Long Marathon Tour from Shanghai

Arrival day in Pyongyang - Kaesong and DMZ Tour

AM

Very early morning arrival into Pyongyang Sunan Airport, and then transfer to the hotel for check in, a short sleep and breakfast

• Kaesong | Drive 160 km south the 'Reunification Highway' to the historic capital of the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) and today located near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. A 3-hour drive.

• Panmunjom Armistice Village and DMZ | The site of the signing of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and the demarcation line between north and south. On some days it is possible to visit the hut straddling the line, where negotiations between both sides once took place. Here we will be accompanied by military guides from the Korean People's Army.

• Kaesong Koryo Museum | Once the Songgyung Academy, a Confucian school, and now a museum on the Koryo Dynasty exhibiting historical objects, statues, pagodas, and porcelain from that era. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Kaesong Korean Stamp Exhibition Hall | Store selling stamps, postcards, local ginseng, souvenirs, art, and more! One of the best postcard collections in the country and friendly staff.

• Traditional Royal Korean Lunch (pangsanggi) | A meal made of 12 dishes served in brass bowls fit for the kings of old. The more dishes, the more distinguished the guest! Traditional Korean 'sweet meat soup' is an option here (5 EUR).

PM

• Return to Pyongyang (2.5 / 3 hours)

• Monument to the Three Charters of Reunification | A large stone archway over the highway memorializing joint agreements between north and south.
• City Walk | Optional activity for those feeling energetic or keen to explore Pyongyang more we'll have a walk through Pyongyang from the hotel to Kim Il Sung Square and finishing at the Taedong River. For those who would prefer to rest you can relax at the hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel tonight.

Overnight 

Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang | Pyongyang’s premier hotel, built in 1985, and located in the heart of downtown, near Pyongyang Station. The go-to for visiting delegations, both foreign and domestic. Shops, bookstore, cafes, a revolving restaurant, beer brewed on-site.

Pyongyang City Tour

AM

• 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.

• Mansudae Fountain Park | The historic centre of Pyongyang popular with local citizens after school and on weekends. Flanked by examples of ancient, socialist, and modern architecture.

• 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). 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.

• 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.

• 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.

PM

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 | Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang.

The big event! The Pyongyang Marathon 2024!

AM

• 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. (runner's guide to Kim Il Sung Stadium)

The full route, which has been certified by both World Athletics 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.

PM

• Shower, resting time and lunch | After the ending ceremony of the marathon, we'll be heading back to the hotel to recharge, shower and rest.

• Munsu Water Park | We’ll take a break at this outdoor and indoor water park with water slides, lap pools, and hot tubs. Bar, coffee shop, and shops for non-swimmers (Entry fee 2 EUR; swimming fee- 10 EUR with suit rental; tennis- 5 EUR).

• Beer Bar | Visit a local beer bar for a well-deserved locally brewed beer.

• 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 | Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang.

Pyongsong

AM

• Drive 45 minute north to Pyongsong, a satellite city of Pyongyang, centre of science and technological research, and the provincial seat of South Pyong’an province.

• Pyongsong City Square | Central square of Pyongsong City with statues of the DPRK leadership and flanked by the provincial revolutionary museum. Presentation of flowers customary.

• Tok Song Primary School | The area's top primary school for gifted students. Tour the school's classrooms & facilities, watch music & dance performances by the students, and test your ping pong skills against them in the gymnasium.

• Konji-ri Revolutionary Site | Location of the headquarters of the Korean People's Army & home of Kim Il Sung during the Korean War. Tour the renovated buildings and learn about life there during the war.

PM

• Drive to Mt Myohyang (approx. 2 hours drive north of Pyongsong)

• Manpok Valley Hike | Various options for hikes of a range of distances/difficulties. Passing waterfalls, hermitages, interesting rocks, lovely wooded areas, and viewing points.

Overnight

Huichon Hotel, Chagang Province | Basic but clean hotel located 30 minutes north of Mt. Myohyang. Very good local food much different from the lowlands, on-site sauna, and limited electricity.

Mt Myohyang

AM

• International Friendship Exhibition | A subterranean exhibition hall displaying gifts of all kinds given to the DPRK leaders by foreign states, leaders, and organizations. The exhibition is a fascinating look into material culture in the second half of the 20th century. Highlights include a plane given by the Soviet Union, basketball signed by Michael Jordan from the US State Department, and vodka given by Dennis Rodman. The visit takes most of the morning.

• Pohyon Buddhist Temple | A peaceful temple dating back to 1042 with stone pagoda and repository of print blocks and historic text of the Tripitaka Koreana, Buddhist scriptures first produced to invoke divine assistance from foreign invasion during the Koryo Dynasty.

PM

• Drive back to Pyongyang via Anju | a mid-sized industrial city located on the road and rail line north of Pyongyang on the Chongchon River. During the Korean War, major battles were fought near here between North Korean-Chinese forces and UN-South Korean forces. Coal is mined nearby. Rarely visited by foreigners.

• Paeksang Pavilion and Anju City Walls | The greatest pavilion in Kwanso (Pyong’an Province,) which overlooks the Chongchon River. Rebuilt after destruction in the Korean War.

• Return to the capital city. A 1-hour drive.

• 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.

Overnight | Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang.

Nampo

AM

• Drive west along the ‘Youth Hero Highway’ to this port city of Pyongyang on the Taedong River estuary. A 45 minute to 1-hour drive.

• Chongsam-ri Co-operative Farm | The DPRK’s most famous and iconic model farm. Visited hundreds of times by Kim Il Sung, the place where the ‘Chongsam-ri Method’ was developed (they will explain on-site). See how the farming system works, visit a farmhouse, the local shop, kindergarten and see the fields and greenhouses.

• Local Factory | Nampo is a major industrial area of the DPRK, we'll visit one of the local factories to see and learn more about the industrial side of the country. We will visit either a glass factory, mineral water bottling plantor if we're lucky the famous Chollima Steelworks. Please note that factory visits may depend on on-site activities/conditions.

• West Sea Barrage | An 8 km concrete, steel, and earthen barrage constructed between the Taedong River estuary and the West Sea for land reclamation, irrigation, flood prevention, and power generation. It also acts as a ship lock and fish ladder. One of the DPRK’s greatest engineering feats.

• Lunch | At a local restaurant in Nampo

PM

• Return to Pyongyang. A 45 minute to 1-hour drive.

• Mangyongdae Native House | Birthplace of and childhood home of President Kim Il Sung. A traditional Korean house in a park-like setting.

• Grand People’s Study House | Huge national library and public university housed in a large neo-traditional Korean building overlooking Kim Il Sung Square and the downtown Pyongyang.

• City Cycling | Tour Pyongyang on a bike (please note that bicycles are limited to 20 spots) starting from Kwangbok Department Store through downtown Pyongyang to Kim Il Sung Square

Overnight | Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang.

AM

• Kumsusan Palace of the Sun | Mausoleum of the DPRK leadership where President Kim Il Sung and Leader Kim Jong Il lie in state and the most solemn location on the itinerary. Please note formal dress is required. Men require collared shirt with tie, dark non-jean pants, and dark shoes. Women require covered shoulders, knee-length dress or pants, and closed toed shoes. The visit will take most of the morning and visitors are asked to bow a number of times inside. This is a state-administered site and visits are subject to local conditions. Cancellations are rare but possible.

• Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery | Hilltop cemetery with dozens of bronze busts of those who took part in the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule.

• Check out and lunch at hotel

PM

• Kimilsungia and Kimjongillia Flower Exhibition | Exhibit of the two flowers named after the DPRK’s leaders and held on the occasion of their respective birthday anniversaries in February and April. See organizations and groups from across society compete to put on the best floral display.

• City Walk | We'll be taking it easy this afternoon, going for a leisurely walk through Pyongyang City to take in some more of the capital's sights.– from the obscure to the normal – focusing on the lesser-visited east side of Pyongyang
• 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.

• Farewell dinner at a local restaurant

Departure

After our farewell dinner, we'll head to Pyongyang airport for our flight back to Shanghai Pudong Airport with a scheduled departure at 19:55 and arrival in Shanghai at 21:35 (subject to change).

End of Tour.