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Busan is Korea's second-largest city, and it wears a lot of hats at once — famous beaches, sprawling night markets, cliffside temples, and a working port, all pressed up against each other. 

It's a completely different vibe from Seoul: looser, saltier, built around the sea rather than the subway.

The city alone can easily fill two or three days. But here's what most first-timers miss: some of the most spectacular scenery on Korea's entire south coast — Geoje Island and Tongyeong — sits just a one-to-two-hour drive away. 

And that's exactly where a rental car changes everything. With your own wheels, you can string Busan's scenic city drives together with Geoje's island coastline and Tongyeong's harbor views into one seamless trip.

This Busan itinerary covers the must-visit spots in the city, the best coastal drive courses, day trips out to the south coast, and ready-to-use itineraries from two days up to four.

1. Getting to Busan & Picking Up Your Rental Car

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Getting to Busan is easy from anywhere in Korea — the smarter question is how you arrive and where you collect your car. 

The short answer for most visitors: take the KTX down from Seoul, then pick up a rental right at the station so you're not hauling luggage across an unfamiliar city. Here's how each option stacks up.

1) How to Get to Busan

Busan is well connected to just about anywhere in Korea:

• By air: Gimhae International Airport is about a 1-hour flight from Seoul (Gimpo) and roughly 50 minutes from Jeju.

• By train: KTX from Seoul Station reaches Busan Station in about 2.5 hours; the SRT from Suseo Station takes about 2.5 hours as well.

• By car: Driving from Seoul via the expressway takes about 4–5 hours, longer in traffic.

💡 Tip: If you're coming from Seoul, the most efficient combo is taking the KTX down and picking up your rental car once you arrive — you skip the long highway drive and start fresh in Busan.

2) Rental Car Pickup in Busan  

LOTTE rent-a-car runs three offices at Busan's main arrival points, and all three sit within a 1–3-minute walk of the terminal or station — no shuttle, no hauling bags across a parking lot.

• Gimhae Airport (PUS) Office — pick up the moment you land.

• Busan Station Office — pick up right after your KTX arrives.

• Haeundae Office — handy if you're staying in the Haeundae beach area.

One-way returns are available between all three offices, so you can, say, arrive by train, tour the coast, and drop the car at Gimhae Airport before flying out. 

Every rental comes with free English GPS, and a variety of spacious family vehicles are available, making it easy for groups and families to find the right car for their trip. 

💡 Tip: Parking gets complicated once you're in central Busan, so pick up at the office nearest your accommodation on day one and settle in before you start driving.

2. Top Things to Do in Busan

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There's no shortage of things to do in Busan, but the city rewards a car most for its beaches and coastal drives. Here's how to split your time.

1) Beaches & Coastal Drives

• Haeundae Beach — Korea's most famous stretch of sand, and worth a visit year-round for seaside strolls and cafés, not just at summer peak. The Bay 101 marina nearby is a top night-view spot.

• Gwangalli Beach — the night view of Gwangan Bridge from here is breathtaking, and it's only about a 10-minute drive from Haeundae.

• Songjeong Beach — a quieter surfing beach that connects to the Dalmaji Hill café street.

• Dalmaji Hill Drive — the Mipo Intersection to Songjeong stretch, a coastal drive with more than 15 winding curves. It's especially beautiful during cherry blossom season.

• Gijang Coastal Road — the Songjeong → Haedong Yonggungsa Temple → Jukseong Church run- is the most peaceful and exotic-feeling drive in Busan.

• Jukseong Church — a drama filming location built in a seaside village, where the sky, sea, and church line up into a single frame.

2) Culture & Sightseeing

• Gamcheon Culture Village — a colorful hillside village known as the "Santorini of Busan." The pastel houses stacked up the slope aren't a tourist invention: the village took shape when refugees crowded into Busan during the Korean War, and artists later turned the maze of alleys into an open-air gallery. Parking is tight, so use a nearby public lot and walk in.

• Haedong Yonggungsa Temple — a rare temple built right on the cliffs above the sea. Combine it with the Gijang Coastal Road drive.

• Taejongdae — a dramatic cliffside park at Busan's southern tip. Private cars can't enter the 4.3 km circular road, so park at the entrance and take the Danubi Train (the name means "enjoying the scenery") or walk. Views of Yeongdo Lighthouse and the observatory await at the far end.

• Igidae Coastal Walk — a trail with clear views of Gwangan Bridge. Drive to the trailhead, then continue on foot.

3) Markets & Food

• Jagalchi Market — Korea's largest seafood market, where you can sample the catch on the spot.

• Gukje Market & Kkangtong Market — the heart of Busan's local market culture.

• Seomyeon Food Alley — Busan's signature dishes in one dense, delicious strip.

• Nampo-dong & BIFF Square — the birthplace of ssiat hotteok and the original home of the Busan International Film Festival.

💡 Busan must-try foods:

3. Beyond Busan: Geoje Island & Korea Tongyeong Day Trips

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This is where the car earns its keep. 

Each Busan day trip below opens up scenery you simply can't reach conveniently by public transport — the island coastline of Geoje and the harbor views of Korea's Tongyeong.

1) Day Trip 1 — Geoje Island

Geoje Island is about 50 minutes to 1 hour from central Busan via the Geoga Bridge, an 8.2 km bridge-and-tunnel link that cuts the Busan–Geoje travel distance from roughly 140 km down to about 60 km compared with the old coastal route.

⚠️ One thing to plan around: Geoje is big. Reaching the key southern spots like Windy Hill and Haegeumgang takes about another hour of driving once you're on the island, so a same-day round trip is tight — an overnight stay is the better call.

Main spots:

• Windy Hill — Geoje's signature photo spot, with a windmill and sweeping South Sea views.

• Haegeumgang — dramatic rock cliffs rising straight out of the sea, best seen by boat or from the coastal road.

• Oedo Botania — a Mediterranean-style marine botanical garden on its own small island (details below).

• Hakdong Black Pearl Pebble Beach — a one-of-a-kind beach covered in smooth black pebbles.

• Yeocha–Hongpo Coastal Road — one of the "9 Scenic Views of Geoje" and the finest driving stretch on the whole south coast.

Getting to Oedo Botania

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Oedo is not accessible by car — you can only reach it by tour boat. Boats leave from several piers around Geoje, including Dojangpo (the shortest sailing), Jangseungpo, and Gujora. 

Most trips are a 2-in-1 loop that cruises past the Haegeumgang rock formations before docking at Oedo, running about 3 hours total with roughly 2 hours on the island. Admission to Oedo (₩11,000 / about $7.97 for adults) is charged separately from the cruise fare, which varies by pier and course. 

Book ahead, check the weather the same morning — cruises are often canceled in rough seas — and bring your ID for boarding.

💡 Geoga Bridge toll: budget about ₩10,000 (roughly $7.25) each way for a standard rental car. Compact cars pay around ₩5,000; larger vehicles pay more.

Recommended stay: 2 days, 1 night. 

Recommended vehicle: SUV.

2) Day Trip 2 — Tongyeong

Tongyeong sits about 1 hour 10–20 minutes by car from Busan. If you're already on Geoje, it's even easier — the two are only about 40 minutes apart, so you can comfortably pair them into a 2-day/1-night or 3-day/2-night loop. 

Locals and guidebooks alike call Tongyeong "Korea's Naples," and the harbor scenery earns it.

Main spots:

• Tongyeong Cable Car — a ride up Mireuksan Mountain for a panorama of the Hallyeosudo waterway and its scattered islands. The ride is about 10–15 minutes each way, plus a 10-minute walk to the summit. Round-trip tickets run about ₩17,000 ($12.32) for adults.

• Dongpirang Mural Village — Tongyeong's answer to Gamcheon, all hillside alleys and murals.

• Sanyang Coastal Circuit Drive — a loop around Mireukdo Island and the most beautiful drive in Tongyeong.

• Tongyeong Jungang Market — the hub for local eats like kkulppang and Chungmu gimbap.

• Hansando & the Yi Sun-sin Historic Site — a site honoring the legendary admiral, about 30 minutes away by ferry.

💡 Tongyeong must-try foods: Chungmu gimbap, kkulppang (honey pastry), fresh oyster dishes, and dajji (Tongyeong-style seafood pub food).

Recommended stay: day trip or 1 night. 

Recommended vehicle: sedan or SUV.

3) Which Day Trip Is Right for You?

• Coastal scenery, island drives, and boat tours → Geoje.

• Harbor-city culture, food, and the cable car → Tongyeong.

• Extra time? → Combine both. They're only about a 40-minute drive apart, so a 2-day/1-night or 3-day/2-night loop covers the pair without rushing.

4. Suggested Busan Itineraries

Here are three ready-to-run plans depending on how many days you have.

1) 2 Days in Busan

• Day 1 (beaches + night views): Haeundae → Dalmaji Hill drive → Gwangalli → Gwangan Bridge night views.

• Day 2 (culture + markets): Gamcheon Culture Village → Jagalchi Market → Gukje Market → Taejongdae → dinner in Seomyeon.

2) 3 Days: Busan + Geoje

• Day 1: Haeundae, Gwangalli, Dalmaji Hill.

• Day 2: Drive to Geoje via the Geoga Bridge → Windy Hill, Haegeumgang, Yeocha–Hongpo Coastal Road → overnight in Geoje.

• Day 3: Oedo Botania cruise (morning departure, 3-hour course) → return to Busan → Gamcheon Culture Village.

3) 4 Days: Busan + Geoje + Tongyeong

5. Practical Tips for Driving in Busan & the South Coast

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Busan drives beautifully, but two things catch first-timers off guard: parking in the dense old-city core, and the surprising distances once you're out on the islands. Sort those two, plus the ferry timing for Oedo, and the rest of the trip runs smoothly.

1) Parking in Busan

Parking near Gamcheon Culture Village and Jagalchi Market is tight — lean on nearby public parking lots. Haeundae and Gwangalli get very congested on peak-season weekends, so visit on a weekday or early in the morning. 

Taejongdae and the Gijang Coastal Road are comparatively easy.

2) Geoga Bridge Toll

The Geoga Bridge from Busan to Geoje costs about ₩10,000 each way for a standard car. And remember to build in about an extra hour of driving once you're on Geoje — the island is large, and the best southern spots are a fair way from the bridge.

3) Oedo-Botania Ferry Tips

Cruises are frequently canceled in bad weather, so advance booking is essential, and a same-morning weather check is smart. The full course takes about 3 hours — depart early to fit it in without rushing — and bring your ID, which is checked at boarding.

4) Best Time to Visit

6. Why LOTTE rent-a-car for Busan Travel?

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Busan is a base camp for road trips across all of southern Korea, so the pickup logistics matter as much as the car itself. 

Here's what makes LOTTE rent-a-car a practical fit for this particular trip — where you collect the car, why a car beats transit here, and the perks worth knowing before you book.

1) Pickup Locations

• Gimhae Airport (PUS) office — pick up as soon as you land.

• Busan Station office — pick up right after your KTX arrival.

• Haeundae office — convenient if you're staying in Haeundae.

• One-way returns are available between all three.

2) Why Rent a Car in Busan?

Busan's best scenic drives — Taejongdae, the Gijang Coastal Road, Dalmaji Hill — are inconvenient to reach by public transport, and out in Geoje and Tongyeong the key spots are genuinely hard to access without a car. 

It's especially worthwhile for groups and families, who can spread out and carry gear without a second thought.

3) LOTTE rent-a-car Benefits

• Zero Excess CDW exclusively for foreign visitors — a zero deductible so an unfamiliar road doesn't come with financial worry (add it at booking).

• 24/7 accident hotline — +82-2-1588-1230, any time.

• Language support — English-speaking staff and multilingual websites including English, Chinese, and Japanese.

• Global Special Discount + Buy Now, Pay at the pick-up when you book directly on the official site — plus free English GPS and partner discounts at attractions like Busan Tower and the Arte Museum.

💡 Tip: Most rental cars already come with English GPS built in, so you don't need to worry about getting lost. For extra convenience, it's worth downloading Naver Map or KakaoMap ahead of time.

Your Busan Coastal Road Trip Starts Here

Busan is one of Korea's top travel destinations all on its own — beaches, culture, food, and night views in a single city. Add just one rental car, and the south coast's most spectacular scenery, from Geoje to Tongyeong, connects into one continuous trip.

Pick up at Gimhae Airport, Busan Station, or Haeundae, and explore Busan and beyond entirely on your own terms.

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