The Travel Archives

I sincerely wish we had at least 2 days in Busan. I badly wanted to see Gwangalli Beach at night, Busan's magnificently-lighted Gwangandaegyo Bridge, and the Igidae Park atop the Oryukdo Skywalk! Yet again, we had limited time, and we only had one whole day to explore and experience the beauty of Busan in South Korea.

And we want you to experience its charm, too, so here's a Busan Day Trip Travel Guide that you may freely use in planning for your future travels.


1. First of, purchase your tickets to Busan. We suggest for you to buy KTX tickets ahead of time. Click here for our guide (assuming you're coming from Seoul).

2. Alight at the Busan KTX Station. Then, proceed to the Busan Subway Station (Line 1). It's right across the Busan KTX Station.


3. Buy a "Busan subway one-day pass" at the Busan Subway Station (Line 1). This gives you unlimited rides within one day across all subway lines in Busan, except for the Busan-Gimhae LRT line.

• 5,000 KRW per pax (only P237!)
• The machine only accepts 1,000 KRW bills and 500 KRW and 100 KRW coins. Ask the information office to break down your money into such bills/coins if you only have larger bills.
• Keep your one-day pass dry and free from folds for it to be easily read by the automated station gates.

4. Off you are to enjoy your Busan day trip! If you haven't had breakfast yet, visit one of the markets near the Nampo Station or Jagalchi Station (Line 1). The Jagalchi Market, Gukje Market, Bupyeong Market, and BIFF Square are the most famous ones. They have various merchandise and food offerings, which we were not able to try! (We ate at once at Lotteria, upon alighting at the Busan KTX station, which kept us really full.)

5. Afterwhich, go to the Gamcheong Cultural Village (free)!

• Alight at the Toseong Station (Line 1). Follow the signs that lead to the Gamcheong Cultural Village.
• Afterwhich, ride Bus #2. It's a small, green bus that goes uphill towards the village.
• If I remember it right, the bus rate per pax costs 1,200 KRW or P57.

The village superbly astounds with its bright-colored homes atop a hill that overlooks the beautiful Busan. Small art galleries and cafes are located here, should you want a quick break.


6. Then, head on to the Oryukdo Skywalk (free) to walk above the waters and marvel at the breathtaking views of Busan! To go there:

• Board the same bus back to Toseong Station (Line 1). It passes by the unloading area every 10-15 minutes or so.
• Afterwards, head on to the Kyungsung Univ. Pukyung Nat’l Univ. Station (Line 2).
• Next, take a taxi towards the Oryukdo Skywalk.
• If I remember it right, it cost us around 8,000 KRW per taxi to get there
• Each taxi can only accommodate 4 pax. If you're more than 4, split the group and take 2 taxis instead.
• The ride will take you about 15-20 minutes.

7. After this, proceed to one of the must-sees in Busan - the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. But first, have authentic Korean lunch at one of the student-friendly restaurants near the Kyungsung Univ. Pukyung Nat’l Univ. Station (Line 2). To go back, board a bus that regularly stops by the Oryukdo Skywalk.

• Ask the receptionist which bus # you need to take!
• Each ride per pax costs about 1,200 KRW or P57.
• Tell the driver you're alighting at the Kyungsung Univ. Pukyung Nat’l Univ. Station (Line 2) so he can alert you about it.

This area is clad with numerous cafes, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and bars that cater to the nearby university students. We managed to find a small, appetizing Korean restaurant that only has 3 dishes in their menu - kimchi, kimchi stew/noodles, and some really good Korean pork. Perfect. It was also very affordable as compared to the meals in Seoul.




8. After enjoying your lunch, head on to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (free). It's a temple situated by the sea. It's open every day from 5 am until sunset.

• To go here, board the subway from the Kyungsung Univ. Pukyung Nat’l Univ. Station (Line 2) to the Haeundae Station (Line 2) Exit 7.
• Then, take Bus #181 and alight at the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
• Each trip costs 1,200 KRW per pax.

We waited for Bus #181 but a green bus labeled "Haedong Yonggungsa Temple" stopped by. We asked if it would bring us to the temple and the driver said yes. As such, we boarded and paid the same fee of 1,200 KRW per pax. We reached the temple in about 20 minutes, and walked uphill towards the temple grounds for around 15-20 minutes or so.

We were really tired at this point, but what we saw excited us - stalls selling Korean pancake snacks, refreshments, dried squid, accessories, and a lot more! We indulged for a bit, then proceeded inside the temple.

True enough, the view and the temple grounds were just out of this world. Temples are usually situated in mountains, but seldom by the sea. This is a unique experience to behold while in Busan, South Korea.




TIP: If you want to tour and explore the Eastern part of Busan (Oryukdo Skywalk, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, etc.) with more ease, try Klook's East Busan Exploration tour! It can go as low as PHP 1,400 per pax! It'll save you time and effort, especially when you're traveling with elders.

9. This was our last stop in Busan. Sadly, we had to go back to Seoul as we only had one day. To go back, we rode the same bus back to Kyungsung Univ. Pukyung Nat’l Univ. Station (Line 2), and headed on to the Busan Subway Station (Line 1). We then left the subway to walk to the Busan KTX Station for our ride back to Seoul.

Thank you to the following guides for helping us easily craft our very own Busan day trip:

• http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1984913
• http://www.walkwithcham.com/2016/01/haedong-yonggungsa-temple.html

You may also check out this link for other interesting places to visit in Busan:

• https://www.twowanderingsoles.com/blog/two-days-in-busan-south-korea

Last TIP to complete your Busan Day Trip:

• If you want a hassle-free 3-hour tour of Busan at night (and I highly suggest you do if you have the extra time), try Klook's Busan Night Tour. Checking out photos of Busan at night makes me want to go back and experience their colorful city at night!