Dandong Travel Guide

 
by Adaptor-Plug
 
  •   Dandong
    by Adaptor-Plug
  • Bridge to nowhere
      Bridge to nowhere
    by DSwede
  • Central plaza, by train station
      Central plaza, by train station
    by DSwede
  • The Broken Bridge
      The Broken Bridge
    by DSwede
  •   Dandong
    by pravit726
 

Pro

Confucius profile photo

  Great Wall and North Korea proximity 


Con

Katie&Jordi profile photo

  Not much to do in the city but walk along the river. 


In a nutshell

NewbornTraveller profile photo

  Everything I asked for - take the train into town and enjoy a day or two. 

 

Explore Dandong

Things to Do  

Small boat along the back of Tiger Hill and DPRK

Small boat along the back of Tiger Hill and DPRK, Dandong

 DSwede Says:  If you venture outside of Dandong to the Tiger Hill section of the Great Wall and to the "One Step" section of the river, you may notice that there are a few small boats tied off.You may barter with the drivers down to ~20RMB depending on the size of your group or your... 

Monumental Assistance

Monumental Assistance, Dandong

 ellyse Says:  The Museum In Aid of North Korea Against American Aggression costs 10 RMB (not sure if that's student price) for the side museum. That houses a weird assortment of terracotta warriors, some stuff about the Chinese side of the Korean war and the history of unequal peace... 

Unbridged... North Korea

Unbridged... North Korea, Dandong

 ellyse Says:  The old broken bridge costs 15 RMB, apparently it's open till 8 pm... if anyone really fancies going up so late. 

Visit the short bridge

Visit the short bridge, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  The "short bridge", built by the Japanese in the 1920s, used to connect China and North Korea, but was bombed out during the Korean War. Nowadays the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connects the two, but you can still walk along the (reconstructed) Chinese side and take a look... 

Take a speedboat ride

Take a speedboat ride, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  We paid around 35RMB for two of us to take a speedboat ride across the river to the North Korean side. The driver took us right up to the other side for about 5 minutes, letting us see a North Korean school, some cranes, and boats up close. There were plenty of North Koreans... 

Look at North Korea from the riverfront

Look at North Korea from the riverfront, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  Across the Yalu River is North Korea - as you near the riverfront you'll see a large smokestack in the distance, which is actually in North Korea! It's close enough to make out people walking around on the other side. Walk to the end of the "short bridge", bombed by the... 

How to get North Korean Television Reception !!

How to get North Korean Television Reception !!, Dandong

 nmercury64 Says:  You are in Dandong. In your hotel, you have probably already clicked through all of the TV channels at least twice to see if you can get the TV station from Sinuiju, North Korea.Well you can't, at least not without making a few "ahem" minor easy-to-make modifications to your... 

Hotels  

Crowne Plaza Hotel

 74 Opinions

Restaurants  

Pyongyang Koryeo Restaurant: Don't Miss the North Korean Dancers!

Pyongyang Koryeo Restaurant: Don't Miss the North Korean Dancers!, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  There are several North Korean-operated restaurants in China, and quite a few in Dandong itself! You can recognize them by the North Korean and Chinese flags over the entrance. They are staffed by waitresses from North Korea who put on karaoke dance shows, and offer a... 

Yalu River Beer!

Yalu River Beer!, Dandong

 Confucius Says:  There is a brewery in town, if you're the type that likes to sample local beers around the world. The name of the local beer in Dandong is "Yalu River Beer" and I can not confirm if the ingredients actually include any drops of North Korea's territorial waters.The Chinese... 

Nightlife  

Riverfront area: Romantic Dandong

Riverfront area: Romantic Dandong, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  In the evenings plenty of the locals hang out around the riverfront and play hackey sack with shuttlecocks. You can also sit down and watch a movie on a public flatscreen TV. Or take a romantic stroll along the riverfront. 

Forgotten: Singing songs at the karaoke box

Forgotten: Singing songs at the karaoke box, Dandong

 bubblechooch Says:  You must go to karaoke in Dandong! We went to a karaoke box in midnight. Karaoke boxes is different from karaoke bars. You can enjoy singing karaoke with only your friends in the room, so you don't care about other people.The karaoke box normally serve one room each a group... 

Transportation  

Bus 11... Walking!

Bus 11... Walking!, Dandong

 ellyse Says:  Everything can be walked from the train station. At least that's what I did! The location of the Museum is marked wrongly in Lonely Planet (was using the 2002 edition), so buy a map at the train station and figure out the correct spot yourself. 

Flights to Dandong

Flights to Dandong, Dandong

 Confucius Says:  Did you know it is possible to fly to Dandong from Sanya on Hainan Island? Yes, but only on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The morning flight on China Southern airlines also has two stops, first in Shenzhen and then at Shanghai's Pudong airport before reaching... 

Shopping  

"Walking Street": Outdoor pedestrian market

"Walking Street": Outdoor pedestrian market, Dandong

 DSwede Says:  There is a ~4 block section near the central area called "Walking Street", or at least that's what the translation of the Chinese name is. Ask a local or your hotel what the true Chinese name is, so that you can get a taxi to the area.There are countless shops, ranging from... 

China Post: Postcards

China Post: Postcards, Dandong

 ellyse Says:  The only place to buy postcards (very limited choices) is at the post office. Postcards come either with a view of the Hushan Great Wall, or the broken bridge (not of your nose). 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Taunting or taking photos of North Koreans on Yalu

Taunting or taking photos of North Koreans on Yalu, Dandong

 Confucius Says:  When you take a ride across the Yalu River on one of the Chinese speedboats you will be warned not to take photos of the dock workers along the North Korean shore.They do not appreciate the constant traffic of tourist boats which bring curious spectators within a stone's... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Maoist Zeal

Maoist Zeal, Dandong

 ellyse Says:  There's a huge revolutionary statue of Mao smack in front of the train station, get photo-happy if you like. 

Cross the North Korean border

Cross the North Korean border, Dandong

 pravit726 Says:  I'm sure there are plenty of areas where you could do this, but the most famous one is "Yibukua"(one step cross), accessible from Hushan Great Wall. I read lots about this place before I went, but my own North Korean border crossing experience proved far more difficult than... 

Favorites  

China - the unacknowledged

China - the unacknowledged, Dandong

 DSwede Says:  In my tours of North Korea, China and more specifically Dandong, it was expressed by several Chinese people that the Chinese sided with North Korea in the Korean War because they were Communist brothers and they were geographical neighbors. However, all the people I spoke to... 

Disparity between China and DPRK

Disparity between China and DPRK, Dandong

 DSwede Says:  Having visited both China and DPRK, the photo on my Dandong page and this photo I believe give the best visual impression of the disparities between the two countries.I've commented within my North Korean pages how dissimilar the two Korean countries are, but the comparison... 

The Place

Plan a Dandong vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Dandong locals

Experience Dandong
  •   42 Tips and Reviews
  •  89 Photos
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Map of Dandong
 

The People

2 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 it the second short bridge in dandong. same as inside dandong downtown, the bridge was also bombed by us military. 

2 members live in Dandong

 

Questions and Answers

uhnbom profile photo

Q:  Does anybody know from where the Dandong ferry to Incheon departs and where to by the tickets, preferably directly from the ferry... 

DSwede profile photo

A: Looks like it leaves 3pm on Sundays and Thrusdays (but I also saw a post that said it leaves at 2pm). You could call a day or two in advance. Looks like the information... 

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Top Dandong Writers

1

Dandong; China's Back Door to North Korea

Confucius profile photo

 If you really want to see, touch and experience North Korea but can't get the visa then Dandong (in China's Liaoning province) is the next best destination. The basketball player is showing you... 

2

tianqiao gou mountains

yangshu profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Dandong. I'd love to share with you the 6 tips I've written, the 9 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

3

On the border with North Korea

pravit726 profile photo

 We visited Dandong in July 2006 for the same reason as most other foreigners who come here - to get a glimpse at North Korea. Dandong is a medium-sized city on the Yalu river, across from a North... 

4

Boarder town to DPRK

DSwede profile photo

 Dandong is a thriving Chinese city located just over the Yalu River from North Korean town of Sinuiji. Dandong is as different from the opposite bank of the river as one can imagine. Despite the... 

5

A peaceful town with very friendly people

bbkbbk profile photo

 I enjoyed my trip to DanDong even if I had to work. The people were very friendly and very gracious. My host company was a very larg construction company that say to my needs and very mutually... 

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