There are a few different points of entry to North Korea. The most popular starting point by far is Beijing, China. From here you can board an Air Koryo or Air China flight (depending on scheduling)  to Pyongyang Sunan International Airport or catch the international train from Beijing to Pyongyang via Dandong.

It’s also possible to fly into North Korea from a few other locations such as Shanghai & Shenyang as well as a few other less-regularly operated routes – ask your tour manager for specific details if you’re planning a bespoke independent tour and wish to incorporate one of these less-utilised routes.

There is also a regular flight from Vladivostok, Russia.

Foreigners are also able to cross the border by train and car at a select few other crossing points, such as those visiting from Russia taking the train from Vladivostok to Pyongyang and the Namyang border crossing from China in the far northeast of Korea.

Tickets and transport will be arranged by your tour manager, the tour itself will begin abroad and the meeting location for our group tours will be made clear well in advance.

We will handle all of that for you.

You will need to organise your own Chinese (or Russian) visa so you can get yourself to the tour starting point, but during the booking, we’ll request all the information we need to apply for your North Korean visa. We’ll provide you with it when you arrive.

If you need your visa to apply for your Chinese or Russian visa (both often require proof of entry/exit) we can write a letter specifying your departure and return dates.

The official language in the country is Korean.

There are, however, dialect differences between the Korean spoken in North Korea and South Korea, so if you speak the language you may notice differences and find some words and phrases confusing.

Your guides will speak English. If you speak another language and wish to have a dedicated guide who can translate for you personally, speak to your tour manager and we will do our best to organise a guide for you – this may incur a small surcharge.

During your time in North Korea, you will not be able to use bank cards to withdraw cash or pay for things, so you’ll need to bring all the cash you need into the country with you. All meals and hotels are included in the tour cost, but for additional costs, you’ll need to bring cash.

You will need to bring either US Dollars, Chinese Renminbi or Euros to pay for things since it’s not possible to withdraw and use Korean Won during the trip (with a few exceptions for specific locations where it is possible).

How much you will need to bring depends on what you plan to buy. Souvenirs can range from cheap badges and bottles of soju to expensive paintings and exquisite artwork – check with your tour manager before you travel to get specific recommendations.

No, it’s not all fake.

Despite what you may have heard, your trip to North Korea will not be staged. We will visit real cities populated with real people going about their daily lives. The cities in North Korea are usually immaculately tidy, however, this is a byproduct of the way the country itself works, with no unemployment and city-wide cleaning days, this pristine, polished feel can often create the illusion of a facade where there is none.

Our Tour Leaders have travelled solo in the country without tour groups, and the day-to-day hustle and bustle continues unabated. The key difference in North Korea is, whilst in any other country you could follow people around and see where they’re headed, in Korea, we can only observe them in the moment.

Yes. It’s possible to take photos almost everywhere in North Korea, with notably few exceptions.

You cannot take photos of the military or military installations and checkpoints. You must also not photograph construction sites around the country. When taking photos of/with local Koreans, it’s best to ask permission first, as you would in any other country with any other people.

When taking photos of statues, murals and paintings depicting the leadership, you must make sure to be respectful and ensure not to crop out any part of the image or block any part of it.

Whilst there are exceptions, generally speaking, there is no internet access for tourists visiting North Korea.

A few hotels in the country can offer limited internet service, although it’s best to assume you won’t have internet access for the duration of your visit.

It is possible to get a SIM card that will allow you access to mobile data (3G) in the country, although these cards are very expensive with significant fees for use. Obtaining your SIM card at the airport upon arrival usually takes a lot of time with paperwork and other administrative costs, so we generally don’t recommend it, however, if you’re interested, enquire with your tour manager before travelling.

Almost all the food we’ll enjoy during the trip will be traditional Korean food. Staple foods such as Bibimbap and Cold Noodles will be prevalent on our menus. Foreign food isn’t so common in North Korea, although some tours may include a trip to the Pyongyang Pizza Restaurant or one of the country’s Chinese restaurants and most large hotels will have a slightly more varied menu. In some places, out of respect for us foreign visitors, we may be served with the odd foreign snack such as french fries – although this may not be what you expect to eat in North Korea, take it as a courtesy.

If you have specific dietary requirements, alert your tour manager and we’ll pass that information to our Korean partners ahead of time. It is possible to be vegetarian in North Korea, although do alert us in advance since even vegetarian food can be cooked alongside or in meat-based products.

You MUST alert us of any allergies in advance so we can ensure your food is prepared properly and won’t cause any issues.

With the exception of a few locations, there is no official dress code in North Korea – although we would recommend against anything overtly political.

If you visit the Mansudae Grand Monument, you won’t need to dress formally, although since the site is culturally significant, you must dress appropriately and look relatively smart.

If you visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, you will need to dress formally. A shirt and tie is required for all male visitors as well as smart trousers. Women must ensure their shoulders, knees and toes are covered and wear appropriate, smart clothing.

No. There are plenty of hotels in Pyongyang open to foreigners, and even more across the country – some more popular than others. The belief that all foreigners must stay in one hotel during their time in Korea originates from the Yanggakdo International Hotel being the most popular and regularly-used hotel in the country.

Many of our group tours make use of the Yanggakdo Hotel, however, we also stay at other major hotels in Pyongyang. If you’re planning an independent tour to the country, you’ll be able to choose which hotel to stay in.

You can find out more about the hotels in Pyongyang here:

During the winter months, the temperature in North Korea sits around 0*C – whilst not bitterly cold, these temperatures drop significantly when heading into the mountainous north of the country. During the summer, high 20s and low 30s are common daily temperatures around the country.

With variation like this, there is no time during the year in which we recommend against travelling, however Spring, Summer and Autumn are excellent for travelling due to the agreeable weather and limited risk that weather-related events will close parts of the country.

During the winter, due to the weather, it can be difficult or impossible to visit areas such as Kumgangsan or Paektusan. These warmer months also coincide with most of North Korea’s major public holidays, further reason to visit during this time.

For most ailments, the medical care in North Korea is perfectly adequate.

Whilst it is possible to receive basic medical care in North Korea, for more significant injuries and illnesses it’s often best to leave the country and seek treatment in neighbouring China.

For this reason, we require all travellers to have valid travel insurance to cover such eventualities.

Yes! There will be numerous opportunities to interact with local people during your trip, however, be aware that many people will not speak any english which can hinder communication.

If you want to take a photo of/with locals, make sure to check it’s ok beforehand. In the capital, Pyongyang, most locals are used to the presence of foreigners, although outside Pyongyang people may be more reserved or reluctant to interact with you.

If you speak Korean, this can be a useful skill and provides more opportunities to chat with locals. Don’t be afraid to try!

Yes. Drinking is a huge part of Korean culture and a popular pastime for Korean locals as well as for foreign visitors relaxing at the end of a long day on tour. Most of the hotels in Korea have operational bars where you can relax with your guides, tour leader or fellow travellers while enjoying some of North Korea’s popular beer brands such as Taedonggang, Ponghak or Pyongyang.

Other recommended drinks include Soju, a rice wine popular both in the North and South as well as Makolli, another rice-based liquor which you’ll be able to buy all around the country.

When you’re outside of the hotel, you’ll be accompanied at all times by at least one Korean guide.

Contrary to popular belief, these are not government minders, but fully trained tour guides who work closely with us as partners in planning and organising your trip.

When we return to the hotel, you’ll be free to move around and enjoy the various amenities on offer on your own.

Military parades are rarely known in advance, although they often occur on important anniversaries of national holidays or events. There are a few differing types of display such as student-led Torchlight parades, political rallies and other celebrations.

If a military parade takes place during your tour, we will likely position ourselves off the side of the square to watch the military vehicles roll past as they leave the square. There will not be an opportunity to watch the parade itself on Kim Il Sung Square.

In recent years, the country has started to hold parades at night – this makes it less likely that we’ll be able to observe the events in person, although there’s no way to know for sure.