3 days in Busan

Check whether you need a visa or a K-ETA travel authorisation before you fly. Full visa guide.

Set up an eSIM before takeoff so you have data the moment you land at Gimhae or Incheon. SIM options.

One transit card rides the Busan Metro, buses and the beach train, and works nationwide. Grab one at any convenience store. Getting around Busan.

Korea is largely card-friendly, but market stalls and older eateries are cash-only. Keep some small bills for the Jagalchi and Nampo stalls.

Bring your passport when shopping to claim the VAT back at the airport or in-store. How it works.

Start on Busan's signature beach. Walk the sand, then ride the Blueline Park beach train or sky capsule along the old coastal railway round the headland toward Cheongsapo and Songjeong.

Beach free; the beach train and sky capsule are paid

Busan is a seafood city. Have hoe (raw slices) or a seafood stew near the beach. Our seafood guide sorts the Korea Post picks by dish rather than sending you to one invented shop.

A rare Buddhist temple built onto the sea rocks, north up the coast (most Korean temples sit in the mountains). Pair it with the Songjeong / Gijang side. Busiest on weekends.

Free entry

End at Gwangalli for the lit bridge across the bay and the cafe-and-bar strip behind the sand. Dinner along the beachfront, with the bridge light show after dark.

The pastel hillside village, threaded with murals and stair-alleys; the most photographed place in Busan. People live here, so keep your voice down and stick to the paths. Wear good shoes, it is all stairs.

Free to walk; some galleries and photo stops charge

Down to the Nampo market district: the Jagalchi fish market on the water, the Gukje maze, and BIFF Square street food (this is the home of ssiat hotteok, the seed-stuffed pancake).

Bring cash for the stalls

Ride up to Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower for the harbour view, then browse the Gukje and Bupyeong Kkangtong market alleys just below. The tower observation deck is paid; the park is free.

Park free; tower deck paid

Finish in Seomyeon, the downtown, for the dwaeji-gukbap (pork-and-rice soup) street and dense food alleys. Our hansik guide has the Korea Post picks for the local classics.

With a third day, take a day trip: Gyeongju's Silla ruins, Tongyeong's islands or Gimhae, all an hour or so out. Prefer to stay in the city? Do Songdo Beach with its cliff-edge skywalk and the bay cable car.

Every town on the day-trip list has its own specialty (Jinju has its richer bibimbap, Tongyeong its seafood). City-stayers can fold in the Nampo stalls you may have rushed the day before.

Day-trippers: give each town a half-day and confirm the return bus and train times before you set out. City-stayers: pair Songdo with the cable car and a slow harbour walk.

Back in the city for a last seafood dinner or a walk along the Gwangalli or Haeundae promenade with the lights on the water.

Gyeongju or Tongyeong deserve a whole day. Fold one into day 3, or add a fourth day. Day trips guide.

A Korean spa is an easy evening add-on, or a rainy-day plan. Spa guide.

We point at neighbourhoods and dish types rather than invent shop names. /eats has the curated Korea Post list, filterable by area and dish.