Should you travel to North Korea via Dandong then it is well worth staying for at least a few nights. Should you decide to do that then you do much worse than staying at the legendary Dante Hotel.
Said hotel is a big favourite for our guests traveling to North Korea, particularly on our Ultra-Budget trips. This is for a number of reasons, such as value and of course its proximity to both the train station and our tours.
What the Dante Hotel?
While many railway station hotels are merely located close to the station, Dante Hotel is quite literally owned by and connoted to it. This means that from the exit you are 2 minutes away, the entrance just seconds and you get a view of the tracks from your room.
Looks and feel wise it is very much of the Soviet and Maoist years, although less so than the old cooperative hotel in Dandong that has since closed.
Dante Hotel Address;
Bajing Street, Zhenxing, Dandong, Liaoning, Peoples Republic of China
For context, if you can find the big statue of Chairman Mao, then it is quite literally opposite that.
Dante Hotel Rooms
The rooms at the Dante Hotel are pretty basic, but at least come in a variety of ranges. At the bottom are the normal rooms for about $20, going all the way up to the suite at around $160.
All have limited, or rather Chinese Internet, TV’s and heating, something you regularly need in the North-East of China.
This is pretty much the only high rise in the area with the lifts being fairly retro and the halls having that wonderful “The Shining” feel to them!
Amenities at the Dante Hotel in Dandong
You stay here for the room and location rather than for what is inside, which is good as there is very little. There is though a store at the front which sells drinks, as well as random North Korean nicknacks.
Breakfast is served on the second floor, which also doubles as the restaurant for the hotel at other hours. It is genuinely very good and has a huge menu adorned on the walls, which is a fine mixture of North Korean, as well as North-East Chinese cuisine.
Around Dante Hotel
Being located within seconds of Dandong Railway Station makes it a perfect place for those visiting the DPRK by train.
Location wise it is also only around 10-15 minutes walk from the Dandong waterfront and thus the broken bridge (link), the boat rides, as well as all the best North Korean restaurants, such as “whole foods”, although this seemed to be closed on our last visit.
You can read our full guide on what to do and where to stay in Dandong here. You can check the following link for our North Korea Tours.
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