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How much do you spend when you travel to North Korea?

We are often asked what a trip to North Korea actually costs. The answer is that the price always depends on what exactly you want. A bit vague of course, but in practice that’s how it works. What we can say is that a trip to North Korea does not have to be expensive at all. Here we explain the costs you have to take into account if you want to travel to North Korea.

First you start with the basics: the price of the tour itself. The price of a tour starts with us around € 1,000. This depends on how many days you go and with which tour. The price of a longer tour can go up to about € 2,000. Important to know is that this includes the price for the guides, overnight stays, train travel and meals in North Korea. In addition, it is good to know that the tours you book through North Korea are always about the same with every provider. CultureRoad is often a bit lower in price. We do this because we want to give more people the chance to visit North Korea.

There are a number of costs that we have left outside the base price. It is better to fill in these costs separately for each person. They are, for example, costs for:

Not everyone always takes a lot of souvenirs with them when they travel. Now North Korea is a country where you can buy many unique souvenirs. That is why you might want to reserve some extra money for posters, figurines, t-shirts or paintings. A propaganda poster costs around € 20. A hand-painted painting costs around € 100 and a book with “Famous Speeches by Kim Jong-Il” costs around € 15.

Of course, we are not going to make you pay for alcoholic drinks if you do not drink or hardly drink at all. Everyone is allowed to pay for themselves. But rest assured: a large bottle of beer costs € 1 in North Korea. So if you keep it tidy, you will certainly not spend a lot.

Tips are a very important and a significant part of the guides’ salaries. That is why we always tip our North Korean guides. Of course, you can decide for yourself how much you want to tip. To give you an indication: for most groups we advise € 15 per person per day. With a 5-day tour you end up with € 75. This money is always divided fairly between the 3 guides and the driver.

We can imagine that you would like a little more privacy or just a little extra luxury during a group trip. That is why we have added that option. For example, you can book a private room in North Korea for € 45 per night per person.

By default, you travel in and out of North Korea by train. But you can also take a plane from Beijing to Pyongyang and/or back again. These flights vary per tour, but assume an average of € 250 for a single ticket and € 400 for a return ticket. If you want to create your own programme you can of course do so too. In that case you can book an individual trip. We are happy to create this trip together with you in order to fully meet your personal wishes. Individual trips are a bit more expensive than group trips, but you get flexibility in return!

Your journey to North Korea always starts and ends in Beijing. And while you’re there, you’d better see the city for a few extra days, right?

Feel like going tour North Korea now? Check out our group trips and individual tours.