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Voykit pocket guide · China
Dandong
丹东
Go for one night: walk the Broken Bridge at opening (¥30), see North Korea from the river promenade, then move on.
Dandong is China's largest border city, sitting on the Yalu River across from Sinuiju, North Korea. Almost everything a visitor wants — the bombed Broken Bridge, the riverside promenade with binocular views into North Korea, the Korean War museum — sits within a walkable strip along the river. One full day covers it; two nights lets you add the Hushan Great Wall and a slower look at the old street.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 丹东
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heavy rain, 250+ mm in July), Jan–Feb (down to -11 °C)Jul–Aug (heavy rain, 250+ mm in July), Jan–Feb (down to 12 °F)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥15–35 |
| Bowl of Korean-style cold noodles | ¥20–40 |
| Bibimbap or ginseng chicken | ¥35–80 |
| Beer: draught / can at a convenience store | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| Taxi across the old town | About ¥10 |
| City bus ride | ¥1–2 |
| Broken Bridge entry | ¥30 |
| Hushan Great Wall entry | ¥60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DDG · Dandong Langtou Airport
- 21 km west of town; flights are frequently cancelled, so many travellers fly to Dalian or Shenyang and continue by train (check)13 mi west of town; flights are frequently cancelled, so many travellers fly to Dalian or Shenyang and continue by train (check)
Typical fares
- Taxi, old town
- about ¥10
- Taxi to the new district
- ¥30–50
- Bus to Hushan Great Wall
- about ¥6.5, 40 min (check)
- Ride-hailing to Hushan
- ¥30–40 each way (check)
Get around
Walk the riverside strip — the Broken Bridge, promenade and old street are all within about 30 minutes on foot. Taxis are plentiful and most trips inside the old town run about ¥10; agree the meter is on before you move. City buses cost ¥1–2 but stop as early as 18:00 on some lines and signage is Chinese-only. Shared bikes need a Chinese app.Walk the riverside strip — the Broken Bridge, promenade and old street are all within about 30 minutes on foot. Taxis are plentiful and most trips inside the old town run about ¥10; agree the meter is on before you move. City buses cost ¥1–2 but stop as early as 6:00 PM on some lines and signage is Chinese-only. Shared bikes need a Chinese app.
See and do
Known for
- Yalu River Broken Bridge
- Views into North Korea
- Memorial of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
- Hushan Great Wall
- Korean and North Korean restaurants
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hushan Great Wall | Bus from the long-distance station (about ¥6.5, 40 min) or taxi/ride-hailing (¥30–40 each way) | About 1.5 h each way |
| Sinuiju, North Korea | Organised tour only, by train across the Friendship Bridge | Full day or overnight |
| Dalian | Train 2–3 h, or bus about 4 h | 3–4 h |
| Shenyang | Train several times a day, about 3 h by bus | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Riverside / Broken Bridge area
- Zhenxing District along Binjiang Road: walk to the bridge, the promenade and most Korean restaurants. Best for a one-night stop.
- Dandong Railway Station area
- Practical for early trains and buses; 10–15 min walk or a short taxi to the river.
- Moon Island
- Island in the Yalu River with hotels, cafés and a summer night market; quieter, needs a bus or taxi to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián |
| Turn on the meter, please | 请打表qǐng dǎ biǎo |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ |
| I don't want it | 我不要wǒ bú yào |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Do not swim or wade toward the North Korean bank; the river is the border.
- Taxis: check the meter stays on — some drivers turn it off and ask for more at the end.
- Some bus lines stop running as early as 18:00, so plan the return leg before dinner.
- The riverside walkway at Hushan Great Wall was closed as of August 2025 — check before relying on the loop back.
- Crossing to North Korea is only by organised tour and rules change; confirm with an operator, not a street vendor.
Dandong is a calm, low-crime city; the real risks are the river border (never cross or swim toward it), summer downpours, and taxi meters that get switched off — confirm the fare before you pay.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Dandong yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Yalu River Broken Bridge
- Views into North Korea
- Memorial of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
- Hushan Great Wall
- Korean and North Korean restaurants
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Dandong, revision 5258121 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5258121
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Dandong丹东
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shenyang; check your own country's list before travelling.
Keep your passport with you — this is a border area and checks happen.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/dandong). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.