Overview
Busan's urban rail system, the Busan Metro (부산 도시철도, Busan Dosicheoldo), is run by the Busan Transportation Corporation. It opened in 1985 with seventeen stations, making Busan the second city in South Korea to get a metro. Today the core metro is four numbered lines covering 116.5 km and 114 stations; counting the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail and the Donghae Line, the network stretches to 205.6 km and 158 stations.
Riding it end to end is straightforward. Every station is numbered, and the first digit of the number tells you the line (station 123 is on Line 1). All directional signs are in Korean and English, and on-train announcements for the next station, transfers and the exit side are given in Korean followed by English. Buy a single-use ticket from a vending machine or tap a transit card or mobile ticket at the gate, keep your ticket until you exit, and follow the signs to your numbered exit — the metro map even shows which station and which exit to use for major attractions. Photography is permitted.
The network
The system mixes a numbered metro core with light rail, commuter rail, buses and ferries.
- Line 1 (1호선) — the north–south backbone, 39.8 km and 40 stations, running from Nopo (intercity bus terminal) through Busan Station and Seomyeon down to Dadaepo Beach. Trains have eight cars.
- Line 2 (2호선) — the east–west line, 46.0 km and 43 stations, running along the Haeundae and Gwangalli shores and north to Yangsan (no extra fare beyond the city). Six-car trains.
- Line 3 (3호선) — an 18.3 km, 17-station route through central Busan between Suyeong and Daejeo, with four-car trains and platform screen doors at every station.
- Line 4 (4호선), also called the Bansong Line — a driverless rubber-tyred automated line from Minam to Anpyeong, 12.7 km and 14 stations, with short six-car trains; the front of the train gives good views.
- Busan–Gimhae Light Rail Transit (BGL) — a light metro opened in 2011, operated by B&G Metro, with 21 above-ground stations and two-car trains. It links Busan with Gimhae, serves Gimhae International Airport, and connects with Line 2 at Sasang and Line 3 at Daejeo.
- Donghae Line — a coastal commuter railway running along the east coast through Songjeong and Haeundae towards Ulsan, with trains roughly every 30 minutes (15 at peak).
- Buses — intercity terminals sit at Nopo (Line 1) for the north and east, Sasang (Line 2) for the west, and Haeundae (Line 2); long-distance buses also leave directly from outside Gimhae Airport's terminals.
- Ferries — the International Passenger Terminal (Line 1, Jungang, Exit 10) handles ferries to Japan, and there is a separate Coastal Ferry Terminal. Note that the Jeju car ferry and the Geoje ferries are no longer running.
Tickets & fares
Fares are distance-based: Zone 1 covers up to 10 km from your departure station, Zone 2 anything beyond. All prices below are approximate and change, so check the machines or the operator's site on the day.
- Single-use QR tickets — bought from station vending machines: choose your destination on the route map, confirm the fare, then insert bills or coins. Roughly ₩1,700 (Zone 1) and ₩1,900 (Zone 2) for adults, with cheaper teen and child rates. Keep the ticket — you need it to leave at your destination, and fare evasion carries a hefty fine.
- Transit cards — Cashbee is sold at stations and convenience stores, and T-money and Railplus are also accepted. Cards save about ₩100 per ride (roughly ₩1,600/₩1,800 by zone for adults) and unlock transfers. Recharge at station machines in ₩1,000 increments; refunds of leftover balance are handled at convenience stores, not by the railway.
- Mobile tickets — the "Busan Urban Railway" app works for foreigners without membership (email plus an authentication code). It offers pay-as-you-go "Metro Pay" and passes, and you recharge by scanning the phone's QR code at a station machine.
- Passes — a 1-day pass (about ₩6,000 adult), a 3-day pass (about ₩13,000) and a 30-day pass (about ₩45,000, up to 45 trips). Passes are valid only on the urban rail lines — no transfers to the BGL, Donghae Line or buses.
- Transfers — with a card you can make up to two transfers within 30 minutes of tagging off, including to buses, the Donghae Line and the BGL. Scan out when leaving a bus to earn the discount on your next boarding; there is no daily fare cap.
From the airport
Gimhae International Airport (PUS) lies outside the city and is reached by several public options: metro/light rail, a limousine bus, local buses and taxis. The easiest rail route is the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail, which has its own airport station and connects into the metro at Sasang (Line 2) and Daejeo (Line 3). Long-distance buses also depart from directly outside the airport terminals. If you are arriving via Ulsan instead, a bus to Taehwagang station connects with the Donghae Line down the coast into Busan.
Etiquette & customs
- Let passengers off before boarding, and queue at the sides of the doors.
- Green-stickered seats are for the elderly, disabled and pregnant passengers — you may sit there only if you will give the seat up when needed.
- Keep noise down; announcements are made in several languages, so listen for your stop rather than chatting over them.
- Check your direction before passing the gate: at many stations you cannot change platforms once inside.
- Large bags are technically not permitted on the metro, though in practice this is not enforced.
- Bicycles are allowed only at weekends and on holidays, in the last car; folding bikes are fine any day if folded.
- Expect busy trains at rush hour, and be ready to stand.
Official links
Survival terms
- 지하철 (jihacheol) — subway/metro
- 승차권 (seungchagwon) — ticket
- 호선 (hoseon) — line (e.g. 1호선, Line 1)
- 입구 (ipgu) — entrance
- 출구 (chulgu) — exit
- 환승 (hwanseung) — transfer
- 기본요금 (gibonyogeum) — single/base fare
- 일일권 (irilgwon) — day pass
Before you travel, download the Busan Urban Railway app and load a transit card, so you can tap straight through the gates and ride the whole network without queueing for paper tickets.