Samgwangsa Temple

Samgwangsa was founded in 1986, so nothing here is old, and it is included for one reason: for a couple of weeks around Buddha's Birthday in May the temple hangs the courtyards and the terraces above the city with something in the order of fifty thousand paper lanterns, in dense coloured canopies overhead, and it is the largest display of its kind in the country. After dark the whole hillside glows and the crowds are considerable. The temple itself is built at scale in traditional style on concrete - a wide stepped plaza, a very large main hall, an eight-storey stone pagoda - and outside the lantern season it is a quiet place with a good view over Busan and the mountains behind. Entry is free at any time of year. The approach is steep and most people take a taxi up and walk down.

What you'll find

• The lantern canopies - tens of thousands, for two weeks in May.
• The stepped plaza - the wide terraces above the city.
• The main hall and pagoda - modern building at large scale.
• The Busan view - the city spread below the hillside.

When to go

The fortnight around Buddha's Birthday in May, and after dark - that is the whole point. At other times it is worth an hour for the view and little more.

What to expect

The buildings are recent and reproduce traditional style in concrete, which some visitors dislike. During the lantern season the hill is very crowded and transport up is slow. Free.

Nearby

Seomyeon is downhill; Beomeosa and Geumjeongsanseong are in northern Busan.

Key facts