Busan Getting there & around

Getting there & around

Water

Ferry

There are two ferry terminals located near the immigration office. From Jungangdong station, take Exit 12 and walk towards the containers visible down the road and cross the major street. To find the International Ferry Terminal continue straight and turn right past the immigration office; the terminal is about 150m down the path. To find the Coastal Ferry Terminal (domestic departures), do not walk towards the immigration office. Instead, turn right and walk 200m along the waterfront to the large building on the left.

First-floor booths in the International Ferry Terminal sell tickets for overnight ferries to three Japanese cities: Fukuoka (round trip W152, 000, departs 10.30pm, arrives 6am); Shimonoseki (round trip W161, 000 to W608, 000, departs 8pm, arrives 8am); and Osaka (round trip W237, 000, departs 4pm, arrives 10am).

For a quick trip to Fukuoka on the Kobe or Beetle hydrofoils, go to the 2nd floor. There are five daily departures (round trip W171, 000, three hours, departs 8.45am, 10am, 2pm, 3pm and 3.45pm) and an additional departure Friday morning (9.30am). Add a W2600 departure tax for all international trips.

The Coastal Ferry Terminal handles domestic departures to Goeje Island: Gohyun (one way W19, 700, 75 minutes, departs 10.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 4.30pm and 5.45pm); Okpo (one way W19, 200, 55 minutes, departs 6.30am, 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm); and Jangseungpo (one way W19, 200, 45 minutes, departs 8am, 10am, midday, 2pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm). There is one departure daily (except Sundays) for Jeju Island (one way W36, 000, departs 7pm, arrives 6am).

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Air

Korean Air Lines (KAL) runs one airport limo­usine service from Gimhae International Airport to the major hotels in Hae·undae (adult/child W6000/3500, one hour, every 30 minutes). A taxi from the airport to Seomyeon takes 30 minutes and costs W20, 000, depending on traffic. A 10-minute taxi to Deokcheon station costs W7000. The most economical link between the airport and city is a W1500 bus: the 307 to Deokcheon station, 201 to Seomyeon station (Lotte department store) or the 300 to Hadan. There are also buses from the airport to regional cities including Gyeongju (W9000), Masan (W5700) and Ulsan (W7400).

International flights are mostly to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka), with infrequent departures to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila and Vladivostok.

On domestic routes, the Busan–Seoul run on Korean Air or Asiana (one hour, every 30 minutes from 7am to 9pm) usually requires reservations for weekend and holiday travel. Most flights from Busan to Seoul land at Gimpo Airport, which has few international connections. If you’re flying out of the country, you’ll need to catch the express bus from Gimpo to Incheon International. Flights also connect Busan and Jejudo (one hour, every 30 to 90 minutes from 7am to 8pm).

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Train

Most trains depart from and arrive at Busan’s downtown station. There are also departures from Gupo, a station with easy subway access to Line 3 that saves the hassle of going downtown. Between Busan and Seoul, KTX is the quickest service with most trips taking three hours or less (adult/child W44, 800/22, 400; every 30 to 60 minutes). First-class tickets are more expensive, though the wide seats have ample legroom.

The Saemaul used to be known as the express service. Today, the 4½-hour ride to Seoul seems like an eternity (adult/child W36, 800/18, 400, departures every 60 to 90 minutes). Travellers desperate to save a buck – or wanting to read an entire book on the train – could try the painfully slow Mugunghwa service, which wheezes to Seoul in 5½ hours (adult/child W24, 800/12, 400, departures every one to three hours).

Bujeon station has limited Saemaul and Mugunghwa regional connections to places like Mokpo (adult/child W23, 100/11, 650, three times daily). The Korea Rail (www.korail.go.kr) website has detailed schedules.

If you’re heading to Japan, a Korea–Japan Through Ticket provides discounted travel between the two countries. It covers travel by train to Busan, the ferry crossing between Busan and Shimonoseki and a train to your destination in Japan. Contact Korea Rail at Busan train station for details.

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