IItinerary for "Kim Jong Il's birthday tour " 13-18.2.2010

Important! The itinerary below is a PRELIMINARY one. Korea Konsult reserves the right to change some parts of the itinerary below if needed.

Last update for this tour: Oct 9, 2009

Day 1, February 13 (Sat)

a) Departure from Beijing by Air Koryo flight JS 152 at 13.00 from TERMINAL 2 (Beijing Capital Airport). All passengers should arrive to the airport at least 2 hours before the flight's departure.

b) Arrival in Pyongyang at 16.00 local time, transfer to Pyongyang, city sightseeing including Arch of Triumph.

c) Check-in at the hotel Yanggakdo International**** beautifully located in the middle of Taedong river. Room on a high floor. A magnificent view is guaranteed !

d) Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2, February 14 (Sun)

a) Visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace - the Mausoleum of President Kim Il-Sung (tourists must follow a strict dress code - no shorts, no blue jeans and mini-skirts, no T-shirts).

b) Revolutionary Martyr's Cemetery

c) Lunch

d) Walk in Moranbong Park (many Koreans spend a holiday day there. In the midlle of the park - Soviet Army monument)

e) Ride on Pyongyang Metro

f) Juche Tower and surrounding monuments. Elevator to the top of the tower to enjoy the magnificent view of Pyongyang (optional, 5 Euro p/p).

g) Visit to the American spy ship USS Pueblo, captured by North Koreans in 1968. The 1,000-ton ship, equipped with various kinds of arms and sophisticated reconnaissance facilities, was boarded by 81 U.S. seamen and had been captured just by 7 Korean seamen. Hopefully you meet one of them on this ship. Although the ship's crew were repatriated after a lengthy negotiation, North Korea kept the ship as a war trophy.

h) Dinner at Chongryu Restaurant

Day 3, February 15 (Mon)

a) After breakfast drive to the DMZ and Panmunjom (1953 Armistice village). Our guide force is increased by several North Korean officers who show us around Panmunjom. Together we inspect the Demilitarized Zone and the Military Museum on the 38th parallel.

b) Trip to Kaesong (capital of Korea up to the 15 th century, which and today is the ginseng cultivation center), located just 8 km from the Demilitarized Zone dividing the 2 Koreas) and visit of Koryo Dynasty Museum. The famous Koryo Dynasty ruled Korea for several centuries until 1392.

c) Walk in Janamsan Park from which the beautiful panorama of the old Kaesong can be admired.

d) Lunch at Tongil restaurant in Kaesong. "Tongil" means "Reunification" in Korean.

e) Drive back to Pyongyang. Visit to the Korean War Museum where you can hear and watch the North Korean version of this bloody war 1950-1953. On the museum’s top floor a big rotating war panorama can be seen – a real masterpiece from Korean painters and sculptors. 

f) Dinner at Mangyongdae Restaurant

Day 4, February 16 (Tue). Kim Jong Il’s Birthday.

a) Breakfast. Mansudae Grand Monuments on Mansu Hill.

b) Kimjongilia Flower Show - containing about 30,000 flowers - presented by Army forces, commissions and ministries of the cabinet and national institutions, foreign friends and overseas compatriots…  Something NOT to be missed!!! As you might guess Kimsungilia and Kimjongilia are types of flowers named after North Korea's two leaders.

c) Worker Party Foundation Monuments.

d) Lunch.

e) A visit to the International Book Store and Stamp Shop - good choice of stamps, propaganda books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, (cheaper than at your hotel)

f) Ice Skating Championship “Paekdusan Prize” (20 Euro p/p).

g) Mass Dancing Evening on the occasion of Kim Jong'Il's birthday involving several thousand Koreans.

h) Farewell Dinner at Duck Barbecue Restaurant

Day 5, February 17 (Wed)

Breakfast. Transfer to the railway station and departure to Beijing at 10.10 a.m. One night on the train.

Sightseeing: the railway bridge over Yalu-river is at the same time the North Korean border to China. When crossing this bridge, we see another bridge destroyed by the Korean War. China rebuilt its half of the bridge but North Korea intentionally did not. Instead they wanted to leave the bridge in ruins (just piles are seen) as a monument to the Korean War.

Day 5, February 18 (Thur)

Arrival in Beijing at 08.33 am.

Important! We recommend you don’t book any connection flights/trains from Beijing before 5-6 pm on the same day. It is the best to plan your departure from Beijing the day after the train arrival. Please note that Korea Konsult may NOT be held responsible for any flight or train delay.