Get Ready For Beaches And Seafood In Busan

Busan is Korea's second largest city with close to 4 million people. It also serves as the country's main port for international cargo, as well as passenger ferries to Japan and Jeju Island. The city is famous for its seafood and beaches, as well as the Hallyosudo Waterway with its picturesque islands. The Busan fish market has a huge selection of fresh seafood in the early morning. Although primarily known as a port, the city has many steep hills, creating a very unusual mix of mountains and ocean. The area remained relatively untounched during the Korean War, but the flood of refugees drastically shaped the city.

Places To See

Beomeo-sa Temple, subway Beomeosa. One of Korea's Great 5 Temples, this large temple complex is located up in the mountains, seemingly much further away from the big city than the few kilometers it is. Founded in 678, the buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt many times, but they're still atmospheric. Watch out though, as the temple gets packed with worshippers, hikers (see Do) and tourists on weekends. To get there, take exit 5 from the station, make a U-turn, turn left and take bus 90 from the station a few hundred meters up (W900, 20 minutes, every 15 min). Entry W1000.

40 Steps (40 Gyedan), subway Jungang-dong. A few streets of a grubby district have been 'restored' to their condition in the post-Korean-War 1960s, with wooden lamppost and bronze figures illustrating scenes of hardscrabble street life.

Yongdusan Park, subway Nampodong (take the hillside escalator up). This pleasant little park is home to Busan's one true tourist trap, the creaky 118m Busan Tower (W3000). There are some decent views even without going up the tower, and you can buy some corn to feed the resident population of ravenous pigeons.

Night Life
Busan's close proximity to the ocean give it milder winters than other places in Korea, enabling people to enjoy the night life in more comfort than other areas. As a major port of call for international shipping, the harbor area has a thriving district that caters to the thousands of sailors and other visitors who pass through each year.
Lodging
Busan City has 14 lodging facilities listed with Life in Korea. See the full list for this area.

Transportation
Boat: From Busan Port (Chungand-dong, Chung-gu), you can catch a ferry to a number of domestic destinations (Cheju-do, Ulsan, Yeosu, and Inch'eon). Taking a boat to Yeosu through the Hallyeohaesang National Park, you can view the spectacular scenery along Korea's south coast. You can also get international passage to Japan and China.
Bus: The Express Bus Terminal (Onch'on-dong, Tongnae-gu) has express buses to most major destination in Korea. For less popular destinations, you will need to use one of the 2 inter-city bus terminals: Dongbu (east- Myeongryun-dong, Tongnae-gu) and Seobu (west- Kwaebeob-dong, Sasang-gu).
Plane: Kimhae International Airport, located across the Nakdong River from Busan, has domestic flights to Seoul, Cheju-do, and Gwangju. It also has a few international flights to Japan.
Subway: Busan's line 1 and line 2 connect most of the major attractions in the city. As they are both relatively new, they are much cleaner than Seoul's.
Train: Busan Station, located near the main port, is the terminus for the Kyeongbu Line (going north to Seoul) and Kyeongjeon Line (going west along the south coast to Mokp'o).

Destinations:
 
Beaches
 
 Gwangalli Beach, Haeundae Beach, Songjeong Beach
 
Buddhist Temples
 
 Beomeo-sa, Yonggung-sa
 
Cities and Towns
 
 Busan City
 
Historical Areas
 
 Chungnyeolsa Shrine, U.N. Memorial Park, Yungong-dan
 
Hot Springs
 
 Dongnae Spa
 
Landmarks
 
 BEXCO (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center), Dalmaji Hill, Dongbaek Island, Songdo Beach, Taejongdae, Yongdu-san Park
 
Miscellaneous
 
 Busan Aquarium, Busan Cultural Center and Municipal Museum, Gwangan Daegyo (Bridge), Tezroc Boat Tours
 
Museums
 
 40 Steps Culture and Tourist Theme Street, Bokcheon-dong Museum, Busan Cyber Marine Museum, Woojangchun Museum
 
Night Life Spots
 
 Dongnae Spa, Gukje Market, Gwangalli Beach, Haeundae Beach, Pusan National University, Seomyeon, Texas Street
 
Parks
 
 Annam Park, Dadaepo Beach, Geumgang Park
 
Schools
 
 Pusan National University
 
Shopping Areas
 
 Busanjin Market, Gukje Market, Gwangbok-dong & Nampo-dong, Jagalchi Fish Market, Seomyeon, Texas Street
 
Transportation Hubs
 
 Busan Station
 
World Cup Venues
 
 Busan Sports Complex Main Stadium