• Overall

  Visit North Korea with Koryo Tours for New Year's Eve 2024 and bring in 2025 in Pyongyang. Our New Year's Eve Budget Tour from Dandong gets you to Pyongyang in time for the incredible New Year's Eve celebrations, which include a massive firework display over the Taedong River - and much more!

  Recent New Year's celebrations saw a drone display in the sky and a music concert by some of North Korea's best musicians, including world-famous Moranbong Band. We'll also visit the highlights of Pyongyang such as the Juche Tower, and the Pyongyang Metro.

  Scroll down for an overview of our New Year's Eve Budget Tour from Dandong package highlights, tour itinerary, transport options, DPRK tourist visa information, and extra add-ons.

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  Koryo Tours International Tours

  Mongolia | Turkmenistan | Kazakhstan | Bhutan | Russia | Tajikistan 

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  Highlights

  • Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, with the locals!
  • See Pyongyang's highlights and tour the capital on the first day of 2025
  • Take a ride on the Pyongyang Metro, the world's deepest metro system

  click image to expand

• Itinerary

  Briefing Day

  1. December 29 | Sunday

     *Pre-Tour Briefing | We require all travellers to attend a pre-tour briefing that covers regulations, etiquette, safety, and practicalities for travel in North Korea. The briefing lasts approximately one hour followed by a question and answer session. Please be punctual for the briefing. You can come early, meet your fellow travellers and pay any outstanding tour fees. A proper briefing is an essential part of travel to North Korea.
     
     For this tour, the briefing will be held in Dandong, at the Dan Tie Railroad Hotel

     PM

     • 18:00 | Briefing at Dan Tie Railroad Hotel, Dandong

     Overnight | Hotel in Dandong not included in the tour. Contact us for recommendations.

  2. December 30 | Monday

     Arrival day in Pyongyang

     AM

     • 10:00 Train departs from Dandong Station | Our staff and local representative in Dandong will assist with the transfer. Train crosses the China-North Korea border followed by North Korean customs and immigration.

     PM

     • Train arrival to Pyongyang Railway Station at 18:45.
        
     • Walk from Pyongyang Railway Station to Haebangsan Hotel.
        
     • Check-in and dinner at hotel.

     Overnight: Haebangsan Hotel, Pyongyang | Oldest hotel in Pyongyang and one with an amazing central location. Can't be beaten for being downtown on New Year's Eve!

  3. December 31 | Tuesday

     New Year's Eve! Pyongyang City Tour

     AM

     • Kim Il Sung Square | Pyongyang’s central square lined with government ministries, museums, and The Grand People’s Study House.
        
     • Foreign Languages Bookshop | Store selling Korean publications translated into English, German, French, Russian, Chinese, and Spanish. Also pick up DVDs, postcards, and small works of art.
        
     • Mansudae Grand Monument | Enormous bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il overlooking downtown Pyongyang. A presentation of flowers and bow by the group is customary here (5 EUR). Please note this is a government-administered sight and visits are subject to cancellation. Visits are optional and require a certain dress code (close-toed shoes and covered legs and shoulders). Here we will also see the Chollima Monument, or ‘thousand ri (400 km or 250 mile) horse’ -a symbol of speed- commemorating the quick rebuilding of the country in the 1950s following the Korean War.
     • Mangyongdae Native House | Birthplace of and childhood home of President Kim Il Sung. A traditional Korean house in a park-like setting.

     PM

     • Kwangbok Department Store | Opportunity to use Korean currency and shop with the citizens of Pyongyang! Try the snack stand on the first floor for some of Pyongyang’s best local eats.
        
     • Pyongyang Metro Tour | One of the deepest metro systems in the world with stunning artwork reflecting the name of each station. Ride six stations on the Chollima Line.
        
     • Arch of Triumph | A massive archway made for the 70th anniversary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung in 1982 and commemorating the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. Larger than its counterpart in Paris.
     • Tower of the Juche Idea | Iconic tower dedicated to the DPRK’s guiding philosophy on the Taedong River. Take the elevator to the top for great views of the city (elevator ticket is 5 EUR).
     • Monument to Party Foundation | Iconic structure featuring the hammer, sickle, writing brush which represent the workers, farmers, and intellectuals that make up the Worker’s Party of Korea.
        
     • Dinner on Pyongyang’s Rainbow Boat on the Taedong River where we'll start our New Year's Eve Party!
        
     • Head for Kim Il Sung Square before midnight along with crowds of tens of thousands of locals for a North Korean New Year Celebration! Concerts, midnight fireworks, and the best night of the year!

     Overnight: Haebangsan Hotel, Pyongyang

  4. January 1 | Wednesday

     New Year's Day - Departure Day from Pyongyang and Return to Dandong by train
     
     AM

     • Train departure by train to Dandong at 10:25. The scheduled arrival is 17:00. For this tour the default option is hard sleeper (six beds per berth).

     End of Tour

• Extras

  • Beijing Departure Upgrade - Budget Marathon Tour

    Upgrade your train journey to a round trip from Beijing (+95 EUR).The full Beijing-Pyongyang train journey around 24 hours and adds one extra night before, and one extra night after your trip into North Korea. This tour travels between between Dandong-Pyongyang by train as standard.

  • Visit the DPRK border town of Sinuiju

    If you're heading back to Beijing by train this option lets you get off for an overnight in Dongrim before the next day's tour of Sinuiju — the border city with China. Spend an extra 24 hours in the DPRK seeing the sites of North Pyongan province. You will then continue on through to Beijing.

    See more

  • Visit Dandong — the Chinese gateway to the DPRK

    Instead of immediately returning to Beijing when your tour ends you can take some extra time to visit this fascinating border city, which directly faces the DPRK town of Sinuiju, but lies on the Chinese side of the Yalu River. We offer both one-night and two-night fully guided extensions that take in all the sights of Dandong, with a special North Korea theme.

    See more

  • Upgrade to your own room

    All hotel rooms on our all-inclusive group tours feature twin beds, and will be shared. If you'd like a room to yourself then you can upgrade for an extra 40 EUR per night.

    See more

  • Insurance for up to six nights

    We're unable to take you on one of our tours if you do not have medical insurance that covers the destination in question. Issues of isolation and infrastructure where we go mean it would be irresponsible of us to do so. We can provide this if you do not have it — or you can use your own.

• What is / is not included?

  INCLUDED

  • Train Dandong – Pyongyang – Dandong
  • All meals on the tour apart from the meals on the train
  • Hotel accommodation in the DPRK
  • Two local Korean guides, and a driver per group
  • A Koryo Tours Tour Leader
  • All transportation in the DPRK

  NOT INCLUDED

  • North Korean (DPRK) visa fee 60 EUR
  • Optional train between Beijing and Dandong (one-way: 40 EUR; return: 80 EUR)
  • Optional single room supplement of 40 EUR per night
  • Tips for the local Korean guides and driver (approx 10-15 EUR per day)
  • Optional activities such as the lift up the Juche Tower (5 EUR) or a visit to the funfair (approx. 2 EUR entrance fee per person)
  • Entry tickets for special events if applicable – for example Pyongyang Circus (approx. 20 EUR per person)
  • Meals include a complimentary beer and water, but you will need to purchase extra drinks if needed
  • Spending money for souvenirs

• Notes

  The New Year's Eve Tour will accompanied by two or three local Korean guides and an experienced Koryo Tours tour leader. Please note that when on tour your day-to-day itinerary may differ slightly to what is advertised above. Your tour leader will ensure, however, that everything available at the time is covered, and replacement options are provided where needed. We will also add in extras when there is time (such as a visit to a local bar or amusement park).

  We visit North Korea regularly so know all the best places to go, and how to make the most of your days there to guarantee the experience of a lifetime. After the tour, we will send out a list of all participants' emails so you can keep in touch, swap photos etc. If you do not wish to be on this list then please let us know.

Please apply by 10th December, 2024.