Updated January 2020

Recently, I’ve had quite a few people ask me “what is the best area to stay while in Busan?“. So I thought I would compile a list of areas which I think are best depending on what kind of activities you want to do and what places you want to see. Before choosing an area to stay in, you should be asking yourself 3 things:

What do I want to see in Busan?

What things do I want to do in Busan?

How long do I plan on staying in Busan?





Based on these answers you should be able to narrow it down to 1 or 2 areas. Others on the other hand my not necessarily know exactly what they want to do or see (if this is the case check out recommended Busan Itinerary to help you on your way) and are just looking for the most convenient place to visit the main attractions while in Busan. Let me give you some insight into the questions above.

First Question, if you plan on visiting places that are all in the same area (Eg Haeundae and Gwangalli) then you obviously should be looking to stay someone close to those rather than book a place that is centrally located to other attractions you don’t intend on visiting.

Second Question, this one is important as if you intend on doing a lot of shopping, you may want to stay closer to Centum City (Shinsegae Deparment Store) or Seomyeon as those have some of the best shopping areas in Busan. If you are planning on going out most nights, then I would recommend either staying close to Seomyeon, Gwangalli Beach or the Kyungsung University Area. Wanting to visit mostly attractions, temples and other important locations? then I would pick an area that is centrally located and has convenient transport. Wanting a mix of everything? Then Seomyeon or Gwangalli Beach would be a decent choice here.

And lastly the Third Question, if you intend on spending only 1 or 2 nights here then you may choose to stay in an area of which you can do a mixture of everything as this eliminates you having to catch transport to another area to enjoy your days/nights. Also, if you were planning on spending 4 or 5 nights here, you may be OK with staying in an area which is a little further out from the city like Haeundae Beach as you won’t be rushed to see everything in a short amount of time.

To make it easier for you to choose where to stay in Busan, I have marked all the best places on the map above into the different districts/areas of Busan. Seomyeon (Purple) , Gwangalli Beach (Yellow) , Haeundae Beach (Green) , Nampo-dong (Blue) , Gijang (Maroon) and PNU/Dongnae (Black)

If you plan on traveling by KTX in Korea, you may want to check out the Korea Rail Pass (KR Pass) to save money.

At the end of the day, no matter where you stay in Busan, you are bound to enjoy yourself which is the main thing 🙂

Hopefully the information and advice above pushes you in the right direction to help make your stay in Busan more convenient and enjoyable. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have stayed in an area not mentioned above that you would recommend and I’ll try to add it to the list.

Other Guides for South Korea

If you’re coming to Busan then you will want to check out my detailed Busan Travel Itinerary which was created from my time living in Busan. Not sure what to eat in Busan, then check out my 10 must eat restaurants in Busan.

Additionally, if you have some extra time in Busan or are coming back to Korea and want some new places to explore, these Day Trips from Busan are an excellent choice.

Still deciding whether to base yourself in Seoul or Busan? You may want to check out my article (Seoul vs Busan) which compares the difference between Korea’s two largest cities. Maybe you want to skip the bigger cities and go for something a bit more relaxing like Jeju Island. Here is my detailed Jeju Island Travel Itinerary which was recommended to me by my brother-in-law who is a Jeju local.

The most important thing (for me at least) is the food. What should I eat in Korea? Here are the Korean foods I crave the most when someone mentions Korean food.

Attending a wedding in Korea? Or maybe you are planning a wedding in Korea? If so, you can see my guide about Getting Married in Korea for a lot of useful tips and information.

As usual should you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer it 🙂