Busan in 2 Days: The Old Port, Then the East Coast

Busan is a long city, so two days work best when each day stays at one end of it. Day one keeps to the old port around Busan Station, where every stop is within a few stations on Line 1. Day two goes out to the east coast on Line 2 and comes back to Seomyeon for the evening.

Most of this plan works on any day of the week. The exception is Gukje Market, which Visit Busan lists as closing on Sundays, so if day one is a Sunday, swap the two days.

Before day one: a base in Seomyeon

Seomyeon is where Lines 1 and 2 cross, which makes it the one base that suits both days. Our pick is a hotel near Seomyeon Station. Jagalchi, where day one ends, is nine stops away on Line 1, 8.2km of track, so the ride home stays within the first fare section of 1,600 won.

Haeundae, on day two, is 16 stops from Seomyeon on Line 2 and more than 10km away, so that ride costs 1,800 won. Pay with a transit card rather than single tickets; the transit card comparison explains which one to carry.

Related guideWhere to Stay in Busan: The Beach or the InterchangeBusan runs along the coast rather than around a centre, so the area you pick decides your travel time and, unlike Seoul, your subway fare as well.

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Hotels in Seomyeon

Seomyeon listings on Trip.com, the central interchange district rather than the beach.

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Day 1: Chinatown, Busan Tower and the night market

Start at Busan Station, where the KTX from Seoul arrives. Chinatown, which Visit Busan also calls Shanghai Street, is next to the station, and Visit Busan directs visitors to it from exits 1 and 5 of the Line 1 subway station. It is a street of red lanterns, a Chinese-style gate and dumpling shops, with opening hours that differ by shop. How to book the KTX covers the train down.

From Busan Station, ride Line 1 one stop to Jungang. Yongdusan Park is a six-minute walk from exit 1. The park is free, and Busan Tower on top of it is open every day from 10am to 10pm, with admission ending at 9:30pm. Adult tickets cost 12,000 won, and children from 36 months to 12 years and people aged 65 and over pay 9,000 won.

From the park, walk down to Nampo Station, which Visit Busan puts seven minutes from the park via exit 7. Ride Line 1 one more stop to Jagalchi. Gukje Market is a seven-minute walk from exit 7 there. Visit Busan gives its hours as 9am to 8pm, but they differ from shop to shop, so spend the early afternoon here rather than the evening.

With the afternoon still free, add the Songdo cable car, which runs 1.62km over the sea. Leave Jagalchi Station by exit 2, and from the Chungmu-dong junction take bus 6, 26, 30, 71, 96 or 96-1 to the Amnam-dong Community Service Center stop and walk 10 minutes. The cable car runs from 9am to 9pm. A standard Air Cruise cabin costs 17,000 won return or 13,000 won one way, and the Crystal Cruise cabin costs 22,000 won return or 17,000 won one way.

Come back to Jagalchi for dinner. Bupyeong Kkangtong Market turns into a night market at 7:30pm and stays open until midnight, every day except the traditional holidays. Its food stalls sell grilled pork belly, okonomiyaki, kebabs and banh xeo, among dishes from across Asia. It is a 10-minute walk from exit 3 of Jagalchi Station, and Line 1 takes you back to Seomyeon from the same station.

Day 2: The sea temple, the sky capsule and Haeundae

Go to Haedong Yonggungsa first, because it opens long before anything else on this coast. The temple is built on the rocks at the edge of the sea in Gijang county. It is free and open every day from 4:30am to 7:20pm, with last entry at 6:50pm. Visiting on 7 November 2026? Keep the evening free for the Busan Fireworks Festival at Gwangalli instead.

From Seomyeon, ride Line 2 to Haeundae. From exit 7, buses 181, 100 and Haeundae 9 go to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple stop. If you are staying near the Donghae Line instead, bus 139 goes to the same stop from exit 1 of Osiria Station.

After the temple, head back towards Haeundae for the Blueline Park sky capsule. The capsules leave from the upper floor of Mipo Station, an 18-minute walk from exit 7 of Jung-dong Station on Line 2, one stop past Haeundae. Each capsule seats up to four and runs one way along 2km of elevated track to Cheongsapo, 7 to 10 metres up, in about 30 minutes.

Book the capsule ahead on Blueline Park's website. The fare is per capsule, not per person: 50,000 won for two people, 55,000 won for three and 60,000 won for four. Online booking only covers departures at least two hours after the time you book, so book the day before.

The time on the booking is when you enter, so be on the platform 10 minutes before it. Arriving more than 30 minutes late can cost you the ride, without a refund. Cancelling three or more days ahead gets a full refund, and cancelling on the day gets half. In September the capsules run from 8:30am to 7:30pm, in October until 6:30pm, and from November to February until 6pm. Blueline Park says operation may stop in heavy rain or a typhoon.

The capsule does not bring you back. At Cheongsapo, take the Haeundae Beach Train back to Mipo. A one-way beach train ticket from Cheongsapo costs 8,000 won, and you cannot get back on once you get off.

Spend the late afternoon on Haeundae Beach, 1.5km of white sand. Walk the beach to Dongbaekseom, where the Dongbaek Coastal Trail runs through the woods. The Bay 101, by the entrance to the island, looks across at the lit-up towers of Marine City after dark.

For the evening, ride Line 2 from Haeundae, 15 minutes on foot from the beach via exit 5, back to Seomyeon. Jeonpogonggu-gil, a lane of old tool shops turned into cafes, restaurants and small shops, is a seven-minute walk from exit 8 of the Line 2 station. Hours differ by shop, and the rest of Seomyeon's restaurants and bars are around the station.

Day 3: Gyeongju, if you have it

A third day is best spent in Gyeongju, the old Silla capital, rather than on a third part of Busan. The KTX leaves from Busan Station, six stops from Seomyeon on Line 1 with no change. The Gyeongju guide covers the trains, the local buses and the order of the sights.

Related guideGyeongju Day Trip from Busan: KTX, Local Buses or a TourThe KTX from Busan reaches Gyeongju in about 30 minutes for 10,100 won. The order that fits Bulguksa, the tombs and Wolji Pond at night into a single day.

Our pick is to go on your own if you are comfortable with local buses. A tour makes more sense if you want Bulguksa and Seokguram both without planning around hourly buses, or if you are travelling as a group.

Busan also works as the last stop of a longer trip. Korea in 7 days comes down from Seoul through Gyeongju and finishes on this coast.

The rest of the city, including the airport and subway fares, is in the Busan travel guide.