2 Day Busan Itinerary + Map
TL;DR
You have 2 Days in Busan, we have the perfect itinerary for Busan!
We recently spent two days in Busan. We immediately liked Korea’s second largest as it offers nice beaches and a great infrastructure.
In this Busan travel blog post, we show you our perfect Busan travel itinerary.
Korea Busan Itinerary
How Many Days in Busan
You can see the main sights of Busan in 2 days. We recommend spending more time here if you want more beach time.
Itinerary Busan Map
Busan Best Area to Stay
The area around the train station was ideal for our Busan trip itinerary. It was an easy walk from the port where we arrived with the ferry from Fukuoka, Japan. Additionally, it was great for travelling to Gyeongju.
We enjoyed our stay at Sohostel Korea a lot. The owner speaks perfect English and goes above and beyond with his hospitality. There’s a lovely common area with video games and a well-equipped kitchen with free coffee and tea.
The only downside was the dorm beds with the see-through curtains which could have been much more private.
Busan Itinerary 2 Days
Day 1 – Downtown, Gamcheon, and Songdo
Morning – Downtown
Jagalchi Market is a great first stop of the day as it opens super early. Why? Because it’s a fish market! In fact, it’s Korea's largest seafood market. Both live and dried fish are sold in an indoor and outdoor section.
Afterwards, walk to the heart of Busan, BIFF Square. This is where the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) takes place every year and where you can find the Busan version of the Walk of Fame.
Explore more of downtown Busan and head to Gwangbok-ro shopping street. From here, hop on the free Yongdusan Park Escalator to get you to the foot of Busan Tower. Riding the escalator with its many art installations is great fun in itself.
We’re a sucker for views so of course, we had to check out Busan Tower. While it’s not the highest building in Busan, it still offers amazing 360° views because it’s set on a hill.
Afternoon – Gamcheon Culture Village
Gamcheon Culture Village was built in the 1920s and 30s for the working-class population. Nowadays, it’s a cultural village like many others in Korea: Full of colourful houses, alleys, and street art. Additionally, there are several nice observation decks with views over the village all the way to the sea.
Allow for enough time to explore the alleys and walk up and down the stairs – especially if you’re into art and/or photography. There are also some restaurants and cafes like Coffee It House with nice views if you want to take a rest.
Evening – Songdo
Next, hop on a bus to Songdo Beach. This is not only a nice beach but also a great place to explore. The artificial Songdo Waterfall is quite a unique sight.
Additionally, you can walk the Songdo Cloud Trail, a walking bridge over the water, for free.
If you still have the time and energy, you can take the Busan Air Cruise cable car from Songdo Bay Station to Songdo Sky Park. Here, you can explore Amnam Park and enjoy the view from the observation deck.
For a tiny fee, you can also walk across Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge to Dongseom Island.
For dinner, we were lazy and went for a delicious chicken soup at Hyeonpung Chicken Kalguksu right next to our hostel which the owner had recommended to us.
Day 2 – Haeundae
Morning – Haeundae Beach
A direct bus will take you from Busan Station to Haeundae. From the bus stop, walk down Gunam-ro Street, a large street with shops and eateries towards Haeundae Beach.
In case you’re craving a little snack, we recommend making a beeline to Haeundae Market where you can find loads of street food.
Haeundae Beach is a nice place to explore – even if it’s not beach weather. It’s where SEALIFE and Busan X the Sky, Korea’s second tallest building, are located.
Afternoon – Haeundae Beach Train
A highlight of Busan is riding along the coast in the Haeundae Beach Train or Haeundae Sky Capsule. They start from Blueline Park. The Sky Capsule takes you to Cheongsapo Station.
We opted for the Beach Train that takes you further along the coast to Songjeong Station. There are several stops on the way – we especially liked Daritol Skywalk. You can opt for a one-way ticket, a return ticket or a hop-on / hop-off system. We strongly advise you to buy tickets in advance because we had a super long wait.
From Songjeong Station, you can easily walk to Songjeong Beach. For us, this is when the weather really took a turn for the worse. At least we got to watch the surfers for a bit.
This is why we skipped Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, one of Korea’s most important temples with a beautiful-looking setting on the cliffs overlooking the sea. It’s a bit further up the coast if you want to check it out.
Evening – Seomyeon or Haeundae
For the evening, we give you two options:
- Either head back to Haeundae Beach. On the western end, you can find Dongbaek Park with Dongbaekseom Lighthouse as well as The Bay 101. The Bay 101 is a sophisticated yacht club where you can have food and drinks with a skyline view.
- We opted to go to Seomyeon because of the bad weather. The area was (again) recommended by our hostel owner. Seomyeon is a buzzing area with Busan’s busiest street, Seomyeon Young Street and Jeonpo Cafe Street as two highlights. You will find countless food and drink options as well as loads of night-time amusement here.
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