Busan, South Korea’s largest port and second most populous city. Located in the south of the peninsula, it is a popular destination for tourists and South Korean’s alike offering some of the best beaches, mountain trails and sea food in the country. Busan does not disappoint.

Getting There

While Busan is South Korea’s larges port you will more than likely arrive by train or plane.

Gimhae International Airport lies to the west of the city and has a few options to get you into town.

Taxi – Depending on your destination within Busan it could take between twenty minutes to an hour to reach your destination. Depending on the number of you, the boot of taxis tend to be filled with the driver’s bits and bobs with room for only one suitcase being realistic, so bear that in mind.
Light Railway – Cheap, clean frequent. The Light Railway (the purple line) connects onto Line 2 (the green line) which can then be used to transport you across the city. Depending on your destination this could take up to an hour.
Buses – The cheapest but the slowest method to reach somewhere near your end destinations.

Busan Station – The main intercity train station in Seoul, located halfway along Metro Line 1. This is also within throwing distance of the international passenger ferry terminal.

A view of Busan and APEC House from Dongbaekseom Park.

Getting Around

Busan is a sprawling city of goliath proportions. As a result, very few of its attractions or point of interest are within easy walking distance of each other. Luckily Busan has you covered to get to the ones that aren’t.

Taxis – Very cheap, especially if there are three or four of you. They are clean, comfortable and plentiful. To find a taxi, just stand next to the road and put a hand out, New York style, to any passing by with a red light on in the windscreen. If there is no red light that means it is occupied. Aim for the silver or yellow taxis and make sure you have the destination written down in Korean or on the Naver Map app.
Buses – Very cheap but slow and may take the long way round to get to your destination. The bus stop signs and destinations are all in Korean as well.
Metro – Clean, quiet and cheap. Single journey tickets will cost you ₩1,350 or you can purchase a ‘T-money’ card which is Seoul’s transport stored value card, like London’s Oyster or Hong Kong’s Octopus card. These can be obtained from T-money ticket machines or convenience stores and give you a 10% discount on the fare price. Certain destinations may still require you to get a taxi from the nearest metro station.
Uber – Uber X has a presence in Seoul but is not worth it when taxis will provide a near identical service for a fraction of the price.

Money

South Korea uses the Korean Won (KRW) which is indicated by a “₩” sign. It is roughly £1 to ₩1,300 (at time of writing). Notes come in ₩1,000, ₩5,000, ₩10,000 and ₩50,000 and coins are come in ₩10, ₩50, ₩100 and ₩500 denominations.
Most bank cards are widely accepted and work without issue but can be hit and miss with Mastercard. Contactless transactions are not a thing. They will use the chip rather than the magnetic strip and will require a signature instead of a pin. Some will ask for a signature, some don’t. ATMs are frequent and available in English but withdraws will be charged.
Tipping is not a thing and not expected.
Haggling is not a thing either.
When it gets to the smaller denominations of coins which you will probably only find in taxis, most Koreans with either round up or down to the closest figure to make life easy instead of fiddling about with small change. They will expect you to do the same.

Attractions

One of the entries in the 2019 Sand Festival sand sculpture competition.

Haedong Youggungsa – A rare 14th century Buddhist temple by the sea. Burn some incense next to your zodiac sign, try your luck at tossing coins into wishing pots and buy candles big enough to club a seal with. A 10-minute taxi ride from Haeundae.

Gamcheon Culture Village – A village within a city. Colourful houses, steep steps and quirky shops. If you want the best views of the area you are going to have to get there early or queue to sit next to a figure of a child and a fox.

Jagalchi Market – The largest seafood market in Korea. If it came from the sea, you will probably find it there. Some places will even cook it for you.

Busan Tower and Yongdusan Park – With its 360 degree observation deck 120 meters above the ground, the Busan Tower has some of the best views in town.

Cheongsapo Daritdol Skywalk – A 10 minute drive round the corner from Haeundae in the small fishing village of Cheongsapo is Busan’s highest skywalk at 20m above the sea with glass panels on the floor. Walk over if you have the stomach for it! Don’t forget to put your shoe covers on. There is a seafood restaurant by the car park and an abandoned railway line for some artsy photo opportunities.

Other Points of Interest

Diamond Bridge. Busan’s largest bridge that puts on a light display every night. Best seen from Gwangalli Beach which also hosts many restaurants and bars along the strip.
Haeundae Beach. The best beach in Busan.
Take a ferry to Japan! In 1 hour and 10 minutes from the ferry terminal, you could be on the island of Hitakatsu.
Songdo Beach Skywalk. Designed to look like a dragon, this path leads out from Songdo Beach, across the small Geobukseom Island and out to sea with a telescope at the end to watch passing ships or the cable cars above. This is Busan’s longest skywalk.
Dongbaekseom Park – A scenic park at the western end of Haeundae Beach which is also home to the Nurimaru APEC House. A modern conference centre with some of the best sea views in Busan. Get there before 5pm if you want a tour.

Restaurants and Bars

Very few restaurant and bars have signs in English with their name on them, only signs to clarify that they are a bar or restaurant. Something you would be able to, more often than not, work out with your eyes. With this in mind I will try my best to direct you towards certain places or list areas where you will be spoilt for choice.

Gunam-ro Haeundae-gu Busan – Just off the main road that runs parallel to it, this street is filled with bars and restaurants. From traditional Korean BBQs, Indian curries, Italian or fast food, it has you covered. Special mentions go to the Wolfhound Irish bar and the Fuzzy Navel cocktail bar.
Haeundae Market Street – First on the right as you walk up Gunam-ro is a narrow street with lots of small restaurants ready to feed you with fresh fish, chickens’ feet or pig trotters.
Gwangalli Beach – From pizza’s to pork ribs, Gwangalli beach has you covered, plus you get a sea view.
Mugunghwa – Located on the 43rd floor of the Lotte Hotel if you fancy a high-end dining experience with traditional food.

A Korean BBQ with additional egg moat around the outside.

Hotels

Haeundae MS Hotel – Clean and spacious, a stones through from the beach and around the corner from all the bars and restaurants. What more could you want.
Hilton Busan – On the eastern edge of the city that will require you to get a taxi into town. The Hilton also gives you a big luxurious hotel with plenty of facilities and uninterrupted views out to sea.
K-Guesthouse Premium Nampo 1 – Within walking distance of Jagalchi Market and the Busan Tower, you can’t get much more central than this.

Other Bits

Obey the pedestrian crossing lights. Jaywalking in South Korea is illegal and if caught you could be slapped with a fine. Crossing the road where there is no zebra crossing will result in a larger fine.
Taxis. They come in black, silver and yellow. The black taxi is a “Deluxe” taxi where the fare will start higher and raise quicker is no more comfortable than the others. The yellow taxi was introduced to be the foreigner’s taxi and drivers were required to pass a languages test but in 2013 the service was scrapped and it joined the ranks of the silver taxis as the standard taxis in Seoul.
Drink soju. This is a Korean spirit made from rice and is usually between 17-20%. If you want to blend in with the locals even more, mix it with beer to create “somaek” (pronounced so-meh). Pour it with two hands, play a game where you take it in turns to finger flick the metal tail from the lid or guess the number underneath it.
Google Maps does not work in South Korea. Download Naver Maps. It is the South Korean equivalent and it will save you a lot of hassle. It can sometimes take a while for the GPS dot to catch up with your movements on the map.
The language barrier is a regular hurdle in South Korea. You will find some people that will be proficient in English but otherwise be prepared for a game of charades.