You’re standing on a concrete island in the middle of a river, staring up at a 47-story monolith that looks like a brutalist spaceship. That is the Yanggakdo International Hotel. It's the most famous building in Pyongyang that people actually get to sleep in. Honestly, the place is a fever dream of marble, 90s tech, and high-stakes mystery.
It’s isolated. Literally. The hotel sits on Yanggak Island, surrounded by the Taedong River. There are guards at the bridges. If you’re a tourist, you aren't just "popping out" for a late-night stroll. You’re effectively in a very gilded, very tall cage.
The Mystery of the Missing 5th Floor
Everyone wants to talk about the fifth floor. If you look at the elevator buttons, the sequence goes 3, 4, 6. There is no button for five.
For years, curious travelers have sneaked up the dark stairwells to see what the North Korean government is hiding. What they found wasn't a torture chamber, but it was definitely weird. Think low ceilings, cramped corridors, and walls plastered with aggressive propaganda posters. Some posters depict caricatures of Western soldiers being crushed by North Korean boots.
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There are rumors of surveillance rooms where staff monitor the bugs in every guest room. Is it true? Most experts, including those from Young Pioneer Tours who have spent hundreds of nights there, suggest it’s a mix of a service floor and a psychological deterrent. It’s also where the infamous Otto Warmbier incident was initially rumored to have happened, though he later confessed to taking a poster from a staff area on the second floor.
What the Rooms are Actually Like
Don't expect the Four Seasons.
The Yanggakdo International Hotel is officially rated as a "deluxe" hotel in North Korea, which basically translates to a 3-star European hotel from the year 1994. The beds are stiff. The carpet has that specific "vintage hotel" smell.
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- The Views: Since the hotel is 170 meters tall, the views are incredible. You can see the Juche Tower and the Ryugyong Hotel (the "Hotel of Doom") across the river.
- The TV: You get international channels. It’s bizarre sitting in the most reclusive nation on Earth while watching BBC World News or Al Jazeera.
- The Amenities: Each room has a small fridge, a kettle, and those weirdly small North Korean toothbrushes. There is no Wi-Fi in the rooms. If you want internet, you have to pay about $1.70 for 10 minutes in the lobby.
Survival and Entertainment in the Basement
When you're stuck on an island at night, you end up in the basement. It’s like a socialist version of a Las Vegas strip mall. There is a bowling alley with only three lanes. There’s a cold swimming pool. There is even a casino run by a company from Macau.
Funny enough, North Koreans aren't allowed in the casino. It’s strictly for foreigners to dump their Euros and Chinese Yuan into baccarat tables.
The revolving restaurant on the 47th floor is the "crown jewel." It turns so slowly you might think it’s broken, but it gives you a 360-degree look at Pyongyang. Just don’t expect a five-star meal; the food is usually a lukewarm mix of "Western-style" pork and kimchi.
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Is It Safe to Visit in 2026?
Right now, the situation is complicated. As of early 2026, North Korea is mostly closed to Westerners. Only Russian tour groups have been granted regular access recently. The U.S. State Department still has a "Do Not Travel" advisory for North Korea, and using a U.S. passport to enter is technically a felony unless you have a special validation.
If the borders do open, the Yanggakdo International Hotel will be the first place they put you. It’s their flagship. They renovated the lobby in 2019 to make it look less like a Cold War bunker and more like a modern hotel, adding bright lights and new furniture.
Actionable Insights for Future Travelers
If you ever find yourself booking a trip to the DPRK, keep these tips in mind for your stay at the Yanggakdo:
- Bring your own coffee. The hotel provides a kettle but rarely provides actual coffee or tea bags that taste like anything but dust.
- Request a high floor. The elevators are surprisingly fast, and the view from the 30th floor and up is the only way to truly see the layout of Pyongyang without a guide breathing down your neck.
- Check the "bookshop" on the ground floor. It’s one of the few places you can buy English translations of the Kim family’s "treatises." They make for surreal souvenirs.
- Don't explore the "hidden" floors. Seriously. The Otto Warmbier tragedy changed everything. What used to be a "naughty" thing for backpackers to do is now a massive legal risk. If a door says "Staff Only," believe them.
The Yanggakdo International Hotel isn't just a place to sleep. It’s a physical manifestation of North Korea’s relationship with the outside world: imposing, mysterious, and stuck in a time warp.
If you are planning to monitor the reopening of North Korean borders, keep an eye on the official notices from the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang or reputable agencies like Koryo Tours. They are usually the first to know when the "Island Hotel" is ready for guests again.