There are several ways for you to go to Busan from Seoul:
By Air from Gimpo Airpot = most expensive option so we did not explore further.
By Train = you can ride the KTX or Korea’s bullet train from Seoul Station to Busan. This is the second most expensive option as it costs you around 4,000 Php one way! But travel time will be around 2 and half hours and a lot of people recommend to experience riding this.
By Land = this is the least expensive option and you have several bus options ranging from General bus (23,000 Won or 920 Php), Excellent bus (34,200 Won or 1,370 Php), or M/V Excellent bus (37,600 Won or 1,500 Php). There are also several bus companies that you can select from and you don’t have to worry about the time as it leaves every 10-20 mins. A bus ride will take you around 4 hours to arrive Busan (check this website for more details).
Our choice: As a budget traveller, we always find ways to spend the least amount of money which is why we took the General Bus which by the way was excellent for us given that traffic is not bad in Korea and the buses were very spacious and convenient which is comparable to the premium buses we have in the Philippines.
Instructions going to Busan by Bus:
1) Ride the Subway and travel to Express Bus Terminal Station. You will see directions going there which is the 1st floor of the terminal.
2) Upon arrival to the terminal, you will need to find a ticketing station and purchase bus tickets to Busan. Research first through the website on which type of bus you will be riding and what time it will leave as the cost of bus differs per company and per type so if you want the cheapest make sure to research before going there.
3) After purchasing the ticket which is KWN 23,000 or PHP 900 in our case, you will be informed of what time you’ll need to be in the bus. Make sure to go to the exit which is Gate 1 for Busan. There will be no conductor there to call you when the bus arrives so you need to be alert and wait in the gate when departure time is near. The bus leaves sharply according to the schedule so don’t risk missing out on the bus.
4) Once the bus arrives, just ride the bus and show your ticket to the driver as he will verify if you are in the correct bus. You need to follow a seating arrangement which is indicated in your ticket. Make sure to keep your ticket until the end of your ride.
The seats in the bus is quite comfy for 4 hours travel time (one way). You can recline your seats and it will still have a space for you to stretch your legs a bit. Air-conditioning is good too but if you're like me who gets cold easily, don't forget to bring a jacket and a shawl to be used as a blanket.
5) You will know that you’ve arrived Busan as it will stop of the ride and you’ll stop in a terminal as seen below so feel free to sleep during the whole ride.
6) Upon arriving in Busan, just go inside the terminal and look for signs going to the subway station. The subway is connected to the bus terminal which is located in Napa Station (at the end of line 1).
This is the entrance of the MRT station. The MRT is your best bet when you want to travel around Busan. It's still very convenient just like the lines in Seoul and it can take you to almost anywhere! Enjoy Busan!
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated August 31, 2014.
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