Adventure In Busan 🇰🇷

I guess mostly everyone knows about or at least heard about Busan as it is a well known city because of the movie “Train To Busan”. We all imagined Busan as this scary, deserted, creepy city and I myself went there with the same mindset with everyone but turns out Busan is a beautiful city to visit with many exciting places to explore. And here is the “Guide for traveling in Busan”.

Top 5 places to visit

There are many places to explore in Busan and here are some of my “must visit” places when I go to Busan.

1. Taejongdae

If you are more of a sporty person you may prefer Taejongdae as it is a beautiful mountain facing the open sea where you can hike through and get a break from the busy cities and learn to appreciate and enjoy nature. There are multiple exciting facilities such as an amusement park, lighthouse and a cruise ship terminal. 

Open hours: 4:00 AM – 11:59 PM

Entrance fee free of charge

2.) Gwangbok Dong food street

 

Gwangbok Dong food street is one of the most popular places in Busan. You can get to try their local food at a very cheap price . Generous street merchants make this street one of the popular spots among international tourists. In this street you may find more than 20 restaurants with over 60 years of history .

Open hour: 09:00AM- 10:00PM

Entrance fee free of charge 

3. Gamcheon Culture Village

Gamcheon Culture Village is the most beautiful and colourful village in Busan. This village is formed by houses built in staircase-fashion on the foothills of a coastal mountain .The houses in this village are all painted in different colours .  The tiny streets and steep staircase leads you to street art with public sculptures that are scattered throughout the village.

Open Hours: ( March – November ) 09:00AM – 06:00PM

                         (December – February ) 09:00AM – 05:00PM

Entrance fee free of charge

4. Haeundae Beach

The most famous beach in Busan. During summer, people head to Haeundae beach to relax . You can enjoy the sea sports for example boating, silling, kiteboarding, surfing and swimming . Not only is the morning crowded , during night time there’s a lot of activities too. 

Open hours: 09:00AM – 06:00PM

5. Haedong Yonggung Temple

Haedong temple is one of the most impressive Buddhist temples in South Korea . This temple is actually a popular spot when the cherry blossoms bloom around April . On Buddha’s birthday, it will be decorated with hundreds of paper lanterns. Haedong Yonggung is on the northeast coast of Busan city, 6 KM northeast of Haeundae, the city’s most famous beach.

Open Hours: 05:00AM – 07:00PM

Entrance fee free of charge

Busan average travel costs

Accomodation – the average cost for the hotel is 300 Ringgit Malaysia per night, there is usually wifi in each hotel in Busan. Even in budget hotels, there are many facilities with clean and comfortable rooms

Food – you will spend around 66 Ringgit Malaysia on food and drinks per day, the food in busan are all cheap yet delicious and convenient. The breakfast there is a little much cheaper than lunch and dinner. One bottle of water that you can buy in a convenient store will cost up to 3.22 Ringgit Malaysia

Transportation – if you use the local transportation or either taxi, you will use up to 22 Ringgit Malaysia per day

Total average cost per day in Busan – 390 Ringgit Malaysia

Currency in Busan 

Busan, despite it being the second biggest city in South Korea, the prices are surprisingly affordable. You can definitely explore Busan while being on a budget. There are many admission free attractions and things to buy which are relatively cheaper compared to Seoul.

The whole of South Korea uses the same currency which is:

I MYR = 287.370 KRW

Common phrases to learn 

By going to Busan, it is a place where everyone speaks a completely different language. So here are some of the common phrase I feel that you should learn before doing to Busan, to have a smooth travel.

• The basic greetings 
• 안녕하세요 (ahn-nyung-ha-se-yo) — Hello
• 반갑습니다 (bahn-gap-seup-ni-da) — Nice to meet you
• 어떻게 지내세요? (uh-dduh-keh  ji-neh-seh-yo?) — How are you?
• 잘 지내요 (jal-ji-neh-yo) — I am good
• 감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) — Thank you

• Finding your way around
• 왼쪽 (oen-jjok) / 오른쪽 (oh-reun-jjok) / 직진 (jik-jjin) — left / right / straight
• 영어 할 수 있어요? (yung-uh  hal su-eet-suh-yo?) — Do you speak English?
• _____ (으)로 가주세요 (ih-roh  gah-ju-seh-yo) — Please take me to _____
• 영어 할 수 있어요? (yung-uh  hal su-eet-suh-yo?) — Do you speak English?
• 화장실이 어디예요? (hwa-jang-shil-ee  uh-di-eh-yo?) — Where is the bathroom?

• Others 
• 얼마에요? (uhl-mah-eh-yo?) — How much is it?
• 도와주세요! (doh-oah-ju-seh-yo!) — Help!

Transportation in Busan

There are many types of transportation in Busan that makes travelling so much easier. It is very affordable and you can get to your designated place on time.

1. Taxi

• All taxi drivers would be glad to be your tour guide, taking you to all the scenic routes.
• Although, most taxi drivers don’t speak English. So you might want to translate the place you’re going 
• One more important thing is that there’s no tipping in South Korea. It is considered rude and makes you seem arrogant.

2. Subway

• The subway is the most convenient way to get around
• The stations have been translated into 3 languages: English,Chinese and Korean to prevent you from getting lost
• It may get crowded during weekdays as both students and adults take the subway to go to work or school, so you might not be able to find a seat so easily 

3. Bus

• There are two buses: one for Busan city stops and another for longer journies
• It can also tend to be crowded

4. Train

• There are two types of trains

1. Normal train 
2. KTV bullet train 

• The KTV bullet train costs about 10 Ringgit Malaysia more than the normal train but you get to your destination faster and there’s a great view 

Food to eat in Busan

1. Dwaeji Gukbap

It is a popular soup in South Korea . This soup is boiled with pork, soy sauce, miso, rice wine, sesame oil and bone broth . Korean people normally eat this with rice . Dwaeji Gukbap started as a poor man’s dish, dating back to the korean war in 1950’s, when refugees from North Korea used to prepare it with beef. So this food has become a popular local dish, especially in Busan. 

2. Ssiat Hotteok 

This food has become popular after Lee Seong Gi showed himself eating this in the TV show called “1 Night 2 Days”. The seeds are stuffed inside the dough and is cooked in the hot oil so it has more flavour and tastes less greasy. The seeds and sugar are mixed together between the dough. 

3. Eomuk

Eomuk is made by frying mashed fish meat with flour, egg and salt . It is one of the winter snacks to eat during winter. It is popular for its low price and high availability on the street

4. Milmyeon

The noodles in milmyeon are long and super thin. The noodles are mixed with sweet potato, potato with meat broth, cucumber and egg. During summer, everyone loves to eat this noodle because it is very cooling when you eat it.

Places / hotels to stay in Busan

1. Westin Chosun

The Westin Chosun is located right next to the Dongbaek peninsula and the rooms facing the front have excellent ocean views. It is a 5 star hotel with luxurious rooms. All members of the staff are friendly and helpful. There’s variety of dining options, free wifi, free parking, swimming pool and many other facilities.

Price per night : 1178 Ringgit Malaysia

2. Hotel Kyungsung

Hotel Kyungsung lies in a good location near the subway station and there are many restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. The rooms are all clean and comfortable with friendly and forthcoming staff. You can get a really great view from the rooftop bar.

Price per night : 320 Ringgit Malaysia

3. Nampo Wa Hotel

It is well-positioned in Jung-gu, Nampo Wa Hotel is the ideal point of departure for your excursions in Busan. Only from the city center, the hotel’s location ensures that guests can quickly and easily reach many local places. With its convenient location, the hotel offers easy access to the city’s must-see destinations.

Price per night : 263 Ringgit Malaysia

I suggest that if you are on a budget, book your hotels online as it will be cheaper (mostly below 200 Ringgit Malaysia)

Best Time To Visit Busan

The best time to visit Busan is during Autumn . Autumn in Busan lasts from September to November. The temperature ranges from 13 degree celsius to 27 degree celsius. It is a perfect temperature for exploring the city. Soothing and ideal for biking around town, going for hikes or just walking and exploring. You can also take a lot of pictures with a colourful background .

Seven days of vacation in Busan and I have already truly fallen in love with this amazing city, Busan is definitely worth it for everyone to visit as it is a really affordable place to go (cheaper than the other cities in South Korea), less crowded yet full of fun and excitement. I personally think that Busan is better than other cities in South Korea. So why go to other places where you can come to Busan!