Must-see hotels in North Korea

If you stay over in Kaesong, you’ll normally be based at this wonderful hotel consisting of 20 traditional Korean yeogwan (small, well-equipped en suite…

The tallest building in the country, this mid-'90s tower on its own island right in the middle of Pyongyang is where nearly all tour groups stay. The…

In the middle of Rajin, the Nansan Hotel is the most common choice for visitors to the area. Its rooms are clean and spacious, with some wonderfully…

This World Tourism Organization–pioneered project is some way from what you might imagine of a ‘homestay’ – a purpose-built village of large traditional…

This striking 1985 twin-towered structure is commonly used for business travellers and NGO staff, although some tour groups stay here, too. Each of its…

Accommodation in Chongjin is limited to this imaginatively named hotel, which has a very friendly manager and a team of frustrated singers working in the…

Popular with international residents in the capital mainly for its excellent Arirang restaurant (supposedly one of the city’s best, though tourists aren’t…

Famously the only hotel in North Korea to get the CNN news channel, the pink-painted Potonggang was owned by the late Unification Church leader Reverend…

This hotel with decent, renovated rooms is used mainly by visiting sports teams. It's generally held to be the best of the budget hotels in Pyongyang …

The ‘Youth’ Hotel is in the bizarrely empty sports district around Chongchun St, and while it boasts an outdoor pool, its rooms are damp and depressing…

Rather isolated some way out of town, this place nevertheless enjoys access to a lovely beach where swimming is possible; the guides will sometimes even…

Some way outside the city, this former guesthouse for government officials boasts 20 well-appointed villas, with several bedrooms in each, spread out…

Just outside the resort town of Samjiyon, this hotel is a decent option, with modern rooms and hot running water in its newest wing. The staff sometimes…

This large '70s hotel in a lurid shade of green is right on the harbour and has decent, spacious rooms, many with sea views. There's a good restaurant and…

In the village of Onjong-ri, the Kumgangsan Hotel is a large and modern affair, consisting of a main building and several outer buildings that include…

Located in the sports district of Chongchun St, this place is one of the cheapest hotels in the city and it shows: there’s a revolving restaurant that…

There is no hotel in Sinchon, but it's possible to stay at this hotel in the nearby small town of Sariwon. Weirdly, the furniture here is donated by a…

Those overnighting in Masik-Ryong have the option of staying at this luxury hotel. Facilities include a sauna and pool, a great bar on the 9th floor and…

A 2nd-class hotel right on the waterfront in the centre of the city, the Songdowon nonetheless boasts absolutely 1st-class '70s socialist interiors and a…

On the city’s main drag is Hamhung's main hotel, which is rarely used to house travellers. The rooms are basic but clean, there’s running water and more…