North Korea Guide
Getting Around
Once inside North Korea you'll have precious little say in your day-to-day travels – all transportation requirements will be arranged before you set foot inside the country, the cost factored in as part of the tour price, and you'll be obliged to stick to the schedule.
Most travel is done by tour bus if you're in a group, and taxi on independent tours, both within Pyongyang and for most trips to nearby destinations. You'll notice that the roads are quiet in the capital, and almost deserted outside. Contrary to popular belief, the countryside around the highways hasn't been overhauled to present a false face to foreign tourists, and you'll see a great deal of poverty. The main highways themselves, however, are almost exclusively for foreign tour groups and military vehicles – they pass small villages, but there are almost no exits (hardly surprising given that almost no rural civilians own a car). There's a subway system in Pyongyang, which figures on most tour schedules though the city's trams and buses are off-limits on all but the most expensive tours. Internal flights also exist, and those heading to Paekdusan or other more remote locations will find themselves taking one.