Busan Gimhae Airport to the City: Light Rail, Bus or Taxi

What to do

For most trips into Busan, use the light rail plus the subway. Buy or load a transit card, ride the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail from Airport station, and change at Sasang for Busan Metro Line 2 or at Daejeo for Line 3. Take the limousine bus if you want one seat all the way to Seomyeon or Haeundae, and a taxi if you arrive late or carry a lot of luggage.

Which line goes from Gimhae Airport into Busan?

The Busan-Gimhae Light Rail is the rail link at the airport. Gimhae Airport’s own subway page names two transfer points: Sasang station for Busan Metro Line 2 and Daejeo station for Line 3.

Transfer at	Change to	Position on the light rail
Sasang	Busan Metro Line 2	End of the line, 3 stops from Airport
Daejeo	Busan Metro Line 3	3 stops from Airport, toward Gimhae

Check a map app for which Busan Metro line suits your hotel before you leave the terminal.

On the light rail, Sasang is the end of the line in the Busan direction. Trains toward Gaya University run the other way, into Gimhae city.

Step by step by rail

1. Get a transit card, or buy a single-journey ticket at the station.
2. Follow the signs from the terminal to the light rail Airport station.
3. Board a train toward Sasang if you are heading into Busan.
4. Tap out, then tap in again on Busan Metro within 30 minutes so the transfer counts.
5. Tap out at your destination with the same card.

The first train from Airport toward Sasang leaves at 05:06 and the last at 23:48, according to the light rail operator’s first and last train page. If you land after that, plan on a taxi.

How much does the light rail and subway cost?

An adult pays ₩1,600 by transit card for one fare zone on the light rail, or ₩1,800 for two zones. A single-journey ticket adds ₩100 to each fare. Youth (13 to 18) pay less, and children aged 6 to 12 ride free with a transit card.

Busan Metro uses distance instead of zones. The Busan Transportation Corporation charges an adult ₩1,600 by card for trips up to 10 km and ₩1,800 for longer ones. Single-journey tickets cost ₩1,700 and ₩1,900.

Ticket	Light rail, 1 zone	Light rail, 2 zones	Busan Metro, up to 10 km	Busan Metro, over 10 km
Transit card (adult)	₩1,600	₩1,800	₩1,600	₩1,800
Single-journey ticket (adult)	₩1,700	₩1,900	₩1,700	₩1,900

When you change between the light rail, Busan Metro and buses with a transit card, the light rail operator says you pay the highest single fare among the modes you used. You must board the next vehicle within 30 minutes of getting off, and up to two transfers count. The extra regional transfer charge was dropped on 19 September 2025, according to the same fare page.

Limousine bus from Gimhae Airport

Two limousine routes leave from Platform 3 on the first floor of both the international and domestic terminals. Both accept credit cards only.

Route	Fare	First and last bus	Interval
Seomyeon and Bujeon	₩6,000	07:20 to 21:30	About 70 min
Haeundae and Gijang	₩9,500	07:10 to 21:40	About 60 min

The Seomyeon bus calls at the international terminal, the domestic terminal, Jurye station, Dongeui University station and Seomyeon station and Bujeon Market before ending at Bujeon Station. The Haeundae and Gijang route’s listed stops include Park Hyatt Busan and Haeundae Beach, and buses toward Gijang also stop at Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan. The airport notes that operators can change times and fares without notice, so check the airport page on the day.

Taxi from Gimhae Airport

At Gimhae Airport, a standard taxi starts at ₩4,800 for the first 2 km, and a deluxe or jumbo taxi at ₩7,500 for the first 3 km. After that, the standard meter adds ₩100 for every 132 m or every 33 seconds in slow traffic.

The airport publishes these estimates:

Destination	Standard taxi	Deluxe taxi	Time estimate
Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel)	₩18,000	₩32,400	45 min
Nampo-dong (Jagalchi Market)	₩20,000	₩36,000	60 min
Haeundae (Paradise Hotel)	₩25,000	₩45,000	70 min
Gwangalli	₩25,000	₩45,000	70 min
Taejongdae	₩28,000	₩50,400	80 min

The airport’s taxi page lists night surcharges of 20% from 23:00 to midnight, 30% from midnight to 02:00 and 20% from 02:00 to 04:00. Trips that leave the city carry a 30% surcharge.

Common mistakes

• Riding the light rail toward Gaya University. That direction goes into Gimhae city, away from Busan.
• Waiting too long between lines. The transfer discount only applies if you board the next line within 30 minutes.
• Trying to pay the limousine bus in cash. Both routes are listed as card only.
• Arriving after the last light rail. The last train toward Sasang leaves at 23:48, and the last limousine bus at 21:40.
• Buying single-journey tickets for every ride. Each one costs ₩100 more than the card fare, and you lose the transfer discount. See cash and cards in Korea for payment options.

When this does not apply

If you are going on to Seoul or another city by KTX, you may want Busan Station rather than your hotel first; see booking the KTX. For walking and transit directions inside Busan, use a local map app such as those in Naver Map and Kakao Map. Fares and timetables change, so check the official pages before you fly.