In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Busan
부산
Give Busan two nights off a Seoul trip for a working fish market, temple-on-a-cliff and a beach in one city; take the KTX (about 2h40) rather than the slower bus.
Busan is South Korea's second-largest city and its busiest port. Hillside neighbourhoods run down to Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches, Jagalchi is the country's largest fish market, and Haedong Yonggungsa is one of the few major temples built directly on the coast. The KTX links it to Seoul in around 2.5 hours, so it works as a two-night add-on rather than a trip of its own.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 부산
- Best months
- Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov (mild, dry, before/after the summer beach crowds)
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (monsoon humidity and heat, plus peak domestic beach crowds and prices)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- KRW
- Money
- Cards work almost everywhere, including taxis, convenience stores and many market stalls; carry ₩30,000–50,000 in cash for street food, small markets and temple donations.
- SIM and data
- SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at airport arrivals; a passport is required, and data-only plans are cheapest.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Korea Travel Helpline 1330 · Immigration contact centre 1345
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 60 Hz · Round two-pin European plugs fit; US and UK plugs need an adapter, and US-only appliances need a converter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and cafés: No tip; a service charge appears only in top hotels.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Hotel porter: Not expected; ₩1,000–2,000 in luxury hotels if you want.; Private guide or driver: Not expected; ₩10,000–20,000 or a meal is a thank-you.
- Water
- Officially safe from the tap; most people drink filtered water, and restaurants serve it free. Bottles cost ₩800–1,500 at convenience stores.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in every subway station; paper goes in the toilet in new buildings, in the bin where a sign asks. Bidets are common.
Get in
By air
- PUS · Gimhae International
- About 15 km west of downtown; the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit (BGL) connects to the metro at Sasang, or a limousine bus runs direct to Haeundae/Seomyeon in 40–60 min
Get around
The Busan Metro (four lines) reaches most sights; buy a rechargeable T-money or Cashbee card, which also works on buses. Taxis are metered and cheap for hillside spots like Gamcheon and Taejongdae that involve steep walking.
See and do
Known for
- Jagalchi Fish Market
- Haeundae Beach
- Gamcheon Culture Village's hillside houses
- Haedong Yonggungsa coastal temple
- Gwangalli Beach and the Diamond Bridge
- Busan International Film Festival (October)
Sleep
- Haeundae
- Beach and high-rise resorts; a metro ride from the old centre and Jagalchi.
- Seomyeon
- Central subway interchange (lines 1 and 2) with the densest food and nightlife.
- Nampo-dong
- Old port district next to Jagalchi Market and the BIFF street food alley.
Language
Korean everywhere; English on subway signs, station announcements and in larger hotels, thin in speech outside Seoul's centre. Hangul can be learned in an afternoon and turns every sign into readable sounds; Papago handles the rest.
- Show addresses in Korean to taxi drivers; copy them from Naver Map or Kakao Map.
- KakaoTalk is the messaging app of guesthouses, guides and friends.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A slight bow with a 'annyeonghaseyo'; handshake with the right hand, left hand touching the right forearm; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses with people you have just met
- Age and rank: Expect to be asked your age; it sets how people speak to you. Let the eldest sit and start first; avoid: Calling older people by their given name
- Handing things: Two hands for money, cards, gifts and drinks; avoid: Passing things with one hand to older people
- Subway: Quiet voices, bags off seats, queue at the marked lines; avoid: Priority and pink pregnancy seats, even when empty
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or a boxed gift; refuse once before accepting; avoid: Writing names in red ink — it is used for the dead
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees; bow at the main hall; avoid: Stepping on thresholds; loud talk; pointing at Buddha statues
- Numbers: Know that 4 is unlucky; buildings may show F instead of a fourth floor; avoid: Giving gifts in sets of four
- Sensitive topics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Comparing Korea with Japan or China casually; jokes about the North, the Japanese colonial era, or plastic surgery
Scams and watch-outs
- Typhoon season (Aug–Sep) can cancel ferries and disrupt trains with little notice.
- Gamcheon Culture Village is a maze of steep stairs and narrow lanes: wear real shoes, not sandals.
- Beaches get crowded and expensive during the Korean summer holiday weeks in late July and early August.
- Jellyfish appear off Haeundae and Gwangalli in late summer; check posted flags before swimming.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Busan yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Jagalchi Fish Market
- Haeundae Beach
- Gamcheon Culture Village's hillside houses
- Haedong Yonggungsa coastal temple
- Gwangalli Beach and the Diamond Bridge
- Busan International Film Festival (October)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Busan: www.visitbusan.net/en/
- Wikivoyage — Busan: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Busan
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/busan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.