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Voykit pocket guide · North Korea (DPRK)

Pyongyang

평양

Independent travel to Pyongyang is not possible; check your own government's travel advice before considering anything, and note that entry has been closed or heavily restricted for extended periods.

Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea, a city built almost entirely after the Korean War around wide boulevards, state monuments and Soviet-influenced architecture. All foreign visitors travel on state-organised, guided tours with fixed itineraries; there is no independent movement. Entry rules and which nationalities are admitted change without notice, and several governments advise against all travel.

ChongjinHaejuHamhungKaechonKaesongManpoNamphoRasonSariwonSinchonSinuijuWonsanPyongyang100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
North Korea (DPRK)
Local name
평양
Best months
Check with your government; if tours resume, Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct avoid the coldest and hottest extremes of the local continental climate.
Avoid
Check with your government; Dec–Feb is cold and Jul–Aug is hot and humid.
Stay
n/a nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Money
Foreign cards, ATMs and transfers do not work: see Insurance & payments above.

Get in

By air

FNJ · Pyongyang Sunan International
Limited international flights, mostly to/from China and Russia; check the operator and current route status
Show 6 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

Independent movement is not permitted anywhere in the country; visitors move by tour bus with an assigned guide at all times. Deviating from the group itinerary is not allowed.

See and do

Known for

  • Kim Il Sung Square
  • Juche Tower
  • Arch of Triumph
  • Pyongyang Metro's deep decorated stations
  • Mansudae Grand Monument
  • Ryugyong Hotel exterior

Sleep

Assigned by authorities
Foreigners cannot choose their own hotel; tour operators assign a designated hotel, commonly on an island in the Taedong River.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Scams and watch-outs

  • Check your own government's travel advice first; several governments advise against all travel and some bar their own citizens from entering.
  • Independent travel is not possible and rules can change without notice, including sudden closures to all foreign tourists.
  • Photography is restricted: ask your guide before photographing anything, especially monuments, military or checkpoints.
  • Phones, internet access and communication with people outside the tour group are heavily restricted or unavailable.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Pyongyang yet. Suggested stay: n/a nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Kim Il Sung Square
  • Juche Tower
  • Arch of Triumph
  • Pyongyang Metro's deep decorated stations
  • Mansudae Grand Monument
  • Ryugyong Hotel exterior

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Pyongyang평양

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/pyongyang). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.