Overview
Take a trip to Busan on your South Korea Vacation
Busan is the second largest metropolis after Seoul on Korea vacations. Located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Busan is the largest port city in South Korea and the world’s fifth busiest seaport by cargo tonnage, given its close proximity to Japan.
Busan was designated as a trading port with Japan at the beginning of the 15th century and continued as Japan’s major trading hub when Korea got invaded by Japan in the late 16th century.
During the Korean War (1950-1953), Busan was one of the very few cities not invaded by North Korea, and therefore became a refugee campsite and also temporarily served as Korea’s capital. The U.N. Cemetery serves as the final resting place of U.N. soldiers killed in the war.
Situated between mountains and seas, Busan offers plenty of sightseeing opportunities on South Korean tours starting with gorgeous views from Busan Tower, Yongdusan Park, The Jagalchi Fish Market, the largest fish market in South Korea, and Geumgang Park, a massive mountaintop fortress featuring beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring.
Busan features many temples, fortresses and historical sites, as well as museums and art festivals.
Busan is best known for its beaches, hot springs, and reserves. A fairly more laid-back city than Seoul, Busan also plays host to various events throughout the year and is an ideal place on Korea tours to visit and experience a relaxed atmosphere within a huge metropolis.
Situated between mountains and seas, Busan offers plenty of sightseeing opportunities on South Korean tours starting with gorgeous views from Busan Tower, Yongdusan Park, The Jagalchi Fish Market, the largest fish market in South Korea, and Geumgang Park, a massive mountaintop fortress featuring beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring.
Busan features many temples, fortresses and historical sites, as well as museums and art festivals.
Busan is best known for its beaches, hot springs, and reserves. A fairly more laid-back city than Seoul, Busan also plays host to various events throughout the year and is an ideal place on Korea tours to visit and experience a relaxed atmosphere within a huge metropolis.
At a Glance
Languages
KoreanCurrency
South Korean Won (KRW)What do the experts say?
Try to stay at a traditional hanok accommodation (similar to a ryokan) with hanok dinner, which involves enjoying Korean cuisine, aka jeongsik (course meals) with banchan (side dishes). It's a rustic, traditional experience that all globetrotters will love.
Umbrellas are common; you can pick them up everywhere as well, but you'll find on sunny days as well as rainy ones that locals are using umbrellas and without one, you'll get a poke in the head now and again as you're walking on busy sidewalks.
Avoid July/August, as they are the rainiest months, with heavy flooding even in the cities, and temple walks become difficult. I also recommend avoiding Chuseok in September, a six-day holiday where everything is closed.
Visit during Spring to see the Cherry Blossoms! A great alternative to Japan's Cherry Blossoms.
Most Popular Time to Travel
Know when to go.
Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
BusanMostly Sunny
25°C / 77°F
43mm / 1.7"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
-
Travel Stories
Get Inspired About Your Trip to South Korea
Unlock more by subscribing to our newsletter.
With our newsletter, you’ll get access to regular communications that inspire you and help you explore the world your way.Exclusive Savings
Insider Benefits
Trending Stories
ExcellentBased on 5,168 ReviewsWe booked a Viking cruise (Venice to Athens) through Goway Travel and it was fantastic! Our agent Kimberly was extremely helpful with air travel options, choosing excursions, and suggestions for pre and post cruise activities. Great communications and a really enjoyable experience.StanleyWe booked through Paula Williamson in the Toronto office, a Great Journeys New Zealand trip and it was fantastic! Although I had already scheduled a trip on The Ghan train in Australia, Paula helped me work it all as one huge 45 day trip including Bali Indonesia. My favorite was the New Zealand trip as I’d never been there before and the tour guide Toni was so spectacular and caring. I’m so pleased Goway was involved and I didn’t require any additional assistance once We'd started the first flight March 8.
If we do another overseas trip, Goway will be involved.JohnMichael Keon arranged our recent trip to Malta. I gave him a rough outline of what we were looking for and he responded quickly making great suggestions, offering alternatives as needed and booking everything. The hotel, excursions and transport he arranged were all exactly what we hoped for. We will be asking Michael to book our future European vacations. Mayssa MirshakOsvaldo Gonzalez was an excellent rep to work with when planning my client's Costa Rica vacation. He was efficient and timely with every correspondence. My clients had an amazing time! Rachel HoeingOur first trip with Goway was a total joy. Shalini worked with me to plan a trip for 5 adults to Portugal. She is a gem! Always responded quickly and offered great suggestions for activities, worked with our preferences and created an ideal itinerary for a week in Porto and Lisbon. The tours were excellent with engaging local guides. The food tour in Lisbon was a highlight. Everything was top notch - flight schedule, hotels, activities, even the weather! PatriciaIt is with the utmost pleasure and heartfelt appreciation that I share my exceptional experience working with Taha Colombowala, Goway's distinguished Groups Specialist. Our journey together began in October 2023, when Taha took the helm in orchestrating what was to be a remarkable group trip to Ghana. When unforeseen circumstances necessitated a change in plans, Taha demonstrated his extraordinary expertise by recommending Morocco as an alternative destination — a suggestion that proved to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant!
From the very first interaction to the final farewell, Taha has been a consummate professional in every sense of the word. His lightning-fast response times, encyclopedic knowledge of destinations, and remarkable ability to pivot seamlessly under pressure are truly second to none. What sets Taha apart, however, is not only his professional acumen but also his warm, patient, and genuinely enthusiastic attitude
toward accommodating the unique needs and personalities of every member of our group.
Taha Colombowala is, without question, a shining star within the Goway family, and an extraordinary ambassador for everything the brand represents. I cannot recommend him highly enough — he has exceeded every expectation and then some. Working with Taha has been an absolute privilege, and I look forward to many more incredible adventures ahead!DESIREE DUCKETTWe recently completed a custom Vietnam tour organized by Goway, and it was everything we asked for and more. We would definitely choose Goway again. The true highlights of our trip, however, were our two guides: Vu Dang and Thien. They truly made our experience unforgettable. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind. Their pride in their Vietnamese heritage shone through in every conversation, making our learning experience both deep and engaging. We learned so much in such a short time, and it was always fascinating. I would highly recommend these two guides to anyone visiting Vietnam!Laura DerbyshireEverything was expertly planned, from the drivers to the hotels to the tours to the flights. We particularly enjoyed Hobart and the animal sanctuary, Adelaide and the trip to Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and the evening tour with dinner and drinks, and Sydney with the private boat cruise of the Harbour. We will definitely use Goway again.SARA WiebeThere were 4 travelers on this trip. All of us were in our late 70's. We started planning this trip 6 months prior to our travel date and had a lot of questions regarding this trip. Our Goway Travel Specialist, Karen Larrota, always answered our questions in a timely and complete manner. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador, the Galapagos, The Sacred Valley in Peru, Machu Picchu, and Cusco in Peru. Not only were the destinations and accommodations excellent, but every tour guide and driver were beyond excellent. The entire trip went smoothly every step of the way, which was amazing given the fact that there were numerous flights and hotels included in our package. We found out that the tour company that Goway used, Condor Travel, checked on us with our guide to make sure we were doing OK which we thought was very nice but also amusing as we are fairly fit older adults. Would also like to mention that we did a cruise thru the Galapagos on the Galapagos Legend which was arranged thru Go Galapagos - Kleintouurs. This portion of our tour was also excellent as were the wildlife guides and staff. We continue to discuss how wonderful this trip was with our family and friends and how wonderful this experience was. Would definately use Goway for our travel needs in the future.DianneAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce Belshaw
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified