The DPRK Weekender – Shanghai Departure (MASS GAMES EXPECTED!)

THURSDAY NIGHT – DEPART FOR PYONGYANG

Meet us at 10:00pm: Head to the Air Koryo counter at the Pudong International Airport to check in for 12:30am Friday departure to Pyongyang. Approximate arrival into Pyongyang is at 4:00am. Our local tour guides greet you at the airport. We’ll check in at the Koryo Hotel (where you’ll be staying during the trip).

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: L, D)

DAY 1 – DMZ

9 AM: Take a morning drive through the countryside to the historic city of Kaesong. We will head for the DMZ where we’ll hear from our guides a perspective of the Korean War that often gets discredited or unheard. At the DMZ, explore Panmunjom, shake hands at the exact place that the Armistice Agreement was signed between UN forces and the DPRK, and wave hello to the South at the blue houses in the Joint Security Area. Afterward, we will head to the Koryo History Museum, a UNESCO site, to learn about the Koryo Dynasty (where the name Korea originates). You’ll also have a chance to pick from the most varied range of postcards in the country at the Koryo Stamp Shop.

For lunch, enjoy Pansanggi, a historic Kaesong cuisine traditionally served for royalty. Stop at the original Sonjuk Bridge, a UNESCO site. On our return to Pyongyang, visit the Grand People’s Study House, an extensive library used to further education and the heart of study on the national Juche ideology. The viewing deck here provides a great photo opportunity of the Kim Il Sung Square and Taedong River! For dinner, we will have Korean bibimbap.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 2 – PYONGYANG CITY TOUR

After breakfast, visit the newly renovated Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the USS Pueblo in its new spot (the “American Spy Ship” captured in 1968). Afterwards, stroll through the Mansudae Fountain Park, a serene meeting spot for students and an often used backdrop for wedding photos.

we will visit the Mangyongdae Native House, the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung. Then visit Kwangbok Supermarket, a five-story department complex filled with local and imported product and the only place in Pyongyang where foreigners are able to exchange and use the local North Korean Won. Head deep underground to take a 5-stop ride on the Pyongyang Metro, the deepest metro in the world also filled with mosaics, monuments, and plaques commemorating the DPRK’s revolutionary history. We’ll stop and head up to the top of the Arch of Triumph, the world’s largest triumphal arch. Visit the Mansudae Art Studio, the most prestigious fine arts studio and gallery in North Korea. This studio is the only one given permission to depict the Great Leaders in monuments, murals and mosaics. We recommend getting the ink block paintings here. Then test your skills at the Meari Shooting Range. Get the chance to taste local Korean draft beers at the Taedonggang Microbrewery.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 1 – PYONGYANG CITY TOUR

We will start the morning off with a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the grand mausoleum where the late leaders lie in state inside glass sarcophagi (closed in May and June; formal dress required). Take a walk in the Kim Il Sung Square, the 3rd largest public square in the world and home to many of the North Korean military parades broadcasted internationally during important holiday events. Take a stroll through the city to the Foreign Languages Bookshop which provides the best chance in the DPRK to pick up postcards, publications, posters and other trinkets that make perfect souvenirs. We will head over to the Mansudae Grand Monument, an important site famous for its large, bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il. It is customary to bow and lay flowers here.

After lunch, we’ll then learn about the DPRK’s defining ideology, the Juche philosophy, on a visit to the iconic Tower of Juche Idea. For those who wish to take the lift 150-meters to the top, you’ll enjoy the best views in Pyongyang city! We will then visit the massive Monument to Party Founding, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Korea, recognizable by the communist hammer and sickle but with an added North Korean twist! Catch an evening performance of the incredible Pyongyang Circus (extra 20 EUR paid at the door). Follow up with a casual evening walk on the new Ryomyong Street, home to Pyongyang’s most extravagant apartment complexes and opened in just April 2017 to international media attention.

We will then enjoy your last dinner in the DPRK. Grab your luggage and head to the airport for an evening flight back to Shanghai. Approximate time of departure is 10:30pm from Pyongyang with arrival at Pudong at 11:30pm.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

RETURN TO SHANGHAI PUDONG AT 2230 ON SUNDAY NIGHT

This itinerary is subject to change at any time.