Before going to South Korea, I had read somewhere that if Seoul was New York City, then Busan would be Los Angeles.
Located on the southeastern coast of South Korea, Busan definitely has a more relaxed an “beachy” vibe than Seoul, but its warmer climate and stunning beaches are only part of what there is to see in Busan.
In my month-long trip to South Korea, we dedicated three whole days to Busan, and while one more day would have been ideal, we still managed to see a lot, take some time to chill and visit the main tourist attractions of Busan.
So, if three full days is all the time you have in Busan, you can follow this perfect itinerary!
This 3-day Busan itinerary is focused on the main tourist attractions and also includes a bit of shopping and relaxing. If those are not for you, I also suggest other things to do!
Three days in Busan: an itinerary
Day One: Nampo-dong, Yeongdo island and Gwangalli Beach
Start your first of three days in Busan by visiting some of the most famous landmarks of the city in the Nampo-dong district.
- Busan Tower: it offers sweeping views over the city and the sea. It has many interactive and fun rooms. We went there in the morning and had it pretty much to ourselves. We also felt like it was much better than Seoul Tower!
Next to Busan Tower you can also walk around Yongdusan Park and, if you want, check out the Gukje Market, one of Korea’s largest markets (but we thought it had nothing special).
- BIFF square and food market: BIFF square is famous as the main venue for the Busan International Film Festival. It is also known for its food market, where you can try a lot of tasty Korean specialties. This is your time to try hotteok, gimbap, fried chicken or anything else you want.
- Jagalchi Fish Market: along a pretty promenade by the sea stands the largest fish market in South Korea, selling live and dried fish. Even if fish is not your thing, it can make for an interesting browse.
For the afternoon, I recommend getting to Yeongdo Island. It is located in the south of Busan and is easily accessible by bus from Nampo-dong. It will offer a bit of peace and quiet from the crowds. The island is very big and you can spend a whole day there , but here is what I recommend fo an afternoon:
- Huinnyeoul Culture Village: this is a very cute area by the sea. It has many cute photo spots and colourful houses, cute cafés, etc. It is similar to the famous Gamcheon culture village but on a lower scale and with less tourists.
- Jeoryeong Coastal Trail: you don’t have to walk the whole 35 km of this coastal trail, but a walk along it is perfect to slow down after the busy crowds of Busan’s centre.
For the evening,head out to another part of town to reach the famous Gwangalli Beach. If you come on a Saturday, you might also be able to catch a beautiful drone show.
There are plenty of restaurants in the area. We went to Nasari restaurant: it serves typical Korean food and the view over the beach and its bridge is amazing.
Day 2: Gamcheon Culture Village and Shinsegae department store
Day 2 of your 3 days in Busan is a chill one that ends with some shopping. We also really took our time that day so we actually only reached Gamcheon Culture Village in the very late morning. If you want to fit more into this day or are not interested in shopping, read on to find some ideas of more things to do in Busan!
- Gamcheon Culture Village:
This is one of the most popular attractions in Busan. Gamcheon was previously a poor area inhabited by refugees during the Korean War, and it is now one of the must-dos of every international tourist visiting Busan thanks to the work of students, residents and artists, who painted every house and created murals and street art everywhere.
If you go to Gamcheon Culture Village, please be respectful of the people that live there.
For a comprehensive tour of Gamcheon Culture Village, I recommend you to take the stamp map at the tourist office, right at the beginning, and following the longer route. It takes around 2-3 hours depending on your pace.
How to get to Gamcheon Culture Village
Take the orange line (Line 1) of the metro and get off at Toseong Station, then take the buses Sahagu 1-1, Seogu 2 or Seogu 2-2 and get off at Gamcheon Culture Village.
- Shinsegae Department Store
This department store is in the Guiness World Records as the biggest department store in the world. There, you’ll find a food court, tons of clothing stores – perfect to browse the latest Korean trends – and also a cinema, an ice rink and a spa (Spa Land).
It is perfect if the weather is not great and, if you are not that much into shopping, you can also spend a couple of hours at Spa Land. See day 3 of this Busan 3-day itinerary for more info on that.
Day 3: Blue Line Park, Haedong Yonggungsa and Spa Land
This was my favourite day of our 3-day stay in Busan, and one of my favourite days of my entire 1-month South Korea trip!
It is a bit more intense than the previous day and I recommend booking in advance for Blueline Park if you can. Start in the morning by going towards Haeundae Beach in Busan.
- Haeundae Blueline Park
Blueline Park is one of Busan’s most famous attractions, thanks to its beach train and sky capsules that offer a beautiful ride along the coast from Mipo to Cheongsapo then to Songjeong. We took the beach train straight to Songjeong, explored the area there, then went back.
🎫 Blueline Park ticket info 🎫
You have several options when booking your Blueline rides: the sky capsules are smaller and more unique and go from Mipo to Cheonsapo, while the Beach train goes all the way to Songjeong.
You have 3 ticket options:
.one ride: for one way only, and you can’t get on and off whenever you want
.two rides: to go and come back, and you also can’t get on and off wherever you want
.for all stops: you can get on and off wherever you want. Unless you are on a tight budget, this is the option I recommend to truly make the most of it worry-free.
The sky capsules sell out really fast and they only go to Cheongsapo. If you want to go all the way to Songjeong you either have to walk (this could take a while) or purchase a beach train ticket.
- Beautiful tea house in Songjeong
Songjeong beach is one of the most popular in Busan and I highly recommend getting off there. You can check out the beach then go to the beautiful Suwol Gyeonghwa tea house. It serves delicious traditional tea and pastries, and has the most amazing view. It is probably one of the best tea houses I’ve been in South Korea!
- Haedong Yonggungsa temple
From Songjeong beach, you can easily go to the stunning Haedong Yonggungsa temple by bus (check out Naver Maps) or by taking a taxi – it is a short ride so it will cost less
This temple is famous in Busan because, unlike many other Korean temples that are located in the mountains, it is next to the sea. It is one of the most beautiful I have seen and I highly recommend checking it out, even though it seems to attract more and more tourists.
- Go back to Mipo by train
Take the beach train in Songjeong to go bak to Mipo. If you purchased the “all stops” ticket, you can stop at Cheongsapo, a cute seaside town. From there, I really recommend the walk to the next stop, Haewol Skywalk. There, you can hop on again on the train or continue walking towards Mipo.
- Spa Land in the evening
In that evening, we decided we would go back to Shinsegae department store to enjoy the facilities at Spa Land. Spa Land is Busan’s huge spa with 3 floors and countless rooms, themed saunas and hot springs. You also have a restaurant there.
If you have more time in Busan…
Three days in Busan is a pretty short time, and this itinerary perfectly fit our needs and wants, but you might want to switch things up a bit or maybe you simply have more time, so here are other things you can do in Busan:
- Explore more of Yeongdo island
- Get lost in the streets and shops around Seomyeon
- Soak up the sun at one of the beaches (Haeundae or Gwangalli are some of the most famous)
- Visit Beomeosa and Seokbulsa temples
- Museum ONE (next to Shinsegae)
- Try the Busan Air Cruise cable car
- Explore Dakbatgol Mural Village
- Go to Oryukdo Park and Oryukdo skywalk
- Visit the beautiful city of Gyeongju – if you haven’t already!
- Do a temple stay at Golgulsa Temple
3 Days in Busan – Useful info
How much time should you spend in Busan?
As you can see, this 3-day itinerary in Busan allows you to check out the main attractions of the city and even take some time to do a bit of shopping and relaxing at a spa. However, both me and my boyfriend felt like one more day would have been perfect.
Three days in Busan are enough to see the main things, especially if you are a bit short on time. But if you have more time on your hands, I would recommed staying 4 or 5 days to make the most of the city and explore it even further.
Is Busan worth it?
Busan is absolutely worth the visit. If you are visiting South Korea and have at least 3-4 days to dedicate to Busan, I really recommend it, as its vibe is so much different than Seoul’s. It is a beach city and it shows!
Some spots are very touristic (Gamcheon Culture village and Blueline Park especially), but some other areas are relatively quiet.
Where to stay in Busan?
Busan is really a huge city, and its main tourist attractions are quite spread out. You won’t find a place that has everything nearby. For this reason, there are mainly two areas where people tend to stay when visiting Busan. One is towards Haeundae beach, as this is generally a very nice area.
Another option, which is what we prefered, is to stay around Seomyeon, because this metro station is where Busan’s metro lines cross, so it saves you some time in public transport. The area is also very lively with lots of shops – it reminded me a lot of Tokyo!
How to get to Busan?
From Seoul you can reach Busan by train with SRT or KTX. There are two high-speed stations in Busan, and depending on where you are staying, it is best to go to one or the other.
You can also go by Express/intercity bus. We came from Gyeongju and took the intercity bus, but you also have several, very comfortable buses from Seoul.
How to get around Busan?
Busan has an extensive metro and bus network that can take you pretty much anywhere you want. Google Maps doesn’t work well in South Korea for itineraries, so I recommend using Naver Maps to navigate the city. They also give detailed information on the transport you should take to get where you want to go.
Regarding metro/bus tickets, the best way to get around Busan and actually any city in Korea is to use a T-Money card. If you don’t have one (this was our mistake), you can purchase passes for the metro in Busan and combine it by paying the buses by cash.
When is the best time of the year to visit Busan?
Busan has a milder climate than other parts of South Korea thanks to its coastal position. However, winters in the whole peninsula can be really harsh and summer really hot and humid, so Spring (from March to early June) and Autumn (from end of September to mid November) tend to be the best seasons.
We went there in late September and we had blue skies every day and a warm temperature of around 25-27 °C (77-80 F).
I loved Busan and I often think back of our time there, so I hope you like it as much as I do!
