Discover Tongdosa Temple: A Must-Visit Temple in Busan

Tongdosa Temple is one of the most beautiful temples I have seen in my four visits to South Korea. Located in the Yeongnam area of Busan, it is less touristy than others in Busan or even Seoul. It is the perfect day trip from Busan. 

I visited in late October and it was jaw-droppingly beautiful. The different shades of yellow and red leaves took my breath away. Walking along the foot of Geumjeongsan mountain in the fall felt like I was in a movie. Despite being the only foreigner there, I did not get many stares. In fact, the elderly would often stop me and offer to take pictures of me, something that I never experienced before. 

Picture taken by one of the local elderly

Photos taken by the sweetest old Korean lady.

This is one of my new favorite spots in South Korea. The mountain's beauty, the temple's rich history, and the locals' kindness touched my heart. I created this blog post to encourage and help others to travel to Tongdosa Temple. 

Temple Information 

Tongdosa Temple is open daily, but you should check the official website. It is also free of charge. Do note that this is a religious site so try to avoid wearing any revealing clothing.

How to Get to Tongdosa Temple in Busan

To get to Tongdosa Temple, you can rent a car (you would need an international driver’s license), take a taxi, or use public transportation. Taking a taxi will take approximately half an hour and cost around 19,000 Won, which is $13 USD. If you are like me, a traveler on a budget, and decide to use public transportation it will take you around 1hr30mins to 2 hours (depending on where you are starting your journey in Busan) to get to Tongdosa Temple. Despite it being quite a long journey, it is fairly simple to get there since you don’t have to transfer a lot. I recommend using the Naver App to help you navigate. 

In one of my transfer stations, I decided to walk around the neighborhood a little bit and found a small shop owned by the sweetest elderly woman that sold the best gimbap for 4,000 Won ($2.70).

How Long You Should Stay 

I recommend dedicating a whole day to visiting Tongdosa Temple due to it being quite far from the city. If you are driving, you can also stop along the way to visit small shops and restaurants. The temple complex is quite big and I would suggest taking at least 2 hours to walk around. 

Getting Around

Whether you take a taxi, drive, or use public transportation, your journey to Tongdosa Temple will start at the Tongdosa Temple Entrance. From there, you will have to walk 2km along the foot of Geumjeongsan Mountain. There’s a river along the path and there are trees on both sides providing shade making the walk relaxing. 

Midway through the path, there is a small quaint coffee shop for those looking to rest and admire the scenery. Once you get off the pathway, you will see a big parking lot with souvenir shops, restaurants, and toilets. Keep walking past that and you will see the temple complex. Inside there’s a museum that I highly recommend if you are into history. When I visited, there were lots and lots of flowers making the neutral colors of the temple stand out.