Busan, (Pusan) South Korea

Busan is a city located in the south-eastern province of South Gyeongsang, South Korea. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world.

Busan has some historic sights, beautiful beaches, healing hot springs and inspirational nature reserves. Each autumn, the city conducts an international film festival. Visitors will also want to see the Beomeo-sa Temple, one of the country's five Great Temples. Haeundae Beach is one of Busan's most popular attractions; people come from all over the country, particularly in late July and early August.

The city is also famous for its seafood. The Busan fish market has a huge selection of fresh seafood in the early morning. Although primarily known as a port, the city has many steep hills, creating a very unusual mix of mountains and ocean.

Things to See & Do

* Beomeo-sa Temple
* Yonggung-sa Temple
* Haeundae Beach
* Busan Museum of Modern Art
* Beaches & hot springs

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - South Korean won (₩) (KRW)
Language - Korean
Population - 3,600,000 approx
Land Area - 766.12 km²
Electricity - two vertical square pins and one perpendicular below British style
Time - GMT plus nine hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 82

Port Location - The Busan International Cruise Terminal is located on Busan Harbour.

Travel Links - Busan's Gimhae Airport fields flights around the country and some international flights as well, mostly to Japan and China but also to Manila, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.

Almost all cities and counties in South Korea have an express bus to Busan. There are two major bus stations: Dongbu Intercity Bus Terminal and Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal.

There are regular international ferry services to Osaka and Shimonoseki, and especially Kyushu island. Kanpu Ferry's daily overnight runs to Shimonoseki are the cheapest, but JR Kyushu's Beetle hydrofoils to Fukuoka run five times a day and take just under 3 hr. There are also domestic ferries to Jeju which take about 11 hr and run daily.

Busan lies on a number of rail lines, of which the most important is the Gyeongbu Line which connects it to other major cities such as Seoul, Daejeon, and Daegu. All classes of trains run along the Gyeongbu Line, including the KTX trains which provide service to Seoul in approximately 150 minutes. The Gyeongbu Line terminates at Busan Station. Other lines include the Donghae Nambu Line.