Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

The flight from Beijing to Pyongyang takes two hours, and the North Korean airline Air Koryo and China Southern make about three trips each weekly. You should book as far in advance as possible, Sunan International Airport is 30km (19mi) west of Pyongyang, and the journey by car takes about 20 minutes. The alternative means of getting into North Korea is via train from Beijing.

Getting around

There are no regularly scheduled domestic flights and the ones that are scheduled are not available to foreigners. Few public buses run in the country or between major cities. North Koreans are not permitted to travel around their own country without permission, and most of the time you'll travel by bus or car with your driver and guide. There are virtually no bicycles in the country, in stark contrast to China, and you would not be allowed to ride one anyway.

Visa information

This is the difficult part. If you're from the US or South Korea you cannot go on standard tours. US visitors are currently only allowed in on short trips to see the Mass Games and cannot visit outside the mass games 'season' (August to October). South Korean tourists can visit only with South Korean groups which are subject to stricter controls than most.

Tourist visas can be issued at any DPRK embassy in theory, although the Beijing embassy is nearly always used as it's by far the most used to dealing with travellers. However, don't try to get a visa directly, it's really only an option to go through a tour company offering DPRK tours.

All visitors need a visa.