Gimhae International Airport (김해국제공항) is Busan's airport, on the flat west side of the city across the Nakdong River, with a domestic and an international terminal side by side and arrivals on the first floor of both. The cheapest way in is the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail (부산김해경전철) from Airport Station (공항역), across the crosswalk from Gate 1 of the domestic terminal: 6 minutes to Sasang (사상) for Metro Line 2, and ₩1,600 (about $1.20) with a transit card all the way to Seomyeon (서면), or ₩1,800 (about $1.30) to Busan Station, Nampo, or Haeundae. Airport limousine buses, reorganized in January 2026 and now card only, run to Haeundae for ₩9,500 (about $7, about 90 minutes) and to Seomyeon for ₩6,000 (about $4.40, about 50 minutes). The airport's own taxi estimates are ₩18,000 (about $13) to Seomyeon in 45 minutes and ₩25,000 (about $18) to Haeundae in 70.
The two terminals
The domestic terminal (국내선) handles flights from Gimpo, Jeju, and the other Korean airports; the international terminal (국제선) is next door. In both, arrivals and the tourist information desk (open 06:00 to 23:00) are on the first floor and check-in is on the second. Exits on the domestic first floor are numbered gates, and every transport option is keyed to one: Gate 1 for the light rail, Gate 4 for taxis and the bus ticket office, and the bus bays out front. A free shuttle loops between the international terminal (Gate 1), the domestic terminal (Gate 4), and the long-term parking lot every 12 minutes from 05:00 to 22:48, but the terminals are close enough that most people walk.
The airport closes overnight. Busan city describes a curfew on flights between 23:00 and 06:00, which is why the last arrivals land before 23:00 and why there is no late-night transport problem to solve: if your flight is scheduled, something is still running.
Useful services: CU convenience stores on the first floor of both terminals (06:00 to 22:00), which is where you buy a transit card if you land without one. Busan's own card is Cashbee (캐시비), but T-money from Seoul works on the light rail, the metro, and the buses here, so keep using the one you have. Mobile carrier counters (SKT, KT, LG U+) are on the international first floor, 06:00 to 22:00, and there are none in the domestic terminal. Luggage storage (짐캐리) is on the international third floor (06:00 to 21:00) and the domestic second floor (06:00 to 20:00). The only bank branch, BNK Busan Bank, is on the international first floor and keeps banking hours (09:00 to 16:00). Free Wi-Fi covers both terminals.
Step by step: light rail to Sasang, then the metro
- Leave the domestic terminal through Gate 1 and cross the crosswalk. Airport Station (공항역) of the light rail is directly across the road. From the international terminal, walk to the domestic terminal first (or ride the shuttle to its Gate 4), then use Gate 1.
- Tap your T-money or Cashbee card at the gate. A single-journey ticket costs ₩1,700, and it does not carry the free transfer, so a card saves money the moment you change trains.
- Ride toward Sasang (사상, signed for 서부터미널 too) for Line 2, or toward Daejeo (대저) for Line 3. Trains are driverless, two cars long, and run every few minutes. Sasang is 6 minutes away and Daejeo is 8. Nearly everyone wants Sasang: Line 2 from there runs east through Seomyeon to Haeundae.
- Change at Sasang to Line 2 (2호선) toward Jangsan (장산). With a card the transfer is free if you tap in within 30 minutes; the ₩500 cross-city transfer surcharge was abolished on September 19, 2025. Seomyeon is one fare section from Sasang, so the whole trip from the airport costs ₩1,600. Haeundae is two sections, ₩1,800.
- For Busan Station or Nampo, change again at Seomyeon to Line 1 (1호선) toward Dadaepo Beach (다대포해수욕장). Both are two sections from Sasang, ₩1,800 total.
Trains from Airport Station toward Sasang run from 05:33 to 00:09, and the last one that still connects to a Line 2 train toward Jangsan leaves Sasang at 23:46, so a late arrival can still make the metro. Line 3 from Daejeo has an earlier last connection at 23:23.
Costs
Adult fares from the airport with a transit card. Dollar figures are approximate at about ₩1,360 to the dollar. Fares shown here are the ones in force on the operators' pages as of this page's verification date; Busan's bus and taxi tariffs date from 2023 and the metro fare from May 2024.
| Option | Fare | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light rail and Line 2 to Seomyeon | ₩1,600 (about $1.20) | 6 minutes to Sasang, then Line 2 | Free transfer with a card |
| Light rail and metro to Haeundae, Busan Station, or Nampo | ₩1,800 (about $1.30) | 6 minutes to Sasang, then Line 2 (and Line 1 for Busan Station and Nampo) | Two fare sections |
| Airport limousine 1 to Haeundae and Jangsan Station | ₩9,500 (about $7); youth ₩7,600, children ₩4,800 | About 90 minutes to Jangsan; some runs continue to Gijang in about 110 | Card only, no cash |
| Airport limousine 2 to Seomyeon and Bujeon Station | ₩6,000 (about $4.40); youth ₩4,800, children ₩3,000 | About 50 minutes to Bujeon | Card only, every 60 to 80 minutes |
| City bus 307 to Haeundae | ₩1,550 (about $1.15); ₩1,700 cash | Long: it winds through Gupo, Deokcheon, Dongnae, and BEXCO first | Carry-on luggage only |
| Express city bus 3003 to Jagalchi and Taejongdae | ₩2,100 (about $1.55); ₩2,200 cash | No official time published | Busan's seat-bus fare |
| Taxi to Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel) | About ₩18,000 (about $13) | 45 minutes | Airport estimate, regular taxi |
| Taxi to Nampo (Jagalchi Market) | About ₩20,000 (about $15) | 60 minutes | Airport estimate |
| Taxi to Haeundae (Paradise Hotel) or Gwangalli | About ₩25,000 (about $18) | 70 minutes | Airport estimate |
A regular Busan taxi starts at ₩4,800 (about $3.50) for the first 2 km, then ₩100 per 132 m. Night surcharges are 20% from 23:00 to midnight, 30% from midnight to 02:00, and 20% from 02:00 to 04:00. Deluxe taxis (모범택시, the black ones) start at ₩7,500 and the airport's estimates for them run about 80% above the regular fare: ₩32,400 to Seomyeon, ₩45,000 to Haeundae.
Options compared
Seomyeon and central Busan. Take the light rail and Line 2 unless you have more luggage than you can lift onto a train. Airport limousine 2 goes to the door of the Lotte Hotel at Seomyeon Station and on to Bujeon Market and Bujeon Station for ₩6,000, but only twelve times a day (from the airport at 07:20, 08:40, 10:00, 11:20, 12:40, 14:00, 15:20, 16:40, 17:50, 19:00, 20:20, and 21:30), so check the clock before you wait for it. A taxi at ₩18,000 is reasonable for two or three people.
Haeundae and Centum City. Airport limousine 1 is the comfortable choice: it stops at Shinsegae Centum City, BEXCO, the Yacht Stadium, the Park Hyatt, Hanwha Resort, Dongbaek Island, Haeundae Beach, the Haeundae hot-spring crossing, and Jangsan Station, then on some runs continues to the Osiria theme park area, Ananti Cove, and Gijang. Jangsan-bound departures run 07:10 to 16:50 and Gijang-bound ones 10:10 to 21:40, so read the timetable for whether your bus turns back at Jangsan. The rail alternative is ₩1,800 and one change at Sasang, and it is the only option before 07:00. City bus 307 also goes all the way to Haeundae Beach and Songjeong for ₩1,550, but it takes the slow inland route and Busan's bus rules only allow carry-on-sized bags.
Busan Station and Nampo. There is no airport limousine to either since the January 2026 reorganization, so any guide that mentions a Busan Station limousine is out of date. Rail is ₩1,800 with two changes (Sasang, then Seomyeon), express bus 3003 runs to Jagalchi and Taejongdae for ₩2,100 from 05:00 to 21:30, and a taxi to Nampo is about ₩20,000.
Gijang, Osiria, and the east coast resorts. Airport limousine 1 on its Gijang runs, about 110 minutes for the same ₩9,500.
How to pay for the limousine
The two airport limousines follow stricter rules than a city bus. There is no cash. Buy a QR ticket in the Bustago app (버스타고, the intercity bus app, Korean only), at the ticket office 10 meters to the right of domestic Gate 4 (open 06:30 to 22:00), or at the kiosks, or tap a transit card or credit card at the bus if seats remain. Seating is open, not assigned. You can bring two bags under 30 kg combined; carry-on bags ride inside and larger ones go in the hold. Both routes board at platform 3 on the first floor of either terminal. The limousine does not count as a transfer, so tapping a card on it after the metro earns no discount.
Beyond Busan: intercity buses and KTX
Intercity buses (시외버스) leave straight from the airport, from platform 4 outside the domestic terminal (platform 4 or 5 outside the international one), and you need a ticket before boarding, from the ticket office, a kiosk, or the Bustago app. The airport lists Ulsan for ₩8,800 (06:25 to 22:25, about every 30 minutes), Gyeongju for ₩9,500 and Pohang for ₩14,900 (fifteen departures between 07:20 and 22:00), Dongdaegu for ₩11,100 (29 a day, 07:00 to 22:30), Changwon and Masan for ₩9,100 (06:25 to 22:05), Geoje for ₩8,200 to ₩9,400 depending on the stop, Jinju for ₩8,900 (five a day), and Gwangju for ₩25,800 (one bus, 08:05). For Seoul, Daejeon, or anywhere on the KTX line, take the metro to Busan Station and ride KTX; see Busan to Seoul.
Gotchas for foreigners
- The limousine takes no cash and gives no transfer discount. Have a card ready, and do not expect the ₩1,600 you paid on the metro to count toward it.
- A single-journey rail ticket doubles your fare. The light rail and the metro are separate companies, and the free transfer between them only works with a stored-value card. Two single tickets cost ₩3,400 for a trip that costs ₩1,600 on T-money.
- Old guides list buses that are gone. The Busan Station and Nampo limousine and the old ₩7,500 Seomyeon fare ended with the January 2026 reorganization. Naver Map and Kakao Map list the current routes as 공항리무진1 and 공항리무진2.
- City buses limit luggage. Busan's bus rules allow one carry-on-sized bag (up to 20 kg, 50 by 40 by 20 cm) per person, and drivers on route 307 can refuse a large suitcase.
- SIM cards are sold in the international terminal only. If you arrive domestic, sort out data before you fly, or use the free airport Wi-Fi to load an eSIM.
- The black taxis are deluxe taxis. They are legal and roughly 80% dearer. Wait for a regular silver or white taxi at the stand across from domestic Gate 4.
- Midnight is expensive by taxi. The 30% surcharge between midnight and 02:00 is higher than Seoul's 20% at the same hours, and the curfew means you will rarely need it.