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.

I had an acquaintance who got a local boatman to take him across the river sans visa. He thought it would be an adventure, which it was when the DPRK police showed up. However, their incredulity and lack of experience with American refugees fleeing from China into North Korea allowed him time to do a Michael Phelps back across the river where he was taken into custody by the PLA.

Oh, this reads, as if he had a huge amount of luck, but I hope everything went well and he is safely back home and not in an North Korean "reeducation center" .... ;)

Thanks to everyone else for the advice. My best bet is apparently contacting the North Korean Embassy in Berlin and to ask politely, if this route is possible;).

An abc friend of mine was able to walk across the river and return during mass games about five years ago.

Can you enlighten the ignorant european on the meaning of the abbreviation "abc friend" ? ;)

American Born Chinese (i.e. they have a much better chance of passing off as Asian folks than those of us with white skin).

The guy I knew was 6'7" with dreadlocks. Didn't exactly blend in.

If this was at the famous place near Dandong by the Hushan Great Wall, where the distance between Chinese soil and North Korean territory (a farming island) is only about 5-6 meters, then I'm afraid it's not possible anymore. Foreigners and Chinese used to get a great kick out of wading across the little shallow tributary of the Yalu River into the North Korean fields located on this island, then hotfooting it back. You could also do little small boat trips down this tributary.

No more. I was there last August and the Chinese have erected a metal wire fence with signs all across their side of the river bank, and have posted a couple of sentries to prevent anybody from trying this stunt. You can look but not touch. The old boats for the trips are rusting and abandoned.