Golden October Week Getaway

China Golden Week Tour

North Korea China Golden Week Tour - If you are travelling around China during this time of the year or if you are based in China and would like to have a break during the notoriously busy Chinese Golden Week, this is the perfect chance to hop on a trip to the DPRK. The application deadline for this trip is September 1st.

If you apply after the application deadline we will be able to notify you within 24 hours if your transportation means can be booked on time.

This trip will also allow you escape a busy week in China. If you may need us to arrange any trips or accommodation in China please do let us know as we offer trips all over the Middle Kingdom.

It is possible for non-US travellers to enter by train. Please contact us if interested in this option.

Day 1 - September 29 (Saturday)

Depart from Beijing at 13.05 flight JS 152 Terminal 2, Beijing Capital Airport
Arrive in Pyongyang at 15.35 (Pyongyang time)

Fountain Park - couples tend to come here to take newly wed pictures.
Mansudae Grand Monuments - giant bronze statues of the Leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il
Arch of Triumph - gigantic marble structure that marks the arrival of the Eternal President back to Korea after fighting for the anti-Japanese struggle
Brief walk around the area, see the enormous mural of President Kim Il Sung's speech upon arriving in Korea after the liberation from Japan
Hotel check-in: Yanggakdo Hotel
Welcome Dinner: KITC Restaurant, Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 2 - October 30 (Sunday)

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun - Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The most sacred place in the DPRK, you are kindly asked to wear formal clothing. We will fully brief you regarding your travel to North Korea

Preparations for Military March in Pyongyang

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery - dedicated to National Heroes of the DPRK. It has views of the whole skyline of Pyongyang

Lunch: Local restaurtant, Pyongyang
Grand People's Study House - see the biggest study institution in the DPRK with great views of Kim Il Sung Square
Kim Il Sung Square- this is the square we usually see on TV when parades and mass rallies are held in Pyongyang
Moran Park - tends to be busy with locals on Sundays and holidays. Do not be surprised if you are asked to join in any dances that may be taking place!
Juche Tower- wchance to go up 150 metres and have a panoramic view of Pyongyang or to relax by the Taedong River if you would rather not go up the tower
Pyongyang Metro (extended ride) - the deepest in the world. Ride with locals for several stops
Party Foundation Monuments - consisting of a 50 metre tall hammer, sickle and brush

Party Monument in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea (DPRK)

Evening Departure to Kaesong - We will have a break on this 2.5 hour drive. As we drive on the empty Reunification Highway, our guides will give us a detailed explanation of the DPRK’s Reunification principles. It will become dark as we approach Kaesong. Riding across the pitch-black highway as we chat with our Korean guides is an interesting and a little surreal experience. When we arrive Kaesong we will be able to see the giant lit up bronze statue of President Kim Il Sung at a distance overlooking the whole city, once capital of the Koryo Dynasty

Minsok Courtyard Hotel in Kaesong, North Korea (DPRK)

Check-in: Minsok Hotel - The folk hotel is a traditional courtyard hotel located in the old part of Kaesong. Given that there is a clear night, which should be the case this time of year, walking around the premises at night allow you to see countless stars which is a stark contrast to the skies from Seoul only just 70 KM south (you can see the difference from Kaesong as you look south). The statue of President Kim Il Sung can also be seen from the courtyard hotel.
Dinner: Minsok Hotel - If you would like to try some dog meat soup this is optional (€5) as is the ginseng stuffed chicken (€30, one chicken serves two people). Please let us know beforehand if interested in the chicken a few hours before our arrival to Kaesong as it will have to be prepared beforehand. Please note that these dishes are optional and that regardless on whether you order them or not, many other dishes will be served.

Overnight: Minsok Folk Hotel, Kaesong

Day 3 - October 1 (Monday)

Breakfast: Minsok Hotel, Kaesong

Tomb of King Kongmin and his Mongolian wife. We will see tombs of generals on the way there too. These tombs have undergone very little restoration and therefore remain close to their original state.

38th Parallel (DMZ) - chance to enter the famous blue negotiation rooms where talks between North & South Korea have taken place. We will tour Panmunjom, always escorted by KPA soldiers as is mandatory. We will see where the Korean War Armistice was signed. The KPA soldiers tend to be keen on seeing what travellers views on the Korean War and the Korean peninsula are and a visit here presents us with a unique chance to interact with North Korean soldiers.

Koryo Museum, Kaesong - we head to the city of Kaesong which was not destroyed by the Korean War and boasts an old part of town, to visit what initially was a university during the Koryo dynasty. We will be explained what life was like in Korea in the medieval ages.
Kaesong Stamp Shop - chance to purchase stamps, postcards (you can actually send these from North Korea to your home country) and artwork.

Lunch at Tongil Restaurant (Kaesong city) - reunification restaurant. You will be served 12 different dishes in covered up golden plated small bowls.
Drive back to Pyongyang
Stop at the Re-unification Monuments - good chance to take some pictures
Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum - see the North Korean version of the Korean War. This museum exhibits original weapons and vehicles used during the first Cold War conflict. It was moved to a much bigger building in 2013 and is now a truly impressive and detailed museum fully explaining the DPRK version of the Korean War.

Korean War Museum in Pyongyang, DPRK (North Korea)

USS Pueblo- US spy ship captured in 1968. The only US vessel in possession of another country and is proudly shown by the DPRK as a trophy
Dinner: Local restaurant in Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 4 - October 3 (Tuesday)

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Drive to Mt. Myohyang- "Fragrance Mountain" is located in a beautiful quiet area of Korea. Chance to see a variety of landscapes when driving there
International Friendship Exhibition Centresee where thousands of gifts have been presented to the Leaders Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Mother Kim Jong Suk (wife and mother of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il respectively). There is now too a new section for the Leader Kim Jong Un.

Pohyon Buddhist Temple - initially built almost 1000 years ago (it has undergone restauration several times), this used to be the centre of buddhim in this region of Korea

Lunch: Chongchon Hotel, Mt. Myohyang
Drive back to Pyongyang
Children's Palace - see the children taking extra curricular activities and then assist a truly amazing performance put on by them
Dinner: Pyongyang Number 1 Duck BBQ Restaurant, Pyongyang
Local evening funfair - we ask for a visit here to be arranged not so much for the rides (which are great fun!) but more so because it is a great chance to mingle with North Koreans. If you decide to take a ride rates vary from 1.5 to 6 Euros per ride.
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 5 - October 3 (Wednesday)

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
Pyongyang Film Studios - see where movies in North Korea are filmed. If lucky we might see a movie being filmed!
National Embroidery Institute - absolutely stunning artworks are produced here. We'll be able to see the workshops where these are produced while the workers are making them. You can also purchase sewn pictures. The other interesting aspect of the embroidery institute is that is right by the Ryugyong Hotel and it is then when you realise how gigantic this building is!
Pohyon Temple - initially built in 1042, it used to be the centre of Buddhism in the region.
Kim Il Sung University - chance to visit the top university in DPRK

Lunch: Local restaurant in Pyongyang
Drive to the port city of Nampo - located on the west coast of the DPRK. We will drive on the Youth Hero Highway, a highway built by university students at the end of 1990s. Some of the guides that we have now worked with for many years were actually involved in helping construct the highway. We believe that knowing the local guides as well as their personal stories and views on life in North Korea as well as on the rest of the world are a vital part of the trip and truly believe that our long lasting and trusting relationship with our Korean partners as well as our small groups help this to be attainable.
Chongsan Cooperative Farm - see how Koreans work and live in this model cooperative farm. We will have the chance to visit a farmer’s home and walk around the fields
West Sea Barrage - 8 km long barrage that seperates the West Sea and the Taedong River; a source of pride in the DPRK
Drive back to Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 6 - October 4 (Thursday)