Getting around Busan

Busan is one of the easier Korean cities to travel without a car. Between the subway, the city buses and a single rechargeable card you can reach almost everywhere in this guide, and signs and announcements come in English as well as Korean throughout.

None of it needs to be booked ahead or worked out in advance — a transit card from any convenience store is really all the preparation it takes. Here is how the pieces fit together.

From the airport

Gimhae International Airport sits on the western edge of the city, and there are three easy ways in. The Busan–Gimhae Light Rail connects the terminal to the subway — change to Line 2 at Sasang, or to Line 3 at Daejeo — running cheaply if slowly. Airport limousine buses go direct to Seomyeon and Haeundae, and a taxi to the centre is quick and affordable outside the rush.

The airport sits on the Gimhae side of the city line, so it also makes a natural first or last meal if you have time to fill before a flight.

By train from Seoul

The KTX high-speed train reaches Busan from Seoul in roughly two and a half to three hours, and the SRT and the slower, cheaper ITX run the same corridor; book the KTX ahead on busy weekends. Trains arrive at Busan Station, at the northern edge of the old town.

Busan Station is on subway Line 1, a few stops from Nampo and Jagalchi, so you can drop a bag and be at your first stop within minutes of stepping off the train.

The subway

Four numbered lines, plus the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail and the coastal Donghae Line, cover most of what a visitor needs. Trains run often, fares are distance-based and cheap, and every station carries a number as well as a name — so even when the name is unfamiliar, the number keeps you oriented.

• Line 1 — the old town: Nampo, Jagalchi, Busan Station, north to Beomeosa.
• Line 2 — the coast: Seomyeon, Gwangalli, Haeundae, Jangsan.
• Line 3 — a cross-town link through Yeonsan and Deokcheon.
• Donghae Line — the east coast toward Songjeong, Gijang and Ulsan.

Line 1 and Line 2 cross at Seomyeon, the city’s hub, which is where most cross-town trips change; the network runs from around five in the morning to about midnight.

Cards and buses

A Cashbee or T-money card, sold and topped up at any convenience store, works on every subway and city bus and saves counting out coins — and a single card can tap through for a small group. It also shaves a little off the single-ticket fare.

Buses reach the places the subway misses, most notably the climb up to Gamcheon Culture Village from Toseong station, and a transfer between bus and subway is free or discounted within about half an hour of tapping off. Route signs are in Korean and English, and a map app will give you the number and the stop.

Day trips

Busan makes a natural base for the wider region. Express buses from the Nopo terminal in the north and Sasang (Seobu) in the west reach Gyeongju, Tongyeong, Jinju and other Gyeongnam towns in one to two hours, usually without booking.

For the coast, the Donghae Line runs north to Gijang and on to Ulsan. Most of the region’s smaller cities are an easy out-and-back in a day, which is why several of the guides here start from Busan.