3 Night Marathon Long Weekend Tour from Beijing

Arrival day in Pyongyang

• Flight departure from Beijing on Air Koryo - flight times are TBC and subject to change. Currently expected to depart around midday/early afternoon. A 2-hour flight with basic lunch.
• Arrival to Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport (FNJ). DPRK immigration and customs, meet your Korean guides and transfer to the city.
• Train arrival to Pyongyang Railway Station expected at 6:45 pm.
• Mansudae Grand Monument | Enormous bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Leader 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).
• Check into the Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang - Home away from home for most (but not all!) foreign visitors to Pyongyang, this 47-story hotel is located on an island in the middle of the Taedong River and offers great views of the city. Comfortable rooms and comprehensive leisure facilities: swimming pool, spa, billiards, bowling, gift shops, tea houses and beer brewed on-site.

Pyongyang City Tour

• Early Morning Run in Pyongyang | Your chance for a pre-marathon run in Pyongyang! You will have to be up early for this, a good opportunity to give yourself some preparation for the following day's big event. Optional activity, for those that don't participate you can enjoy a sleep in.
• National Gift Exhibition Hall | One of North Korea’s two gift exhibition halls, this one houses all of the gifts given to North Korea’s leaders from Koreans in North Korea, South Korea and from all over the Korean Diaspora, including items gifted by many well known Koreans.
• Mangyongdae Native House | Birthplace and childhood home of President Kim Il Sung. A traditional Korean house in what is today a quiet suburban park.
• 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.
• Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum | Tour this world-class museum led by a local museum guide. Renovated in 2012 and it exhibits the Korean War from the DPRK perspective containing artefacts, documents, photos, and lifelike dioramas. The exterior grounds house the War Victory Monument and displays of Korean People’s Army Hero Equipment and captured equipment from the US military, including the USS Pueblo. Central to the understanding of the country today and highlight of the trip.
• 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).
• Party Foundation Monument | Iconic structure featuring the hammer, sickle & writing brush which make up the emblem of the Worker’s Party of Korea and represent workers, farmers, and intellectuals.
• Golden Lane Bowling Centre | Where Pyongyang locals go for their ten-pin fix (2.5 EUR per person per game). Also has billiards and arcade games. Non-bowlers can head next door to the Kumrung Leisure Centre for an airgun shooting range (approximately 6 EUR per 20 round cartridge) and some of the best coffee in Pyongyang.
• 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.
• Kim Il Sung Stadium & Marathon Route Preview | Visit the stadium where you will start and finish your race, and then drive the marathon route to familiarise yourself with the roads, turning points and toilet stops.
• Yanggakdo International Cinema | Optional screening of Run and Run, a DPRK film about marathon runner Yong Ho who faces the physical and mental struggles of marathon participation. After both his father and work unit manager tell him to stop running, he becomes more determined to achieve his marathon dream (80 RMB entry fee paid on the spot). A Koryo Tours exclusive and sure to provide you with motivation ahead of the big event!

Overnight | Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang.

The big event - The Pyongyang Marathon 2024!

• The 2024 Pyongyang Marathon | This is your chance to run the streets of Pyongyang in the DPRK’s largest annual sports event! Join the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km or 5km race — all of which follow a return course that starts and ends in Kim Il Sung Stadium in front of a 50-000-strong capacity crowd of local Koreans. The full route, which has been certified by both the IAAF and AIMS, leads right through the city centre, past a number of iconic landmarks, and then out into Pyongyang's less urban districts. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to see more of the capital and interact with people along the course.
• Shower, resting time and lunch | After the marathon's closing ceremony, we'll be heading back to the hotel to recharge, shower and rest before heading out for a relaxing afternoon in Pyongyang.
• 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.
• 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.
• Local Beer Bar | Relax at one of Pyongyang’s local bars to wrap up an exciting day.
• Pyongyang Marathon Banquet | Dinner tonight will be at the annual Pyongyang Marathon Banquet. Celebrate your run and toast the marathon with your fellow runners, guides and local event organisers. A casual affair, no dress code requirements.

Overnight | Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang.

Departure Day

Departure Day from Pyongyang and Return to Beijing by flight or train.

For those opting to fly out, flight departure from Pyongyang on Air Koryo with a expected arrival at Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) Terminal 2 by midday.

OR

Train departure by local train to the Korean-Chinese border at 10:25, transfer in Dandong and onward travel to Beijing with scheduled arrival to Beijing Station on Tuesday April 13th at 08:30. For this tour the default option is hard sleeper (six beds per berth).