Have you seen the Korean horror film, Train to Busan? If you don’t like zombie movies, I don’t recommend it, but if you’re open to a creative horror movie, it’s a fantastic film. Thankfully, no zombie encounters happened during our train journey from Seoul to Busan; instead of running away from diseased monsters, we instead got to sit and enjoy delicious Korean snacks while watching the countryside whip by.
Busan was a fabulous city for a 3-day visit, and it’s a place I wish I had more time in. Here are some of the great things we saw, did, and ate during our visit.
Train Travel in Korea
While I sing the praises of mostly everything in Korea for efficiency, cleanliness, and user-friendliness, these accolades do not apply to the official Korean Rail website. Buying a train ticket was an absolute headache. You can’t buy until a month before, but don’t wait until the last minute as trains often sell out. You have to remember a login, and print your ticket right away. If you don’t, you can go to the train office to have them print it for free, but you must have the credit card you purchased the ticket with. No confirmation went to my email either, and the login didn’t work after I had purchased! It was quite the headache and truly shocking considering how good everything else tech in Korea is.
Ticket purchase kerfuffle aside, the fast train from Seoul to Busan was amazing. We got on at Seoul Station and soon we were ripping across the country at 300km/hour. It only took 2.5 hours and was a very comfortable and fun experience to have with friends.
Budget Accommodation in Busan — Hotel Button in Nampo
For how cheap this hotel was, I was surprised at how nice it was. Hotel Button was a 4 minute walk from the subway stop, making it super easy to get to from the train station. It was clean, quiet, and close to everything you’d want to explore. I would definitely recommend a stay here. Just note the concierge isn’t 24-hours so if you arrive super late or super early, you might need to coordinate with check-in or check-out.
Top Things to See & Do in Busan
Spa Land Centum City Busan
Located in the massive Shinsegae shopping center, this is one of the largest spas in Korea and is an absolute must-visit if you’re venturing to Busan. Most of the baths are segregated by gender as they are fully nude, which is why I don’t have photos of the pools and baths, but trust me when I say it’s an incredible spa to visit. For less than $20 USD, you can enjoy multiple hours soaking, hopping from sauna and steam rooms to cold plunges, relaxing in massage chairs, enjoying additional services like massage or facial treatments, and so much more. There are restaurants onsite and it’s the perfect destination to relax and recover after a long day of exploring Busan.
Gukje Market
This bustling market in the center of Busan is a must-visit when exploring the city. It’s one of the largest markets in Korea and here you can find everything from home goods to prepared foods, souvenirs, clothing, and so much more. It’s an international market, with historical roots in selling imported products after the war. There are food tours here which can be a helpful way to taste some of the best cuisines without getting lost in the maze of alleys of the market.
Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum
This free museum is a great first stop when exploring Busan, because it gives a great overview of the city and its history and evolution both before and after the Korean War. Busan was a very important city due to its position on the coast. One exhibit I really enjoyed was about the Haenyeo, “women of the sea” divers who would harvest seafood like abalone, mussels, and urchins, all while free diving – no scuba gear. The museum is fairly informative, you can enjoy a self-guided tour, just make sure you have a translation app handy. It ends in a beautiful cafe, where I enjoyed an afternoon cappuccino before continuing my exploration of Busan.
Songdo Cable Car
Nothing beats getting a bird’s eye view of a city, and especially one on the coast. The Songdo Cable Car (Busan Air Cruise) is a brief ride across the bay to a park, where you can disembark and check out some food stalls, vendors, and interesting sculpture areas. It was a really fun way to see more of Busan, I would recommend going just before sunset to get those golden hour views. You can buy a ticket right at the station, just be sure to keep track of the return ticket for the way back.
Bosu Book Street
During the Korean War, Busan became a temporary capital city, thanks to its strategic position on the south coast and developed maritime ports. During this time, refugees from the North opened market stalls near Gukje Market selling used books, and it became an essential area for students and other people seeking books. There was a shortage of literary materials during and immediately after the war, so these book stalls flourished as they became the spot to go.
Now it is a market street full of used booksellers, and is a worthwhile wander by while exploring Busan.
Yongdusan Park & Busan Tower
This lovely park in Busan is home to the Busan Tower, a 120 meter tall tower that makes it easy to get incredible 360° views of the city. Enjoy a quick elevator ride to the top and admire the coastline, the mountains, and the sprawling city that surrounds you. The tower is just for entertainment and does not have transmitting equipment nor a robust history, but it’s still a pleasant activity to enjoy in Busan. And much like everything in Korea, there are bars and cafes around the base of the tower in the park, ideal for a relaxing afternoon.
Busan Museum of Movies
Thanks to the Busan International Film Festival, the city has become a hub for cinema and movies, and the Busan Museum of Movies is a testament to that. Located near Yongdusan Park, you can stop here for an hour or so before or after checking out The Busan Tower if you’re trying to get a lot of sightseeing done in one day.
It was a fun space to explore — but I will say there was less historical information about Busan films than I expected. Parts of the museum felt more like a photography playground, which was super fun, but I would have liked learning more about the top films from Busan and the significance of the city in the movie industry, but this is likely because the museum does not have English translations for most of the exhibits, so bring a translator to get more out of it. Overall, it was a fun visit to enjoy with friends.
Igidae Coastal Walk
I 100% recommend this coastal walk and hiking experience in Busan — but just be aware it’s a lot of steps up and down! The Igidae Coastal Walk can start at the Oryukdo Skywalk, which is accessible by bus. From here, you follow the trail along the coast all the way to Igidae, hiking up and down various trails and stairs, going along the water and rocks and into the woods. It took a few hours, but was well worth the trek. There are plenty of spots to stop and rest, and on a sunny day it’s very pleasant to explore. From the ending spot in Igidae, I’d recommend taking a taxi (check out the k ride app) back to your hotel or to get to the nearest subway station, as there isn’t convenient public transit nearby.
Places to Eat in Busan
All Sunday Bagels
Another Korean bagel spot to check out! I really fell in love with the delicious chewiness of a Korean-style bagel. All Sunday is located near Busan station, serving up a delicious variety of bagels and cream cheeses, alongside espresso beverages in a cute cafe. I loved this spot so much I stopped by twice during my stay in Busan.
Seafood at 미경이네
Sitting at the base of the Songdo Sky Park, in a large parking lot, is a row of seafood shacks serving up freshly caught fish. An experience that would be intimidating to take on without a local with you, this meal was such a fun experience to have with a big group. We drank beer and soju, ate fresh scallops, squid, octopus, steak, and more. You grill a lot of the dishes at a table barbecue, and the staff brings plate after plate of seafood and other stuff to cook. It was so fun and delicious, and I even got to try some pretty wild food here.
Sulgodang
Traveling to Korea with a vegetarian, or just want a meal that is packed with veggies? Check out Sulgodang. This place is located near the Gukje market and serves up delicious vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) dishes with 100% vegetarian banchan, or Korean side dishes. After many days of barbecue, fried chicken, and not always the healthiest foods, it was a welcome meal to fill up on. The staff are also super friendly and everything was so good, and it’s very affordable, with meals costing about $7 USD for huge portion sizes.
본참치 — Bon Chamchi Tuna
This is a meal I will remember forever. It’s an establishment that specializes in tuna sashimi, where you select a preset meal. I believe we had 10 courses and over 20 dishes once it was all said and done, and everything (except for maybe one suspicious starter) was incredible. If you don’t like sushi or raw fish freaks you out, this is not the place for you, but if you’ve always wanted to do an omakase experience, I would one-million-percent recommend Bon Chamchi Tuna in Busan. Every dish was prepared so beautifully, and while this experience would have easily cost $250/person in the United States, here it was only $70. We left so full of the most delicious tuna, other seafood, and even steak.
Busan was an incredible city in Korea to visit — my only regret was not having more time. It was a place that managed to be both vibrant and calm, feeling huge yet quaint at the same time. It’s a place I could see myself visiting multiple times over the course of my life or even living in for a few months. I can’t wait to go back and explore more someday.
Your review confirms what I have already read about Busan, a city definitely worth visiting in Korea.