Best Way To Get To Busan From Seoul or Pyeongtaek

Over the past several years, South Korea has been a popular travel destination for both Koreans and foreigners. Particularly, Korea’s beachside city Busan is a loved vacation destination. As interest in South Korea has grown, interest in travel to and within the country has also grown. This article will guide you on the best way to get to Busan from Seoul or Pyeongtaek.

Traveling within South Korea: To Busan From Seoul or Pyeongtaek

Koreans and foreigners within the country take massive enjoyment in traveling between different provinces and cities, of which they are numerous. There are a handful of apps people anywhere in South Korea can use to book plane, bus, or train tickets. These travel services are listed below.

Travel Apps Used By Koreans and Foreigners

KorailTalk (코레일톡)

As the name suggests, KorailTalk concerns itself with the entire railway system in South Korea. As such, it’s easy to find KTX, SRT, ITX, and Mugungwha trains via KorailTalk.

You can check out the apps here: KorailTalk for iPhone and KorailTalk for Android

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TMoneyGo (티머니Go)

TMoneyGo, part of the TMoney Company, is one of Korea’s biggest apps that encompass directions for cars, buses, trains, and bikes around Seoul.

Head over to these websites to download the TMoneyGo app: 티머니Go for iPhone and 티머니Go for Android. You can also check out the official website of TMoneyGo

BusTaGo (버스타고)

BusTaGo, literate to ‘ride the bus’ in Korean, is one of Seoul’s few apps that allows you to buy tickets for inner-city buses as well as inter-city buses. Using BusTaGo, you can look up buses departing from any bus terminal from around the country. You can also look at bus schedules and price points for different types of buses.

You can check out BusTaGo using these links: BusTaGo for iPhone and BusTaGo for Android

Korean Air My

Korean Air is many Koreans’ first choice for airlines. With Korean Air, you can travel domestically and internationally at affordable prices and at different times throughout the day. With the Korean Air My app, you can easily look up ticket prices. You can also reserve a ticket for you and your loved ones.

You can have a look at the app by clicking on these links: Korean Air My For iPhone and Korean Air My For Android.

Also, check out this post for the Best Apps for Korea Travel!

From Seoul to Busan

A popular travel destination from Seoul is Busan, known for its seafood and its beachside lifestyle. Here, we list several ways to get to Busan from Seoul. The distance from Seoul to Busan is 325km (202 miles)

By Train

There are several different options if you wish to take the train from Seoul to /Busan. Before we lay out said options, you must first know about the different trains that service South Korea’s capital.

There are five different train systems that service Soul are KTX, SRT, ITX, ITX-Cheongchun, and Mugungwha, from the highest to the slowest speed.

The best and most popular way to go from Seoul to Busan is taking the KTX train. If you take this route, your departure point is Seoul Station and your arrival point is Busan Station. With a KTX train, your journey will be around 3 hours.

You can also take the SRT train from Suseo Station to Busan Station. This journey will amount to around the same as if you took a KTX train (3 hours). You can expect to pay ₩52,000–₩55,000 for a`SRT train ticket. To go to Suseo Station, you can take subway line #3. This line also stops by Nambu Bus Terminal (남부버스터미널).

Another option is taking the ITX, which isn’t as fast as KTX, landing a journey of 4 hours and a half.

Taking a Mugungwha train will take you much longer (around 5 hours) to reach Busan.

Bus

Besides train stations, many express buses will take you from Seoul to Busan. The most well-known and convenient bus terminal is Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울버스터미널). From here, the bus will take you to Bus Central Bus Terminal.

From Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울경부터미널) to Busan Central Bus Terminal (부산종합터미널). You can expect to pay ₩24,000–₩37,000 for the ticket. Taking the bus from Seoul to Busan using this method will take you 3 hours and a half.

By Car 

You can, of course, hit the road in your own car. In the case that you do, we highly recommend the route that takes you from Seoul Express Bus terminal to either Busan Central Bus Terminal or Sasang Bus Terminal. If you drive to Busan, the journey will take you a little over 4 hours and cost you ₩52,430–₩75,732 in fuel and toll fees.

By Plane

For the shortest possible journeys to Busan from Seoul, check out these plane flights from Seoul to Busan. Each flight will take around an hour to reach Busan. You can expect to pay ₩22,000–₩33,000.

From Pyeongtaek to Busan

While Pyeongtaek is located in the south of Seoul, it is still a journey to get to Busan. And like Seoul, Pyeongtaek offers its residents many options in the way of public transportation, including transportation that will take you from Pyeongtaek to Busan. The distance from Pyeongtaek to Busan is 268km (166 miles).

By Train

Although there are no viable KTX trains like there are in Seoul, SRT conveniently services the city. The route for the SRT train starts from Jije Station, a couple of subway stops from Pyeongtaek Station. This route ends at Busan Station. You can expect to pay ₩45,000–₩55,000

Mugunghwa is another train system that offers its services in the city of Pyeongtaek. From Pyeongtaek Station, the journey to Busan Station takes approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes with a stopover at Sintanjin Station. For a Mugunghwa train, you can expect to pay ₩19,000–₩55,000.

By Car

If you wish to drive from Pyeongtaek to Busan, we recommend the route from Pyeongtaek Station to Busan Station. This journey takes around 3 hours and 37 minutes. You can expect to pay ₩46,000–₩70,000.

By Plane

While there isn’t a major airport that’s in the city of Pyeongtaek, many travelers from Pyeongtaek take a plane from Gimpo International Airport. As such, you can have a look at the aforementioned plane flights to Busan.

You arrived at your destination. What next?

After traveling to Busan from Seoul or Pyeongtaek, you need accommodations, but you don’t know how to look for and reserve a suitably priced and comfortable place. Not to worry! This article will provide some useful links that will help you look for different places of lodgings. You can also look at our article on things to do in Busan as well as the best things to do at night in Busan.

IVISITKOREA

The best way to enjoy your travel is by having a local tell you the ins and outs of the city. Find the best tours and activities from locals, ex-pats, and travelers at IVISITKOREA. IVISITKOREA is the ultimate guide to making the best choice for your unforgettable trip. This site saves you time and money by instantly comparing all the tours, attractions, and activities in one place. And best yet it is FREE to use.

Airbnb

You might have heard of Airbnb. If you haven’t, the first thing you must know is that Airbnb is quickly becoming the world’s favorite way to find hostels, apartments, and houses for rent anywhere you might go. As it is not run through big hotel companies, prices may vary a lot. Nevertheless, it is one step above CouchSurfing but with much safer circumstances.

Why not check it out? You can find the official website of Airbnb here. You can also download Airbnb for iPhone and Airbnb for Android.

TripAdvisor

Like any other travel guide app, TripAdvisor has numerous lists of accommodations car rental options and recommended restaurants, clubs, and tourist attractions. With about two decades of experience and credentials, the TripAdvisor traveling company has the broadest and most in-depth lists and services of any travel guide app. Why not check them out? 

Head over to the official website of TripAdvisor and take a look around! You can also check out TripAdvisor for iPhone and TripAdvisor for Android. You can also look at their list of hotels in Busan.

Agoda

With the same functionality as TripAdvisor, Agoda offers several lists of hotels and hostels around the world. Agoda also provides the price points and different services and utilities that each place has. Unlike TripAdvisor, Agoda focuses on accommodations, so they don’t have any lists concerning recommended eateries and attractions.

Nevertheless, Agoda is a preferred website of many. Check out the official website of Agoda here. You can also check out Agoda for iPhone and Agoda for Android. In addition, you can look up all of the available hotels in Busan.

HostelWorld

For a website dedicated to all of the hostels of the world, look no further than HostelWorld! Not only do they list all of the hostels and affordable apartments at any location, but they also provide the prices and services offered at each place of lodgings such as laundry and WiFi.

You can check out the official website of HostelWorld. You can also click on this link to look at all of the hostels in Busan.

Conclusion

Busan is easily one of the most visited destinations in the world. Many Koreans and foreigners alike choose to vacation there regularly. For this reason, many apps and websites dedicate themselves to providing travelers of any age and circumstance with affordable and top-notch travel options as well as accommodations. With these travel apps, including Korean-specific apps, you will not want anything else!

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