabin walls light up with an animated undersea-to-sky sequence, and before you can fully process it, the doors open on the 100th floor.
The first thing that caught my eye was a K-pop zone right next to the elevator exit. Shelves of idol goods, photo cards, and branded merchandise fill the space — if K-pop is your thing, you could easily lose fifteen minutes here before even reaching the windows.
Walk past the K-pop corner and the real draw opens up: a wall of glass framing Haeundae Beach from directly above. There is a designated photo zone here where staff can take your picture against the panorama, and the angle is genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else. Haeundae’s high-rises, the curve of the shoreline, and the ocean beyond all compress into a single frame. On the day I visited, summer crowds packed the beach so tightly that the umbrellas looked like colorful pixels from up here. Fair warning, though — everything is viewed through thick glass, and reflections can make photos come out hazier than what your eyes actually see. The real view is significantly clearer and sharper than anything your camera will capture, so take your shots but also give yourself a moment to just look.
On the opposite side of the floor, the view shifts to Dongbaekseom Island and the Mipo coastline. This direction faces away from the afternoon sun, which made it much easier on the eyes — and on my camera lens. Mipo has changed a lot in recent years with the Blueline Park beach train drawing visitors to that side of Haeundae, and seeing the whole stretch laid out from above gave me a new appreciation for how much the area has grown.
The 100th floor also has the Shocking Bridge, a glass-floor section where you look straight down at the beach 400 meters below. It is not for everyone, but the line was short and the thrill lasted just long enough to be fun without being stressful.
One detail that caught me completely off guard: the restrooms on this floor have full floor-to-ceiling windows. No joke — you wash your hands while looking out over the Haeundae coastline. No brochure mentions this, but it might be the most unexpectedly memorable moment of the entire visit.
99th Floor — Coffee, Wishes, and a View That Earns the Price
Take the stairs down one flight and the mood shifts. The 99th floor is quieter, more reflective. Near the staircase, a wall is covered with wish cards written by visitors in dozens of languages — Korean, Japanese, English, Thai, Chinese. Reading a few of them while the ocean stretched out behind the glass was one of those small, unplanned moments that stuck with me.
This floor is also home to Sky 99 Grill & Pasta, a full-service restaurant with panoramic views. If you are celebrating something or just want a meal you will not forget, this is the spot. The restaurant offers a promotional 2-person dinner set that includes observatory admission for ₩109,000 (~$73 USD / €62 EUR). Reservations are recommended — window seats go fast, and you can check availability on the official Busan X the Sky website.
But the real crowd-puller on this floor is the Starbucks. Not just any Starbucks — this is the highest Starbucks location in the world, sitting on the 99th floor at roughly 400 meters above sea level.
Getting to it is slightly confusing: you need to reach the 98th floor first, then walk up a staircase behind the Sky Wave media wall. The floor guide lists it as 99F, which is technically correct, but the only access is through that 98th-floor staircase.
The store carries exclusive merchandise you cannot find at other branches, and the coffee tastes exactly like any other Starbucks — the view is what you are paying for. Fair warning: seating is limited and fills up fast. If you want a window seat, try arriving before sunset. When I visited, I ended up standing with my latte near the glass, which honestly worked out fine — the mountain ridge behind Haeundae looked like a painting from up there. If Starbucks is packed, there is also Dalkom Coffee on the 98th floor with more available seats and a similar view.
98th Floor — Where You Will Spend the Most Time
The 98th floor is the busiest level, and for good reason. It packs in the most variety: Jimizip photo studios for professional-style souvenir shots, Sky Letter (where you can send a postcard from the highest point in Busan), an art shop, a coffee stand, and a women’s rest lounge.
The centerpiece is Sky Wave, a large-format media wall that cycles through ocean scenes and abstract visuals synced to the real coastline behind it. It is the kind of installation that pulls you in even if you are not usually into digital art — the scale and the fact that the actual sea is visible right behind the screen make it oddly immersive.
There is no time limit once you are inside the observatory, so you can linger as long as you want. On a hot summer day, this floor alone is a solid reason to visit — air-conditioned, full of things to look at, and far more comfortable than sweating through an outdoor itinerary.
When the Light Changes
I arrived around 4:00 PM, which turned out to be the sweet spot. For the first couple of hours, the ocean was vivid blue and the city looked crisp under clear skies. Then, slowly, the light softened.
By early evening, the sky had shifted to a muted grey-blue and the first building lights started flickering on across Marine City. Other visitors gathered at the windows with their phones out, waiting for the same thing I was — that moment when the city fully commits to its night mode.
And then it happened. Gwangan Bridge lit up in the distance, Haeundae’s neon signs popped against the dark water, and the coastline turned into a glowing ribbon. I pressed my camera lens flat against the glass to cut reflections (a trick that works well here — the glass is clean and the frames are thin) and got some of the best night shots I have taken in Busan.
If you only have one chance to visit Busan X the Sky, I would strongly recommend arriving around 4:00 PM. You get the daytime ocean, the early evening transition, and the full night skyline — three completely different moods from the same windows.
For photography, the 98th floor works best. The Sky Wave area has less ambient light bouncing off the glass, and the window frames are spaced wider apart. Press your lens directly against the glass, and you will cut most reflections.
Before You Leave — Souvenirs and Practical Notes
Right before the exit on the 98th floor, you will pass through X the Gift, a souvenir shop stocked with Busan-themed goods and observatory-exclusive items. The quality is noticeably higher than typical tourist shop merchandise — I spent way too long going back and forth on a few pieces. They also carry Korea-wide souvenir lines, so if you missed picking something up in Seoul, you might find it here.
Getting here by car: If you are driving, enter through either the hotel entrance (B1 parking, then take the dedicated elevator to 1F) or the LCT Mall commercial parking area (park, walk to LCT Mall 1F, exit through Gate 3, turn left, and the observatory entrance is about a one-minute walk). Register your vehicle at the 1F information desk before heading up — this is required to get your 2 hours of free parking (3 hours if you dine at the restaurant).
That said, Haeundae is one of the most congested areas in Busan. Even locals avoid driving here during summer. Public transit is the easier option — Line 2 gets you within walking distance, and the walk from either Haeundae Station or Jungdong Station passes through the beach area, which is a nice warm-up for what you are about to see from above.
An Evening Above Haeundae
Busan X the Sky is one of those places where the experience depends entirely on how much time you give it. Rush through in 45 minutes and it is a nice view. Stay for a few hours and watch the light change, and it becomes something you think about long after you leave.
The blue ocean I saw when I first stepped off the elevator looked nothing like the glittering cityscape I watched from the same window two hours later. That shift — slow, quiet, impossible to pin down to a single moment — was the real highlight. Not the glass bridge, not the Starbucks novelty, not even the panorama itself. Just standing still while Busan changed colors around me.
If Haeundae Beach is already on your itinerary, the observatory is a 20-minute walk from the sand. And since you are in the area, a few other spots pair well with this visit.
Just a short walk from the LCT building, SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium sits right underneath Haeundae Beach — I paid 37% less than the listed price, caught a live mermaid show, and stayed cool inside for two solid hours. It works especially well as a morning stop before heading up to the observatory in the afternoon.
The beach itself has a side most English-language guides skip entirely. There is a free ground-level fountain area behind the main strip that runs throughout summer — I put together a full breakdown of Haeundae Beach’s fountain, parasol pricing, and the things first-time visitors tend to miss.
And if you want a completely different coastal vibe after your Busan X the Sky visit, Gwanganli Beach is about 15 minutes away by taxi. I spent an entire summer day there — eating, cafe-hopping, watching a SpongeBob event on the sand, and ending the night at an open-air beach cinema. Here is how that day went from morning to midnight.
Busan X the Sky gave me a perspective I did not expect from an observation deck. Not just the height, but the patience of watching a city settle into evening from a place where the sky and the ocean nearly touch. If you are looking for that kind of quiet spectacle, the 100th floor is waiting.
Busan X the Sky FAQ: Everything You Need to Know
How much does Busan X the Sky cost?
On-site tickets are ₩29,000 (~$19 USD / €16 EUR) for adults and ₩26,000 (~$17 USD / €15 EUR) for children ages 3 to 12. Seniors 65 and older pay ₩26,000 (~$17 USD / €15 EUR), and children under 36 months enter for free. Booking online through discount platforms can bring the price down to around ₩23,000 (~$15 USD / €13 EUR) for adults and ₩20,800 (~$14 USD / €12 EUR) for children — roughly 20% off the walk-up rate. You can compare current prices and book here.
What are the opening hours for Busan X the Sky?
The observatory is open daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. During peak summer season, hours are extended to 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM. Last entry is typically 30 minutes before closing. It is worth checking the schedule before you visit, as seasonal adjustments may apply.
What is the best time to visit Busan X the Sky?
Arriving around 4:00 PM gives you the widest range of scenery. You will catch the daytime ocean view, the early evening transition as the city lights begin to switch on, and the full Haeundae night skyline — all from the same windows. Weekday afternoons are also less crowded than weekends, which means shorter elevator waits and more room at the glass.
Is the Starbucks at Busan X the Sky really the highest in the world?
Yes. The Starbucks inside Busan X the Sky is located on the 99th floor of the Haeundae LCT Landmark Tower, approximately 400 meters above sea level. It is recognized as the highest Starbucks location in the world. You need a valid observatory admission ticket to access it — there is no separate entrance. Seating is limited, so arriving before the sunset rush helps if you want a window spot.
How do I get to Busan X the Sky by public transportation?
Take Busan Metro Line 2 to Haeundae Station (Exit 3) and walk about 1.2 km toward the coast, which takes roughly 20 minutes. A taxi from the station costs around ₩5,000 (~$3 USD / €3 EUR). Alternatively, Jungdong Station (Exit 7) on the same line is about 800 meters away, or roughly a 15-minute walk. Driving is possible but not recommended during summer — Haeundae is one of the most congested areas in Busan.
Is there free parking at Busan X the Sky?
Observatory visitors receive 2 hours of free parking after registering their vehicle at the 1st-floor information desk. If you dine at the 99th-floor restaurant, the free parking extends to 3 hours. You can enter through the hotel entrance (B1 level) or the LCT Mall commercial parking area. Make sure to validate before heading up to the observatory, as the discount will not be applied retroactively.
What is on each floor of Busan X the Sky?
The observatory spans three floors. The 100th floor features the panoramic observation deck, the Shocking Bridge glass walkway, a K-pop merchandise zone, and photo zones. The 99th floor houses the Sky 99 Grill and Pasta restaurant, the world’s highest Starbucks, and the Sky Garden. The 98th floor has the Sky Wave media installation, Jimizip photo studio, Sky Letter postcard service, Dalkom Coffee, X the Gift souvenir shop, art exhibits, and a women’s rest lounge. Visitors ride the elevator to the 100th floor first, then walk down floor by floor.