Busan is a gorgeous and peaceful city with lots of natural beauty along the coast, but it’s also bigger than you might imagine, and the public transportation isn’t quite as convenient to get you around everywhere as it is in Seoul. So the question of where to stay in Busan is one that is pretty important to consider so you don’t end up spending the majority of your time there in transit. Here are some of tips and suggestions to help you determine where to stay in Busan.
First, determine what you want to do in Busan
If you’re visiting in the warm summer months, chances are you are probably looking to enjoy the beaches, and that is where you should stay because that’s where you’ll spend the majority of your time. If you’re visiting other times of the year, you might think that being close to the beaches is not necessary, because you probably won’t be doing any swimming. But the major things you’re going to want to visit in Busan including the cliffside temple, Haedong Younggungsa, the Songdo Cable Car, and the Haeundae Sky Capsule are all on the coast. The only problem is they’re all really far from each other.
So to make the best possible decision, you’ll want to make a short list of your top tourist attractions and figure out which location is most convenient to as many of them as possible. You will inevitably end up on a 1-hour train ride somewhere or a 45-minute taxi/Uber, but you want to at least keep those to a minimum to have the most relaxing time.
In addition to reducing your time spent traveling, you want to know a little bit about the different areas to decide which is going to have the right vibe for your trip. Do you want nightlife or shopping? Do you want to just luxuriate at your hotel and be at the beach most of the time? Here are some of the most popular areas to stay in Busan.
Haeundae Beach
Haeundae Beach is Busan’s most famous beach with a massive 1.5 km long stretch of sand. The most developed pedestrian road at Haeundae Beach is Gunam-ro, which connects Haeundae Station to the actual beach. Here you will find bars, restaurants, and even a nearby traditional market. On the eastern end of the beach is Blueline Park, which is where you can take the famous colorful Sky Capsule down the coast or the Beach Train all the way to Songjeoung Station. The Busan x the SKY observatory is also located at Haeundae Beach.
Haeundae Beach is a bit more upscale than other areas of Busan with a lot of nice hotels but perhaps doesn’t have much to do that is walking distance unless you’re staying close to Gunam-ro or right on the beach.
In addition to the popular sites located at the beach, Haeundae Beach is the most convenient of the popular tourist neighborhoods for:
Haudong Younggungsa, 45 minutes by public transportation and 15 minutes by taxi/Uber
Lotte World Adventure, about 50 minutes by public transportation and 12 minutes by taxi/Uber
Spa Land, 30 minutes by public transportation, and 15 minutes by taxi/Uber
Gwangalli Beach, 40 minutes by public transportation and less than 20 minutes by taxi/Uber
If you’re only using public transportation, Haeundae Beach is not as convenient to get to Gamcheon Culture Village. It will take around 1:30 to get there. It will also take about 1:20 to get to Songdo Beach, where you can ride the Songdo Cable Car. Each of those is about 30 minutes by car.
Gwangalli Beach
Gwangalli Beach is only a little bit west of Haeundae, which means it’s still relatively convenient to all the attractions up the coast but also puts it a little closer to the things to do to the west like Gamcheon Culture Village and Songdo. The difference in transportation compared to Haeundae is only 10-15 minutes, so the general feel of the area might be more important to consider to decide between the two beaches.
Compared to Haeundae Beach, Gwangalli Beach has more shopping and cafes/restaurants with a more relaxed vibe that is pedestrian-friendly. Gwangalli also has bars and restaurants that face the beach and the Gwangan Bridge, which has a light show every day. You can also enjoy drone show every Saturday night from the beach or adjacent businesses.
Nampo
Nampo is one of the popular non-beach neighborhoods in Busan that attracts many tourists as a budget-friendly area. Unlike the large malls and department stores of Seomyeon, Nampo has a slightly older feel where you’re more likely to find small vintage shops rather than huge fancy malls. But if that’s what you’re after, you’ll find it in Nampo’s Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street. Some of the sights you may want to visit in Nampo include Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park, Jagalchi Fish Market, BIFF Square for movie buffs.
The biggest advantage of Nampo is its proximity to the KTX at Busan Station (15 minutes by transport), Gamcheon Culture Village (30 minutes by transport), and Songdo Beach (30 minutes by transport). By car, it only takes 5-10 minutes to get to any of those. It would still only put you about 30 minutes away by car and an hour by public transport to get all the way east to Haeundae Beach.
Why NOT to stay in Seomyeon
A lot of blogs and travelers on TripAdvisor and Reddit suggest Seomyeon as a good area to stay in Busan because it’s central. I made the mistake of following this advice, and we ended up far as fuck from absolutely everything there is to see and do as a tourist in Busan. Seomyeon is about as central in Busan as Brussels is central to Amsterdam and Paris… technically in the middle, but an idiotic place to make your homebase if you want to spend most your time seeing Amsterdam and Paris.
Though it is hip and beautiful and has plenty of nightlife, great shopping, and excellent food, it also doesn’t feel that different from anywhere in Seoul, whereas Busan’s coast has miles of natural beauty and a more serene and unique vibe.
The biggest issue with Seomyeon is the inconvenience. Seomyeon is further inland than everything else, and getting to any major tourist attraction from Seomyeon usually requires a train and bus connection. And if you want to cut your time by taking an Uber or taxi, you also get more traffic getting in or out of this area. While I liked the area overall and I recommend visiting if you have the time, I think it’s an absolutely terrible place to stay in Busan.
From Seomyeon, this is how long you can expect to transit to Busan’s most popular sites:
Blue Line Park at Haeundae Beach: 1 hour by public transportation/25 minutes by car
Haedong Younggungsa Temple: 1:10-1:30 by public transportation/30 minutes by car
Spa Land: 30 minutes by public transportation/20 minutes by car
Gwangalli Beach: 25 minutes by public transportation/15 minutes by car
Gamcheon Culture Village: 40 minutes by public transportation/20 minutes by car
Songdo Cable Car: 45 minutes by public transportation/25 minutes by car
Where I would stay if I went back to Busan
Having explored many areas of Busan, I would stay in Gwangalli Beach if I ever find myself in the city. Some people have mixed feelings about the large bridge blocking the ocean view, but I don’t think it detracts at all. In fact, I think it contributes to its uniqueness. The vibe of the neighborhood is more vibrant and relaxed than the nearby Haeundae Beach with its high-end international hotels. It’s just as close to the major tourist spots to the east of city center, but it’s a little less touristy. And I’m not going to say no to a 5500 won beer that I can enjoy while I watch the waves crash into the shore.
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