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Back to Pyongyang

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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.

Pyongyang2 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

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.