While the city of Busan is the obvious star of the show, Korea’s southeastern region is full of other gems worthy of exploration. This corner of the country has it all: rocky ridges, hidden coves, sleepy islands, and deep valleys, as well as historic towns home to cultural treasures that stand as a testament to the peninsula’s 5,000-year history. Add the urban center of Daegu—a thriving, modern metropolis with enough verve to give any of its rivals a run for their money—and you’ve got a panoply of attractions that will surely exert their pull upon you.

Spread out across two provinces, this region is home to the country’s greatest concentration of people outside of Seoul. The cities of Busan, Ulsan, and Daegu account for some 8 million people, and when you add in smaller population centers, the figure shoots up well north of that. As a result, when it comes to the neon splendor of modern, urban Korea, the southeastern region offers up almost as much round-the-clock excitement as you’ll find in the capital.

That said, it’s also a place where you can seek out solitude if you put in the effort. The clusters of islands jutting up from the waters of the south coast can feel surprisingly remote. Just one short ferry ride and you’ll find yourself on a lonesome, rocky shore, or in a harborside fishing village with just the salty breeze and drying kelp. The area is also home to some of the country’s most rugged mountains. Though you’d never confuse them with the snowcapped crags of their European namesake, the Yeongnam Alps contain some of South Korea’s highest peaks that act a kind of paradise for anyone keen to lace up a pair of boots and hit the trail. The valleys surrounding these ridges are also wonderful refuges unto themselves, with icy, fast-flowing streams, quaint villages, and temples galore.

When it comes to such relics of the past, the area surrounding Busan is in a league of its own. From the sprawling center of Buddhist culture of Tongdosa to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gyeongju, the region just oozes history, giving visitors a deep and real sense of appreciation for just how long Korean culture has steeped in time, resulting in the rich, multi-layered tapestry it is today.