Young Pioneer Tours
135th Anniversary May Day Ultra Budget Tour
Join us for one of the most spectacular holidays to celebrate in North Korea, May Day!
What marks this year more significant than the others is the inclusion of a massive Mass Dance event held in Kim Il Sung Square involving over 10,000 university students for us to spectate or partake in.
Aside from all the usual sites, May Day gives us one of the best opportunities to relax, meet, and hang out with locals during the celebrations on Moran Hill. Koreans take this holiday very seriously and you will more than be expected to sing, dance, and play around with them during the festivities. Could there be a better time to go?
By making use of traveling from Dandong, which is the Chinese border city to the DPRK and is easily reachable from most of China, we are able to offer a great price that has you in the country for 2 nights and 3 days, which is inclusive of one full day of seeing all the main sites of Pyongyang and going out both nights of the trip.
This trip is perfect for those people who are already in China or those simply traveling through who do not have the time or budget to do a full trip. If you need assistance with organising accommodation in Dandong or making your way to or from Dandong city, we’ll be happy to help book for you!
Please note: All travelers must have a re-entry visa into China as there isn’t enough time to apply for a Chinese visa in Pyongyang and the 144 hour transfer visa doesn’t permit rail use.
Friday 30th April
Morning
- Meet your YPT guide at 7:30am inside the entrance of the Dandong Railway Station to collect train ticket, DPRK visa and go through DPRK procedure.
- Board the 10:10am train from Dandong.
- 11:15am (DPRK time) arrival in Sinuiju to go through DPRK entry procedure.
- Ride on into Pyongyang and enjoy the beautiful countryside along the way.
Afternoon
- Optional lunch on the train (50RMB extra).
- 5:00pm arrival in Pyongyang to be met by your guides.
- Evening city tour of Pyongyang, including us stopping at Kim Il Sung Square for a walk and pictures.
- Dinner at a local Korean restaurant on Ryomyong Street
- Check in and overnight at Sosan hotel
Saturday 1st May – May Day!
Morning
- Walk through Mansudae Fountain Park and see the mosaic pictures of President Kim Il Sung and the Leader Kim Jong Il.
- Visit Mansudae Grand Monument – the two large bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Leader Kim Jong Il overlooking the city. (Optional extra – you can present flowers if you wish: small bunches are 2 euro, larger ones 4).
- Trip highlight – Mt Taesong Amusement Park – Celebrate May Day by enjoying some sports and dancing with the local people – football, volleyball, tug of war, sack races, and more! The local fun park also has rollercoasters and other rides for you to jump on and enjoy!
Afternoon
- Lunch in the KITC restaurant to try the famous Pyongyang Cold Noodles or Korean Bibimbap.
- Pyongyang Metro – ride five stops on the famous Pyongyang Underground!
- Exiting at the Arch of Triumph – the largest Victory Arch in the world, built to celebrate the triumphant return of Kim Il Sung after the Anti-Japanese war.
- Mass Dance – a special Mass Dance event involving over 10,000 university students will take place in Kim Il Sung Square for the 135th Anniversary of International Worker’s Day
- Walk to Moran Hill to join the locals for dancing, singing, and drinking! – Highlight Number 2 of the trip!
- Juche Tower – Monument to the everlasting Juche Ideology (optional 5 euro to go to the top).
- Party Foundation Monument – large hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush
- Visit the recently renovated Korean War Museum – let the local military guide show you around the enormous museum featuring dioramas, locally used weapons, tanks, aircraft and captured American equipment!
- USS Pueblo – The only US Naval Ship still held captive by another nation.
- Check out Kwangbok Department store – here we can shop with the locals and have access to local North Korean currency
- Stop by Mansugyo beer bar to join the locals for refreshments.
- Dinner at the National Restaurant with live performance.
- Overnight at the Sosan Hotel.
Sunday 2nd May
Morning
- Check out of Sosan Hotel.
- Slow drive to Pyongyang train station stopping at a few interesting places in the city for last photos.
- Board the 10:25am train to Dandong.
Afternoon
- Optional lunch on the train (50RMB extra).
- 4:30pm arrival in Dandong.
- Tour concludes – if you need to make any accommodation or a way out of Dandong please let us know!
Tour Extensions
Want to extend your YPT adventure? Join one of our great tour extensions
21st November 2024: YPT have removed 2025 and 2026 group tours to North Korea (DPRK) based on recommendations from our North Korean partners. This decision comes in light of several exciting updates we are planning for future tours once the borders reopen to all tourists.
While we anticipate that the travel dates will remain unchanged, we expect significant revisions to the itineraries. These changes align with current industry standards. For more information, you can read further details here, view a sample of the upcoming itineraries shortly, or contact us on tours@youngpioneertours.com to be notified when tourism resumes to North Korea.