Train Moscow-Pyongyang
 

Hi,


Just a few questions regarding planning a trip for next year.Perhaps I want to go by train from Basel via Moscow to Pyongyang .

Has anybody booked the train Moscow-Pyongyang recently as an individual tourist and got a visa for it ?

If yes, where did you book it and how much did it cost ?

Or is the only possibility left to travel via Beijing to Pyongyang by train ?

Thanks in advance

Ps: I promise, that I will write a trip report, if I do this journey ;)...

Just out of curiosity, what nationality are you/what county's passport will you be using? I could guess German/EU, based on your location. What are the entry requirements into North Korea for a German EU citizen?

I am German and I will be using my German Passport.

I have read, that I will need an Visa and an Invitation from a travel agent.

You definitely won't be getting into North Korea without prearrangements with an authorized agent. Beijing is the most common place where groups to N. Korea assemble and are staged from. But for most Europeans it is not the only option, as long as the N. Koreans are cooperating.

I don't know if the Moscow-Pyongyang train would be available to you and it only runs a couple of times per month, I think. However, if it's not feasible, you could piecemeal it by taking the Trans-Manchurian (not the Trans Mongolian) train from Moscow to Harbin, China. That train normally gets in around noon, China time. From Harbin, you would take domestic Chinese train to Dandong--there is an overnight sleeper service arriving first part of the morning. Alternatively, get a high-speed train Harbin-Shenyang then bus to Dandong.

Dandong is the border Chinese city on the train line that goes into North Korea. I have heard (within the last 6 months) of another western European (nationality escapes me) that managed to find a Chinese agent in Dandong to make the arrangements and do the visa paperwork, get him the train ticket, and get on board in Dandong to Pyongyang, where his assigned Korean tour minders/guides met him and the rest of the Chinese group with him. He did get an English-speaking guide since his Chinese was not good enough to follow along in Mandarin. He did this in real time but IIRC, took 3-4 days in Dandong for the setup to happen. However, note that without an accompanying guide from a major foreigner-geared tour company, your treatment and experience might be a bit different.

You might also work with one of the major agents to see if there are any tours they are leading heading in to DPRK by train, where you could meet them in Dandong if you have no interest in going to Beijing first. The most often-used agents by foreigners are:
Koryo Tours, based in Beijing www.koryogroup.com
Young Pioneer Tours, based in Xi'an www.youngpioneertours.com
Korea Konsult, based in Sweden www.koreakonsult.com

Usually though, most of these tours are set up to enter by flight and then your option exit by flight or train. The logistics are easier that way. Since you'll likely be exiting back to China after the DPRK trip, make sure you plan on getting a double-entry Chinese visa ahead of actual travel. Get it in Germany.

There was a really interesting (non ft) trip report mentioned in one of the recent North Korea threads, in which the author managed to travel between Moscow and NK without setting foot in China, or joining a tour until he reached Pyongyang. My internet conked out on me just when I was getting to the good parts, unfortunately.

Contact this guy in Germany http://www.nordkorea-info.de/ He can probably arrange just about anything (see Impressum).

Do you mean this Trip report ?

http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.de/

I think so, but I'm not positive because my VPN is not working today.

That blog report is from 2008--5 years ago!

This one appeared to be the most recent one ;) , and more important it appears, that this is the only trip report found in the internet about this journey.:(

Or this one? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ight=pyongyang

I've never seen/heard of another similar tale since then, at least not by a 3rd Country foreigner. Might tell you something about the chance of replicating it. It could be that others have actually followed in that blogger's footsteps and made it into the DPRK via Russia directly....but haven't been able to make it out again. :p

Or it could also mean that there have been others who have been able to access this way, but have been wise enough to keep mum and not advertise their feat. There are some travel maneuvers that probably shouldn't be blabbed all over the internet.

and add the new guys on the scene (who I'll be using this summer)
http://www.juchetravelservices.com/

I'm pretty sure that train arrival is no longer an option for foreigners and everyone must arrive by air to FNJ.

http://www.ddcts.com/aboutus.htm

Dandong Chosun Tour Service. This is the Dandong-based agent I was trying to find that some European passport holders have recently been able to use to get into North Korea by train. Usually as part of a Chinese group, but once over the border, an English speaking guide is provided for the non-Chinese. I'd heard an all-inclusive 4-day trip is about Euro 500. Not sure about longer trips nor if passport holders from non-EU countries can participate.