1. NomadHer’s Overall Rating
Busan is highly recommended for female solo travelers. With pleasure, we would give Busan three out of three stars. You are probably wondering why so let us tell you. Have you been to a city that is brighter at night? Busan is a bustling place even late at night with people enjoying the night sea. Restaurants do not close until morning. Isn’t that incredible? But more so, public transportation connects every part of the city. You can go anywhere at any time. Even going to the ocean and the mountains are quick and easy.
What if you get lost or have no clue about something while traveling? Do not hesitate and ask for help. Because Busan’s warm climate attracts tourists all year long, the local people are used to meeting tourists all the time. Busan is a city where you will be welcomed by the warm hospitality of the locals.
2. A Short Summary
Are people living near the coast usually so kind? In Busan, you can count on the kindness of the people. As the only place in Korea where you can spend a warm winter, it is always lively with tourists. So people living in Busan are no stranger to the energy of the city full of tourists.
Are you lost while traveling alone? Don’t worry! Ask anyone around you! People in Busan are more than willing to help! Can people be this kind? Absolutely! They know Busan’s charm very well that visiting once is never enough.
Surprisingly, Busan is where city and local sensibilities meet. Would you believe it if you could enjoy the views of the ocean and mountains in between the tall skyscrapers? From water sports such as surfing, yacht, cruise to beautiful forests, there is never a dull moment. Busan has amazing local food that is part of many Koreans’ food bucket lists. Let’s travel to Busan together! Feel free to download the 👉PDF version of this guidebook.
3. Words you should know in Busan
Busan has a unique dialect with a stronger accent than other regions. It is one of the reasons why K-dramas love to include Busan’s dialect. The dialect can sound strange at first, but you will soon find yourself familiar with it. Try to keep some phrases in mind and use them in everyday conversations with your friends once you get back. Isn’t this the beauty of the Busan dialect? Your trip will be so much more fun if you know some phrases. They are really easy too, so wouldn’t it be better to learn a few before the trip?
Mat-jae?
It is used to confirm once more that something is correct. For example, while giving a change of thousand-won you can say ‘mat-jae?’ to confirm that it is the correct amount.
Moe-ra-ka-no?
When a person is confused about what has been said to them, they say ‘moe-ra-ka-no?’. If you ask for directions too quickly in English, you would probably hear this a lot. ‘What are you saying?’ ‘Moe-ra-ka-no?’
Ji-gi-nae!
This translates to ‘Awesome’, ‘Amazing!’ For instance, if you are trying on different clothes at a shop, the worker can say ‘Ji-gi-nae!’ to express that the clothes look good on you.
Gae-ahn-ta! or Gae-ahn-na?
‘Gae-ahn-ta!’ means ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry!’, whereas ‘Gae-ahn-na?’ translates to ‘Are you okay?’ If someone says ‘Gae-ahn-na?’ to you whose face has turned red from eating spicy food, he or she is asking out of concern if you are fine.
Why-rano?
It is a dialect for ‘What is wrong with you/me?’ You can say ‘What’s wrong with you?’ ‘Why-rano?’ to a child nagging you to buy them a toy. Or you can say ‘What’s wrong with me?’ ‘Why-rano?’ to yourself when you forget your phone at home. It can be used in many ways.
Oi-so!
It means ‘Come here!’ At local markets, you will hear this the most. When you hear ‘Oi-so!’ at markets, remember that the merchants are saying ‘Come here and take a look.’
4. Emergency Numbers
As a female, what troubles you the most while traveling alone in a city that you have never been to is your safety. We probably have all experienced saving emergency numbers on our phones and having a separate note with all the numbers in case of losing the phone. It is also a good tip to prepare a physical copy of your passport for a quicker process at the embassy when you lose your passport. Especially when you travel solo, we highly recommend having emergency numbers right at your fingertips for that country or city. We have compiled emergency numbers in Busan for you.
✔️ Busan Tourism Organization’s Tourist Information Service 1330
If you urgently need help or service in a foreign language while traveling in Busan, try making a call to 1330 operated by the Busan Tourism Organization. It is available 24 hours and provides a translation service. You can use it at a restaurant or in a taxi when you need a translation service. You can also use it if you get lost or encounter an unexpected situation.
✔️ 24-hours Female Emergency Call 1366
During your travel, if you experience any sexual harassment you can use the Female Emergency Call. To protect female rights, it operates 24 hours and provides service in foreign languages. Associated with Professional Consultation Service, Medical Institution, and Law Institute, you are able to receive support any time.
✔️ Busan Police Station 112 / Your Country’s Embassy Contact Number
If there is any case of personal danger, call the police station. We also recommend learning your country’s embassy emergency contact number in advance.
5. Do
Have you ever felt clueless after you had arrived, having thought to yourself that you were very prepared while planning and researching your trip? Either making new friends or going to new places, it is essential to break the fear of something new. So, we are introducing you to the Dos and Don’t in Busan to make sure that Busan doesn’t feel totally strange to you. Feel free to skim through them on your train or plane to Busan!
✳️It is okay to feel warmth in Busan’s dialect.
You can be very surprised when you hear Busan’s dialect for the first time. Its strong accent can make you think ‘Is that person mad at me?’ or ‘Are those people fighting?’ Don’t worry. We guarantee you that in less than a day, you will find yourself already used to the dialect. As much as the dialect’s strong accent, you will fall in love with the peoples’ enthusiastic personalities.
✳️It is safe to walk alone at night and appreciate the view of the Gwangan Bridge.
You have never walked in the streets alone at night while traveling? Then ready to be surprised. Busan is brighter at night.
The night view of Busan is very beautiful. In particular, the lights of the Gwangan Bridge are on from sundown to 24:00 from Sunday-Thursday and until 2:00 from Friday-Saturday although they vary seasonally. The laser show happens three times a day (20:30, 21:30, 22:30) for about 10 minutes. Even late at night, many people come out to the beach to watch the colorful lights on the Gwangan Bridge. Busan is a safe city where females can walk alone at night.
✳️It is okay to bargain at the Jagalchi Market and enjoy fresh seafood.
If you like fresh-caught fish, try visiting the Jagalchi Market. Known as the “sanctuary” of Busan’s seafood, Jagalchi Market is a 5-minutes walk from Exit 10 of the Jagalchi Station. Seafood is sold on the first floor. On the second floor, there are restaurants that provide tables and side dishes to go with the seafood that you bought. To enjoy various kinds of seafood, it is a good idea to go together with many people. You can find other people to go with you on NomadHer! With 40000 won to 50000 won for two people, you will have a very filling meal.
✳️Walk along the Busan Galmaetgil Road by yourself.
Galmaetgil Road is Busan’s walking course that is connected to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. If you need meditation or some alone time this course is an amazing fit for you.
When you travel in a city, the liveliness of the city can energize you. But you might also want to escape to nature and spend some quiet time alone to reflect upon yourself. In Busan, you don’t have to go out of the city because there are many coastal walks along the beach. The most popular tracking course which takes about three hours and is 10km long is one of the Galmaetgil courses. It starts from the Moontan Road and passes the Songjeong Beach to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. You will meet many people walking along this course. Although you are alone, you can feel like you are walking together with them.
✳️Do not give up on finding your belongings that you forgot at a cafe or a shop.
CCTV is in every street and every shop in Korea. The same goes for Busan. You will be surprised at how casually people hang out at night. At a cafe, you will often see people just leave their laptops and go to the restroom. Be ready for another surprise. Koreans do not take anything that is not theirs! When you travel to a new place alone, there are so many things to carry around that you sometimes forget your belongings at a cafe or shop. ‘Since many hours have passed, I bet someone already took mine.’ Don’t be so discouraged. The owner of the shop or other customers who find them will hand them over to the shop to keep them. Remember that you can expect peoples’ kindness in Busan!
✳️Do not panic when your phone doesn’t have a battery.
Did you forget to charge your phone last night by falling asleep while going through your photos? Don’t worry. Many cafes in Busan have outlets and they even provide charging service for customers who forget to bring their own chargers. When you order your coffee, it is totally fine to ask the worker if you could borrow a charger!
✳️When getting on a bus, ask the bus driver if the bus is going to your destination!
One of the difficulties during solo traveling is that you have to find directions to an unfamiliar place and travel by yourself. When the city itself is strange, finding the right way can be so overwhelming. When you are trying to get on a bus but unsure whether the bus is stopping at your destination, ask the bus driver! The bus driver will not only tell you kindly but also notify you when the bus is near the destination.
✳️The heaven of free WiFi
Busan offers free WiFi in main tourist attractions, subways, and public places. The Internet speed is extremely fast. At cafes and restaurants, they always have free WiFi, so you can ask for the WiFi name and password when you order.
6. Don’t
*️⃣ When planning for your trip, group places that are close to one another.
When you look at the map of Busan, the land is long vertically. Although the distance may look short on the map, in reality, it can be pretty far. If it takes 30 minutes to get somewhere, a round-trip will take more than an hour. The travel time might become longer than you think. It is important to take the travel distance into account more than anywhere else.
*️⃣ Be prepared to swim even during the winter.
Every single year, in front of the beach during the winter in Busan there is a special event. It is called the Polar Bear Swimming event. What if over 5,000 people go and dive into the ocean and swim? At this swimming festival, the person who swims 80m first in a cold ocean wins the race. So don’t think that people in Busan only swim during the summer. Well, there are so many things to look around even at a winter beach!
*️⃣ It is better to go earlier to famous tourist spots or to enjoy activities even during weekdays.
Busan is crowded 365 days with tourists. It is better to arrive earlier for famous tourist spots to save your time. For example, for a city tour bus, there is a limited number of passengers who can take the bus and it is better to arrive 30 to 40 minutes earlier at the city tour bus station. In the case of Haeundae Beach Train & Sky Capsule(Haeundae Blueline Park), it is better to go earlier if you wish to have an ocean view even with a reservation.
*️⃣ Do not eat food on public transportation.
Yes, sipping a cup of coffee with freshly baked bread, on the other hand, that’s the joy of walking around in a new city. However, it is not appropriate to take a sip of coffee or eat food on public transportation. For years, it has been a huge problem to take food out of sanitation issues in public transportation.
*️⃣ It’s better to take public transportation.
Busan is a metropolitan city and you can go everywhere with public transportation. Even Korean people do not bring their own car when they go and travel to Busan. Because they do not have to. It is super handy, fast and you can grab a public bus or metro every single 8 to 15 minutes. It’s more complicated to find a parking spot with a car. In Busan, taking public transportation will save your time than bringing your own car.
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