Many cyclists arrive in Busan after completing their epic Seoul to Busan bike tour.  One of the biggest questions after giving your bum a rest and celebrating your achievement is how to get back to Seoul. There are 4 bus terminals in Busan, knowing which one to use can be very helpful.

• Closest bus terminal to the last certification center: SEOBU bus terminal
• Only bus terminal to go to Incheon airport: BUSAN CENTRAL bus terminal
• To smaller nearby cities DONGRAE intercity bus terminal
• To Seoul and smaller cities Haeundae Intercity bus terminals, discussed in a previous post.

FOR CLARIFICATION:

• Intercity bus terminals (시외버스터미널): serve cities in the immediate province or area and stops more than express buses.

• Express bus terminals (고속버스 터미널): serves main cities around the country with direct buses, not stopping at other cities.
• Many times a bus terminal have both above terminals inside one building.

• Korean name: 부산종합버스터미널
• Location: Nopo subway station exit 3
• Destinations: Many big and small cities all over the country including, Incheon, Andong , Seoul and more. 
• Buses: Intercity and Express buses
• Time schedule: Express buses, 
• Website (Korean): http://www.bxt.co.kr/express_bus.html 
• Express bus website (Korean): http://www.dbterminal.co.kr/
• BUS TO SEOUL AVAILABLE (Arrive at East Seoul Terminal, Gangbyeon st, or Express Bus terminal in Gangnam)
• BUS TO INCHEON AIRPORT AVAILABLE (05:30 / 07:00 / 09:00 / 10:30  / 12:00 / 23:30 / 01:00 / 02:00 (night bus)

• Korean name: 부산서부버스터미널) 
• Location: Sasang subway station exit 5
• Closest bus terminal to the 4 river trails and the last certification center.
• Destinations: Many big and small cities all over the country 
• Buses: Intercity and Express buses
• Website (Korean): http://www.busantr.com/main/main.htm
• BUS TO SEOUL AVAILABLE (Arrive at Nambu station in Seoul)

• Korean: 동래시외버스터미널
• Location: Dongrae Subway station exit 3 (very close to a bike path)
• Destinations: Gimhae, Changwon, Jinju, Masan etc.
• Website: None that I could find
• NO BUS TO SEOUL

Unfortunately many of these websites are in Korean, only works in Internet Explorer and only accepts Korean bank cards. If you use them, it's best to ask a Korean to help.  That said, just rocking up at any bus terminal and buying tickets on the spot is easy and there are usually more than enough available.

• National Intercity bus tickets : bustago, easyticket, busterminal, dongseoul
• National Express bus tickets: kobus

Pictures courtesy of Naver.com

If you happen to find yourself in Haeundae and you want to transport yourself and your bike via bus to another part of the country here is some information about the bus terminals, destinations, time tables available. 

The very first thing you need to know is that within less than the space of a kilometer there are actually 2 Haeundae Intercity Bus terminals (시외버스터미널).Very few people know that you can travel from Haeundae to Seoul directly with a luxury bus. 

"The Bicycle Service Center in Haeundae-gu, reopened on March 3.

The center, located along the Suyeong riverside under the Jwasuyeong-gyo Bridge (Suyeong Bridge No. 3) and next to Centum Middle School, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until June and will be closed in July and then be reopened again from August to December.

Those wishing to rent a bike must provide identification and their contact information. Rentals are for one hour and there are currently 50 bikes available.

The center also offers free bike repairs* such as changing chains, brake cables, bike tires or tubes. 

Haeundae-gu will operate a used bicycle market from April. Anyone wishing to sell their bike may bring it to the center where it will be repaired and sold free of charge. Bikes that remain unsold after six months may be donated with the owner’s consent.   

You can view other free bicycle rental shops in Busan at http://english.busan.go.kr/04transportation/10_03.jsp. " 

I have decided that if I were to label myself it would be a very enthusiastic amateur cyclist. I'm by no means a professional, I was reminded of this fact just a few days ago when I experienced my first puncture since I started taking cycling more seriously. 

And for the first time in my life, I took the tube out, patched it and put it back in the tire. And how did I manage to achieve that, well it's not hard, I just googled it, watched a Youtube video or two and followed the instructions. 

Now I feel so much more confident if something like that would ever happen again in the middle of nowhere. Just always remember to have a pump with you, no matter how small.  Anyone can fix a tyre, but with no pump, it's a very unsatisfying achievement. 

LINKS

• Some picture instructions