Busan Station and Surrounding Areas

During our stay in Busan, our hotel was located near the Busan Station, so we had a lot of time to explore the area. Most travellers passing through will  only know the concourse of the station, but there is more to the station than this!

Inside the station

There are many eateries, cafes and restaurants within the Busan Station, making it very easy to grab a bite on the go. The places I can remember are Paris Baguette, Mango Six, Smoothie King, Lotteria and Dunkin Donuts. If fast food restaurants are not your thing, there are also several Korean restaurants and cafes to choose from, selling rice and noodle dishes, gimbap etc.

The most famous store in Busan Station is none other than Samjin Eomuk (부산어묵) and is easily recognisable by the long queues that snake outside, regardless of the time of day. The shop is famed for their wide selection of eomuk or fishcakes as we call it, that are made right here in Busan.

Be prepared for long queues!

The concept of this shop is very much like a bakery. You grab a tray and pick whatever fishcakes you want, then pay at the counter. Besides a dizzying array of fishcakes to choose from, Samjin Eomuk also sell croquettes in assorted flavours like cheese, curry, sweet potato, prawn as well as large packs of frozen fishcakes that you can buy home. Imagine making your own oden soup! Yum! Do note that there are separate queues for fishcakes and croquettes so you will end up having to tackle the massive queues twice. Pro tip: Do not attempt to queue at this store if you are rushing for the train. It might take a while to reach your turn as people tend to take a long time selecting their fishcakes. Who can blame them? There are simply too many to choose from.

Photo Credit: Daum

Above the station

On the top floor of the Busan Station, there is a small observatory where you can see a lovely night view of Busan Harbour and Busan Bridge. I think this place is Busan Station’s biggest secret! There were only a handful of people there when we visited. The bridge is beautiful! It twinkles with LED lights that change colours every few seconds!

Lovely night view

Outside the station

There is an open-air plaza in front of Busan Station which is a popular meeting place for people. Whenever we walk through the plaza, it seems like there is always some activity going on and people milling about. We saw dance performances, a small political demonstration and even a CPR talk being held there!

Transport hub

Busan Station is well connected to other forms of public transport. Exiting the station on the left hand, there is a taxi stand with plenty of taxis even at night. For those who want to take the Busan City Tour Bus, the bus stop is located next to the taxi stand.

Inside the subway

Walking across the plaza, you will find the entrance to the Busan Subway station (Exit 10). The subway station is underground, so you will need to walk down a flight of steps to see the gantries. I didn’t see any lifts in sight unfortunately. I suppose that’s why Koreans have such slim legs! Stair-walking is their regular exercise! If you’re feeling adventurous, there is also a bus stop across the road from Busan Station and you can take some of the buses to popular tourist destinations such as Taejongdae and Seomyeon.

Opposite Busan Station

At the end of the station plaza, you will see a pedestrian crossing that will get you to the main street on the opposite side of the road. Lots of fast food joints and eateries dot the right hand side of the main street while if you head left, you will find a supermarket as well as the entrance to Chinatown.

On our first night in Busan, we ate at a hole-in-the wall joint called Food Café. The menu was all in Korean but we managed to somehow figure out what to order by using Google Translate. Down one of the alleys, we even found a Kyochon Fried Chicken outlet! We were drooling at the thought of  having chimek, but unfortunately, the portions are so huge (the smallest serving was 16 pcs!), so it was impossible for two girls to finish!

Walking past the stretch of eateries, you will find a small market selling fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s a nice place to experience what life is like for the locals.

Busan’s Chinatown is also somewhat of a curiosity. There is a super cheenah vibe here with lots of Chinese motifs and decorations in the shops, but strangely, many of them carry Russian names and signboards! They should just rename this place Russiatown! I saw many Chinese and Russian restaurants here and plenty of money changers. Some of the money changers do take Singapore currency. While they may not list it on the currency board outside the shop, do venture into the shop to ask!

Russia in Busan