Maritime museums · Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
Korea National Maritime Museum
Busan's maritime museum on Yeongdo — free, on the water, and open late on summer Saturdays
The Korea National Maritime Museum sits on the water at Yeongdo in Busan and covers the sea as a whole subject: shipwreck archaeology and the trade routes that produced it, navigation and shipbuilding, fisheries, maritime law, and an aquarium section of Korean coastal marine life. It is free, which for a building of this size on this site is remarkable, and it is one of the better rainy-day options in a city that gets a lot of rain.
The practical shape of a visit is set by two things: it closes on Mondays, and on Saturdays in summer it stays open until 9pm, which is the pleasantest time to be there with the harbour outside the windows. The children's museum runs on timed sessions with a small online allocation per slot, so families should book rather than arrive hopeful.
Visiting
- Hours
- Tuesday–Friday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (last admission 5:30 pm) Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9:00 am – 7:00 pm (last admission 6:30 pm); Saturdays from May to August until 9:00 pm
- Closed
- Mondays; when the Monday is a public holiday, the next working day instead
- Admission
- Free, apart from the 4D theatre and ticketed special exhibitions
- Address
- 45 Haeyang-ro 301beon-gil, Yeongdo-gu, Busan
- Getting there
- City buses towards Yeongdo from Busan Station or Nampo-dong, alighting at the maritime museum or the maritime university entrance. Parking on site
- From the airport
- From Gimhae (PUS), Busan's own airport: the light rail to Sasang and Line 2 to Nampo, then a Yeongdo bus — about 80 minutes. From Incheon (ICN) the sensible route is KTX from Seoul to Busan, roughly three hours, then a bus
- The children's museum takes only a small online allocation per session, so weekends need booking in advance.
- Summer Saturdays run to 9pm, which is the best slot the museum has.
- Tents and cooking are not allowed in the outdoor picnic area.
Checked against the official pages on 2026-09-21. Hours and fees change — confirm before you travel. Official site
How much English you will find
- Permanent gallery panels are labelled in Korean and English, and much of the display is object-led or aquarium-based, which carries across languages easily.
- The website is principally Korean; the visitor-information pages are the ones to translate if you need the current session times.
- Guided talks and the children's programmes are run in Korean.
How to visit
- 1
Get there by bus from Busan Station or Nampo-dong
Yeongdo is an island joined to central Busan by bridges, and city buses towards the island stop at the museum or at the maritime university entrance. It is a short ride from Busan Station or Nampo-dong and there is parking on site if you are driving.
- 2
Book the children's museum if you are bringing children
It runs in timed sessions with a small online allocation for each one, so weekend slots go early. The main museum needs no booking at all — only the children's section does, and that is the part families most want.
- 3
Come on a summer Saturday evening
From May to August the museum stays open until 9pm on Saturdays. The building is on the water and the late slot is both cooler and quieter than a Busan afternoon in July, which is a real consideration in that city.
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything?
No. General admission to the museum is free, including the permanent galleries and the marine-life displays. The 4D theatre and any ticketed special exhibition are the exceptions, and both are optional extras rather than part of the main route.
Is it suitable for children?
Very, and that is the part to plan. The children's museum runs in timed sessions with a limited online allocation each, so weekend slots go early and turning up without a booking usually means missing it. The main galleries, with the aquarium sections, need no booking at all.
How does it fit into a day in Busan?
Yeongdo is a short bus ride from Nampo-dong and Busan Station, so the museum combines naturally with Taejongdae at the far end of the island or with the Jagalchi fish market back on the mainland. Half a day here is realistic; a full one is not.
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