South Korea›Gyeongsang: Busan, Gyeongju & Andong›Busan›January
Busan in January
Mixed month: January is outside the recommended season (April – June, September – November). Plan around: Seollal (Lunar New Year) Travel Rush. Seollal (Lunar New Year) can fall this month.
The season opens in April, 3 months away. Jangma: the Summer Monsoon usually starts in July, 6 months away. Typhoon Season usually starts in August, 7 months away.
3 days in Busan in January · from ₹28,907 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book January
Closures, crowds and rules at Busan this month.
Worth knowing
Seollal (Lunar New Year) Travel Rush
Seollal falls on 6 February 2027 (holidays 5-7 February). Trains, express buses and Jeju flights sell out weeks ahead, expressways jam, and many small restaurants and shops close for the three days. Book every train and flight that week early, or stay in one city over the holiday.
What’s on in January
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Seollal (Lunar New Year)dates shift yearly
Three days of family holiday when much of Korea travels home: KTX, SRT and express-bus seats sell out weeks ahead, Gimpo–Jeju flights are full, and many small restaurants, markets and shops close. Palaces and the big sights stay open, often with folk games and free entry days. Avoid moving between cities on the first and last day.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹28,907 for two
- Room a night₹4,680
- Food a day, each₹2,626
Mid-range
₹67,457 for two
- Room a night₹10,800
- Food a day, each₹6,060
Luxury
₹1,55,779 for two
- Room a night₹25,200
- Food a day, each₹14,140
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for South Korea yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Busan (PUS)
Flights from India: from 4 cities, one way from ₹28,000
Fly into Seoul (ICN), 326 km away
Then: Train · 3h (KTX from Seoul Station / SRT from Suseo)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹25,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹4,500
- Apply for a C-3-9 short-term tourist visa at the Korea Visa Application Centre (run by VFS Global) for your state, about a month before you fly: ₹3,400 visa fee plus ₹1,100 service charge. Allow about 10 working days; express processing is not offered at the Delhi and Kolkata centres.
- Before you land, fill in the free e-Arrival Card online (or the paper card handed out on the plane). Use only the official Korean government site.
- At immigration in Incheon or Busan, show your passport with the visa; your fingerprints and photo are taken. You can stay up to 90 days on a single-entry tourist visa.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months, with blank pages; Visa application form and a recent 35 x 45 mm photo on a white background; Bank statements for the last 6 months and income-tax returns (ITR); Letter from your employer granting leave, or proof of your business or studies; Confirmed return flight, hotel bookings and a day-by-day itinerary.
Most Indian tourists need a visa before they fly: there is no e-visa or visa on arrival for a regular tourist trip, and the K-ETA is not for Indian passports. Tour groups booked through designated agencies have the visa fee waived until 31 December 2026. Jeju Island has its own visa-free rule for direct international arrivals, which one source says covers Indians; confirm with the Korean Embassy before relying on it.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in South Korea in January
Instead in season this month.
- Pyeongchang · good month
Nearby in Gyeongsang: Busan, Gyeongju & Andong:
Want this as a real plan?
Busan in January, day by day, priced for your group.