How to Get From Busan to Daegu

If you’re traveling around South Korea, you’ll want to visit the major cities in the country.

With the short distance going from Busan to Daegu, it’s worth the time to visit South Korea’s second and third most populated cities, with Seoul being the first.

Busan is located on the southern coast of South Korea.

Daegu is located more towards the center of the country.

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Ways to Travel Around Korea

South Korea’s transit system is simple to use and convenient.

It’s a bit overwhelming because there are so many different options.

They have the KTX, ITX, SRT, Mugunghwa, buses, and I think that’s it.

Of course, you can always take a plane, a taxi, drive a car, or also rent a car.

South Korea isn’t a huge country so depending on your time in the country, it might take longer to fly than to take the KTX or any other system.

For traveling from Busan to Daegu, I do not recommend flying. The distance is short and you will most likely save some money by taking ground transportation.

Once you download a navigation app such as Naver or Kakao Maps it will help you get around better. It is always smart to make sure to check your navigation app to see which is the best option for you and your travel plans.

Check out other apps to download for South Korea.

If you are a tourist, you can get a Korail pass on their website.

busan to daegu

The KTX & SRT

They are both intercity speed trains.

SRT and KTX trains are South Korea’s high-speed rail systems owned by two different companies. They have some minor differences but essentially, they will both get you to where you want to go.

The fast trains are a bit expensive, depending on where you go.

The ITX

The ITX is a fast train; it is faster than the Mugunghwa train but slower than the KTX.

Mugunghwa

The Mugunghwa train is the Korail’s slowest tier of trains. It stops in a bunch of towns and has a bunch of lines that the other trains don’t offer. It is not as modern as the KTX but it is still comfortable and very much affordable compared to the KTX.

How to Buy Tickets

You can book train tickets online or at the stations. I would recommend booking online if you get the chance because the seats fill up quickly. Usually, there are trains multiple trains per hour.

You can also wait and book your ticket at the station.

There are ticket machines or you can buy a ticket at the ticket booth. The machines have the option for English and you can always buy tickets at the counter. If you can’t speak enough Korean, Papago is a great translator app.

You do not need to print out your ticket but you can if you want.

The last time I check, you need a Korean bank account in order to purchase tickets online.

If you have the app, that’s even better.

Both of the websites listed below are in English.

Seoul to Daegu Distance

The distance between the two cities is 300 kilometers (186 miles).

Busan to Seoul Distance

From one famous city to the next is 397 kilometers (247 miles).

How Far is Busan to Daegu?

The distance between the cities is 88 kilometers (55 miles).

Busan to Daegu By Car

Driving from one city to the next might get a little tiring. The time to get from Busan to Daegu is only a little over an hour.

Taking a taxi will probably cost around USD 100. If you rent a car, that price will obviously depend on how much you drive per day and how much gas you use.

Busan to Daegu Bus

The cheapest option for going from Busan to Daegu would be by heading to the Busan Central Bus Terminal and it will stop right at Dongdaegu Station.

The cost for the bus will be around USD 9-15 and the journey takes approximately a little over an hour to an hour and a half. Depending on traffic, of course. But the good thing about taking the bus in South Korea is that buses have their own lane. So traffic is very unlikely in those lanes.

You can purchase bus tickets at the station or online. At the station, you will not have the option to purchase your ticket through an automated system, only through a person.

Busan to Daegu Train

First, you must get to Busan Station.

You can find a bus that goes to the Busan Station and then at the station, you will find a bus terminal and the KTX.

A KTX ticket from Busan to Daegu will cost around USD 8-20 and it will take a little longer than an hour.

If you decide to take the Mugunghwa train, it might cost between USD 8-10 but it will take around an hour and a half to two hours.

Of course, you should look them up to get an estimate or closer price because they can change.

There are many factors that go into the price such as time of year, time of day, weekend/weekday, and which company you go through.

You can compare all of the options to see which one is best for you. All of the ground transportation leaves from Busan Station, which makes it easy to remember.

Where You Will Arrive in Daegu

There are two options: Dongdaegu Station and Daegu Station.

If you take the KTX, you will arrive at Dongdaegu Station.

The Dongdaegu Station isn’t exactly in the center of the city so to get to other places you will most likely have to take the metro, a bus, or a taxi to the center.

If you take the Mugunghwa AKA the slow train, you will either arrive at Daegu Station or Dongdaegu Station. Daegu Station is in the center of the city so depending on what your plans are, this may be the better option.

If you take the bus from Busan to Daegu, you will end up at the west or the east Daegu Station.

You will have to take a bus, the metro, or a taxi to get to the city center.

From Daegu to Pyeongtaek

The distance between Daegu and Pyeongtaek is 182 km (113 miles) so it would be your best bet to take the KTX.

You can go right to Pyeongtaek Station from Daegu. You can also take the KTX to CheonanAsan.
The price from Pyeongtaek to CheonanAsan is KRW 29,300 (USD 23).

CheonanAsan and Asan Sation are connected so you just have to walk a few minutes to get to the other side. Once you get to Asan Station, you have to take Line 1 to get back to Pyeongtaek.

From Asan Station to Pyeongtaek it’s only seven stops away and it took only a half-hour.

Once you get to AK Plaza Pyeongtaek, you can hop on the bus or get a taxi to your final destination.

Things to Do in Daegu

If you like bagels, check out this colorful bagel shop in Daegu called Truly Baker. In Naver Maps it’s called “Teurulli Baker.”

They have rainbow bagels and all other types of bagels you can think of. They had a great selection of cream cheese flavors as well.

The bagels were fresh and the milkshake was tasty.

I am obsessed with bagels so seeing this TikTok video about this bakery had to be on my bucket list for Korea. If you enjoy bagels, this is the place to go when you are in Daegu.

There is an abundance of shops along Dongseong-ro-3-gil in Daegu; from restaurants to clothing stores.

Spark Land is an amusement park on top of a building.

You can see the Ferris wheel from all around Daegu and it is only KRW 5,000 (USD 4) to ride it. It goes pretty high and lasts for a little less than ten minutes.

Daegu’s KTX train station is less than a ten-minute walk from Spark Land.

Check out TripAdvisor to see more things to do in Daegu.

Check out one of a few TikToks that I made of my trip from Busan to Daegu.

On the way to Spark Land on Dongseong-ro-3-gil

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