Best Time to Visit Busan

The Busan International Film Festival is held annually in late September/early October and sees multiple big names from across Asia flock to South Korea's second city. Busan is exceptionally active during festival days, which results in higher volumes of tourists and higher accommodation prices. There is a distinctive change of seasons in Busan, with cold winters and warm summers. Spring is a popular time to visit (particularly because of the iconic cherry blossoms), but summer (May through August) attracts travellers the most. Due to its seaside location, Busan is also a popular summertime destination for internal tourists, who can be seen setting up sunbathing stations across Haundae Beach all through the summer.

Passport / Visa

Citizens of multiple world countries can travel to South Korea for tourism purposes visa-free, for stays from 30 to 180 days (Canada). Citizens of most countries in Africa and Asia will need to apply for a visa in advance. Please consult the official website of Korea Tourism for up-to-date details.

• Web:

  english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRV/TV_ENG_2_1.jsp

Gimhae International Airport (PUS)

Gimhae International Airport serves the area of Busan with both national and international terminals. The airport is easily accessible by several means of public transport: a city bus that runs to Hauendae and a convenient metro system with several interchange stations linking different lines. Nampo, Jagalchi, and Seomyeon are all stations along line 1.

• Web:

  www.airport.co.kr

• Address:

  Gimhae International Airport

Public Transport

The public transportation system in Busan is extensive and convenient, comprising 4 subway lines, 1 light rail line and a network of public buses. To avoid the hassle of buying single tickets, purchase a reloadable 'Cashbee' card and top it up as needed at any convenience store. Any remaining card balance can be refunded when you're leaving the city (this does not apply to the cost of the card itself, which is roughly US$2 at the time of writing). Note that although buses can be recognised by their number, all text apart from the final destination is in Korean only, and bus drivers will often not speak English.

Taxi

Grey taxis circulate around Busan and are easy to hail off the street. It's usually a good idea to have your destination written down in Korean to show to the driver. Although most taxis use meters by default, make sure one is turned on when you board a cab. Note that there is a nighttime surcharge and that certain types of cabs are considered of "deluxe" class and will charge more These are often black.

Busan Cruise Port

There is not much in the way of sightseeing or entertainment at the Busan port arrival point, but the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal (which is a few minutes walk away) does have a few eateries and shops; ATMs are also available. There is a free shuttle that runs from the port to the closest metro station (Choryang, line 1, right next to Busan central station), as well as one that goes all the way into the city centre (Nampo-dong), although there have been reports that the latter now charges a fare. They take around 10 and 30 minutes respectively. From here, it is easy to reach any location throughout Busan via the metro: purchase an unlimited travel card at the station if you plan to use the metro multiple times.

• Web:

  www.busanpa.com

• Address:

  206 Chungjang-daero, Choryang 3(sam)-dong, Dong-gu, Busan

• Phone:

  +82 51 400 1200