Seoul to Busan Travel Guide and Itinerary

Maybe you already heard Busan, Thanks to the internationally hit movie “Train to Busan”. But for those who are not familiar yet to Busan, let me introduce it to you.  Busan is located in the southern part of South Korea and also the 2nd largest city in the country, next to Seoul. It is a popular getaway place for Koreans and expats due to its beautiful beaches and fresh seafood delicacies that you will truly love. This may be the same reason also why there are a lot of Korean celebrities that owned a property in this city.  For those travelers that wanted to explore Busan too, we made this detailed travel guide for you. Hope this will help 🙂

HOW TO GO TO BUSAN

Good news for travelers who wanted to go directly to Busan. Busan has its own international airport which means that there are also direct flights going in and out to Busan. Please do check our article for tips on how we book a budget fare.

What if you are already in Seoul and you wanted to go to Busan, but you don’t want to spend more on flight tickets. Worry no more! There are 2 known ways to go to Busan from Seoul aside from the plane.

1. By Train or KTX – For those who just wanted to have a day tour in Busan or those who don’t want to travel for a long period of time, this is the best option for you. KTX is a high-speed rail train that offers to bring you from Seoul to Busan within less than 3 hrs. Though it is more pricey than the Express bus more locals and tourists preferred using KTX rather than the cheaper bus.

How to go to KTX station

• KTX Station is in Seoul Station, just follow the sign/markings from Seoul Station going to KTX.
• In case you are going early morning and no subway is available. You can always use taxi’s or in our case, we ask our host to book us a taxi via kakao app.

Tip:

• We avail our discounted KTX pass here (KORAIL Pass)
• Avail their limited offer Flexible 2 day pass.
• Make sure to claim your ticket before your scheduled date

2. By Bus – Actually, this is our first option when we plan our side trip to Busan. Why via bus? it’s simply because it’s cheaper and by availing it we can spend our budget for other expenses.  The reason why we did not pursue this option is due to our limited days in Korea plus we already booked our hotel in Seoul for the whole duration of our trip. We don’t want to booked another in Busan coz it simply doubled our hotel accommodation and it is also hassled when we pack and unpack our things again. Not to mention the long travel time by Bus which is around 4.5 hrs to 5 hrs. (May vary also depending on the traffic).

How to go to Bus Terminal

• Take a subway and alight to  Express bus Terminal Station. The terminal is accessible through lines 3, 7  and 9.
• Buses from Seoul going to Busan depart from the Geongbu Bus terminal. (which is in the Express bus terminal station )

How much it cost

• Price ranges from 24,200 KRW (20 USD) to 47,700 KRW (39.30 USD. It varies depending on what type of bus you will avail and if it is a late-night bus or not.
• For bus schedule and updates check out their website at https://www.kobus.co.kr/oprninf/alcninqr/oprnAlcnPage.do

BUSAN DAY TOUR ITINERARY

We decided to avail a discounted tour package from KKDAY for our Busan Day tour.  We really recommend this especially for those who really want to know more about Busan and for those who want to maximize their time but have a limited stay like us.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Do you know what’s unique about this temple? Usually, temples are built beside mountains but this temple is not only built near a mountain but also near the ocean. It was built in 1376 during Goryeo Dynasty by a buddist monk,  named Naong Hyegeun. According to legend, the temple was built because he received a vission from the sea god. The god told him that if he were to build a temple in Bongrae Mountain and prayed there, the drought will end.

In order to go to the temple, you need first to go down in its 108 stairs which also represent the 108 agonies in Buddhism.

Taejongdae

Taejongdae was named after King Taejong Mu-Yeol of the Silla Kingdom. It is said that this place was the favorite place of  King Taejong when he practices his arrows. Taejondae park has an observatory wherein when skies are clear, you can see Japan’s Tsushima Island.

Inside Taejongdae Park, you can find Yeongdo Lighthouse which was built in 1906. The lighthouse serves as a guide for the fisherman in Busan until it was replaced in 2004.

You can also find Sinseon Rock and Mangbuseok near the lighthouse. For those who are not familiar with the myth, Sinseon Rock said became flat when a god came down here to rest. While Mangbuseok is said to be a woman that became rock waiting for her husband who had been taken to Japan. There are also foot dinosaur footprints that you can find in the area.

Songdo Beach and Skywalk

Songdo Beach first opened in 1913 making it the 1st official beach in Korea. It got its name from Pine trees (Songdo=Pine) which are abundant in the area.

Songdo Skywalk is a 365-meter curve pathway that passes through turtle island. “Turtle Island”  is a small rock formation/island that was named after its turtle-like shape.

Gamcheon Culture Village

Nowadays a lot of tourists are going to this place for its intragrammable view. But do you know what fascinated me the most? Its how they transformed this once feared/avoided place into a tourist-friendly destination. Before 2009, this is one of the darkest place in Busan. But instead of giving up, their government did not lose hope to its people. They made a plan to reinvent the area. They asked artists to decorate the village to remove its dark image and create a happier atmosphere. And as a result,  Gamcheon village is now one of the top tourist destinations in Busan and even named as the Machu Picchu of Busan.

For those want to have a souvenir we recommend to try the flipbook in Gamcheon. We avail this perfect souvenir at a discounted price 🙂 Buy here Flip book

For a complete itinerary, check out our detailed South Korea Itinerary here: Ultimate South Korea Itinerary