At this moment I am sitting in a hospital waiting room while my little 5-year-old is halfway through a 6-hour surgery. At some point, I’ll share more details about that (maybe), but for now, you folks in Korea get another post that pertains to you! Bear in mind that it has been almost a year since we visited Hongbeopsa, so some of the details are a little fuzzy. Even still, it left an impression on us and I want to share all that I can remember!
Visiting Korea’s Largest Seated Buddha at Hongbeopsa
One of the things I miss the most about Korea is all of the temples and Buddhas everywhere. Obviously, I’m not Buddhist, but I’ve always been fascinated by and had so much respect for other religions. We visited our fair share of Buddhist temples while in Korea and we definitely have our favorites. Don’t miss out on a trip to Gakwonsa, Simboksa, or – while you’re in Busan – make sure to check out Korea’s Seaside Temple, Haedong Yonggungsa.
Each temple has its own unique charm about it, and Hongbeopsa is no exception to that. With its expansive gardens, beautiful lanterns, intricate details, and massive golden seated Buddha – it’s absolutely worth a visit if you find yourself near Busan.
If you’ve been here a while, you’ve read me talk about how confusing it is to find the “biggest” or the “longest” of anything in South Korea. Part of this is undoubtably due to a language barrier – I don’t speak Korean – and some of it is because finding stuff online for Korea can be a challenge too. However, after extensive research, I believe that I have finally settled on Hongbeopsa’s giant golden Buddha as Korea’s largest seated Buddha in all of South Korea.
Whether it is actually the largest or not, it is magnificent.
The Buddha itself stands at a whopping 21m high (compared to the 15m for the Buddha at Gakwonsa and only 14.6m for the Buddha at Sinheungsa – which has been added to my bucket list titled, “If We Ever Move Back to Korea”) and the tower it sits on is a monstrosity, sitting 45m high. The two combined make this Buddha visible from far away – it stands up above the trees and is INCREDIBLE to see from a distance (although I didn’t get any pictures to prove just how cool that is).
In addition to the amazing Buddha, there is so much else to admire about the temple grounds. Much like Waujeongsa in Yongin, the longer you wander at Hongbeopsa, the more you discover. (Although, I will say that Waujeongsa is far larger – and here is my plug for you to visit!)
Hongbeopsa was far from our favorite of the Buddhist temples that we visited during our time in Korea. Even so, if we ever have the opportunity to live there again, you can bet we’ll be visiting Busan and exploring this temple all over again. We would love to plan a trip during Buddha’s birthday so we can see all the decorations and participate in the festivities!
’til next time and happy exploring beautiful Korea,
Ash
How to visit Korea’s largest seated Buddha at Hongbeopsa
Directions & Parking: Hongbeopsa is located in Busan – although it is nowhere near the touristy areas of Busan like Haeundae. It took us about 30 minutes (give or take) to drive from our hotel in Haeundae to Hongbeopsa. Although it’s still technically in Busan, it definitely feels a little off the beaten path. We actually found it difficult to find much information on it at all, so when we were driving there, we weren’t sure we were headed to the right place. But don’t you fret – I’ve got you covered with some Naver pins. Parking is free in a dirt lot across a little street.
Naver Pin: Hongbeopsa
Naver Pin: Hongbeopsa Parking Lot
Hours: We never could get a good idea of what the hours were, but you’re probably safe assuming that the temple is open from sunrise to sunset.
Cost: FREE
Amenities: There are bathrooms located near the main building (the one that has the Buddha on top of it) and we found them to be typical for Buddhist Temple bathrooms. There are a variety of Korean restaurants in the areas around the temple, although there were no chains like Lotteria, Shake Shack, etc. Expect to eat authentic Korean cuisine if you procure food in the area.
Wheel chairs & Strollers: Any wheeled device would be difficult on these grounds. There are expansive gardens – which you will absolutely want to explore – as well as some stairs you must take in order to get to the bottom floor of the temple.
