Welcome to our North Korea travel guide. Visiting North Korea is a daunting experience for first timers. It is a trip which brings so many questions and requires so much research. Our FAQ North Korea travel guide helps answer some of the fundamental questions and basics in visiting the country. We want you to know that despite all it may seem, visiting North Korea is a simple, safe and surreal experience! Happy travels!
Opening Questions
We want to make a case for visiting North Korea, we want to be able to persuade people to make this journey. Not only is it amongst the most exciting journeys a person can ever make in a lifetime, it is possibly one of the biggest educational experiences travel is able to grant you. We promise you that such a trip entails a huge number of personal benefits to you and the people of North Korea, it will make an impression on you, for the right reasons, that will you never forget. Read More…
In mainstream public opinion, the idea of travelling to North Korea appears to be bizarre, daring, unconventional and perhaps slightly crazy. At Visit North Korea however, we pride ourselves on being different. We do not “go with the flow” we are objective thinkers who choose to see past the mirage of the media and government. We advocate travel to North Korea because we believe in a more open, peaceful and interconnected world free of prejudice, fear, confrontation and hate… (see more)
Getting Started
When I talk about visiting North Korea, the most common question I get asked is “how“? How do you visit North Korea? How do you get in? What do you do? The answers are simple, (learn more here)
The food in North Korea given to tourists is of a good standard, however being a developing country you can never be so sure. Sometimes the food hygeine standards used in preparation can be lower. Resultantly its best precautions are brought with in the form of stomach and anti-diarrhoea medication just in case things go run. Read More…
“Visiting North Korea raises many dilemmas for people from an ethical perspective” highlights Tad Farrell, the founder of NKnews. Indeed, some commentators and observers have criticized the tourist program of North Korea. They make the following arguments: 1) That it supports a dictatorial regime with money and their oppressive activities, and 2)that it finances North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Consequentially, the subject of visiting North Korea has became a controversial and interesting element of public debate. This given debate reached its height notably in late 2013 when former NBA star Dennis Rodman famously visited the country, an episode which attracted worldwide media attention. Read More…
Is North Korea a safe place to visit? The media sometimes claims it isn’t. Find out the truth here (see more)
Traveling to North Korea
Most tours begin here. Find out how to navigate and elaborate Beijing’s enormous railway station in order to ensure your trip gets off to a good start (see more…)
If your tour involves the overnight sleeper train from Beijing to Dandong, then you need to know what to expect and prepare for on this unique commute… (see more)
What to see, do and prepare for whilst stopping at China’s border city, Dandong on the way to Pyongyang.. (see more)
An overview of the process of North Korean customs and entry… (see more)
Things to see and do whilst travelling to North Korea’s capital city. It’s a train experience unlike any other… (see more).
When in North Korea
An overview of the essential rules and expectations when visiting the country (see more)…
On North Korea Tours, the meals you get are all inclusive as part of the deal, as well as the drinks alongside these meals. This makes things a lot simpler. The guides will take you to a number of different “restaurants” throughout Pyongyang and the country (there is also the hotel restaurant), where you will always be served authentic Korean food with either water or alcohol to drink, served in a traditional way. You will not be given a menu to choose from. Read More…
Shops in North Korea offer the most bizarre and exotic shopping experience a visitor will ever have, but also a very good value for money. North Korea has a number of “gift shops” especially for tourists (and not locals) which sell a range of locally themed, eccentric goods. A few of these shops are situated in the Yanggakdo hotel, others found around Pyongyang and others are largely at various sites and museums. Unlike in some Asian countries, the staff in shops in North Korea are reserved and not pushy. They will never try and “force” a product upon you, rip you off or scam you. Read More…
With most North Korea tours, this is the place you will be staying at. The “Yanggakdo International Hotel” in Pyongyang. An enormous 47 storey hotel located on Yanggakdo Island in the Middle of the Taedong river in Pyongyang, a great central location. Read More…
Places of Interest
North Korea’s largest and most iconic statues. As an inevitable part of the tour package, it is essential to learn the do’s and don’ts (see more)…
North Korea’s own history of the Korean War, the ins and outs of visiting one of the most extraordinary sites in the country (see more)
The largest library in North Korea, a centre of learning, curiousity and… bewilderment… (see more)
Discovering the monument to North Korea’s national ideology… (see more)
The mass transit system of Pyongyang is always included on tour itineraries, but what should you expect when visiting? (see more)
A UNESCO approved World Heritage History, the Koryo Museum in the ancient city of Kaesong offers a glimpse into Korea’s history (see more)
The Mangyongdae NatiVE House is the apparent restoration of Kim Il-sung’s childhood home in the outskirts of Pyongyang, but is everything all as it seems? (Read More)
