Is the DMZ Tour Open on Monday?

Not on the usual route. Paju City’s DMZ Peace Tourism programme, which the Seoul tours use to reach the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory, is closed every Monday, on public holidays that fall on a weekday, and on the day of Seollal (Lunar New Year) and the day of Chuseok (Paju City, checked November 2026). The tours still sell Mondays, on a changed day: PLK Travel Inc.’s Seoul: DMZ Tour + North Korean Defector Q&A goes to the 2nd Tunnel instead of the 3rd, with three of its nine options on sale. From Tuesday to Sunday it runs the usual way, from US$50 a person (checked November 2026), except on the notice dates below.

The US$50 buys the 7-hour option without a suspension bridge, the same price on 26 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 24 March 2027. Free cancellation until 24 hours before.

Closure notices for November 2026

Paju City, DMZ Peace Tourism notice board (read 10 November 2026)

• Sunday 15 November 2026: DMZ Peace Tourism suspended for the whole day, for the Son Kee-chung Marathon.
• 23 to 30 November 2026, Monday to Monday: Dora Observatory closed to visitors while its access road is repaired. The 3rd Tunnel operates as normal. The works may be extended.

Paju City posts closures on that board, in Korean. When these dates have passed, the Monday and holiday rules further down still apply.

On 10 November PLK Travel Inc.’s tour was still on sale on GetYourGuide for 15 November and for 24 November, with no notice on the booking calendar, and so were Seoul City Tour’s and VIP Travel’s. None of them says what happens to a booking on a day the programme suspends. PLK Travel Inc.’s terms for a closure are these: “The DMZ is a military area and might be closed suddenly without any notice on the day. If it happens, an alternative tour will be provided. Also travelers can choose a full refund for the affected booking.”

So a booking for 15 November falls under that rule, and how the operators will handle the day is not stated. In the week of the road works the tunnel stays open and only the observatory is shut; what replaces the observatory on the itinerary is not stated either. If your dates are free, a day outside both windows avoids the question.

Why Monday is different

Past the checkpoint, groups ride the programme’s shuttle bus to the tunnel and the observatory (“All visitors must use the official DMZ shuttle bus inside the controlled area”, in PLK Travel Inc.’s terms for its small group). The programme’s closed days are therefore the tours’ closed days for those two sites. Paju City also warns that any schedule can be cancelled for a security threat, bad weather or a safety problem.

The operators have each found a Monday route of their own.

Options and prices a person for one adult on GetYourGuide, checked November 2026.

Where the 2nd Tunnel is and how long the Monday day runs are not stated on PLK Travel Inc.’s tour. The Hongdae starts, the premium small group and the private tours were shown as unavailable on 23 and 30 November, with the Tuesday as the next date. A reviewer of VIP Travel’s tour who went on a Monday (review of 26 October 2026) was unsure beforehand, “since some things are closed on Mondays”, and enjoyed it.

Public holidays, Seollal and Chuseok

The same closure applies when a public holiday falls on a weekday. The next two fall on Fridays: 25 December 2026 (Christmas) and 1 January 2027. Paju City’s English page lists “New Year’s Day” and “Chuseok Day” among the closed days; its Korean page names the day of Seollal (the Lunar New Year) and of Chuseok, and adds that the Seollal and Chuseok holiday periods otherwise run as normal (Paju City, checked November 2026). Both follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move each year. Open the calendar for your date and look at which options it shows.

Busy days and the daily limit

Paju City caps DMZ Peace Tourism at 3,000 visitors and 90 buses a day. Once the day’s ticket sales pass 3,000, sales on the spot can be stopped; reservations are counted in advance. Its visitor guide also says tickets, issued from 09:00 to 14:30, “are often sold out early” (Paju City, checked November 2026). How the tour operators’ groups count against the limit is not stated.

It shows in the reviews. A reviewer of PLK Travel Inc.’s retired-officer half day (review of 27 October 2026) wrote that their bus “was the last bus to arrive at the DMZ and tickets were sold out”, so the tour was rearranged and finished later.

Picking your day

For the usual route, with the 3rd Tunnel and the observatory, book Tuesday to Sunday outside the notice dates. On 20 January 2027 all nine options of PLK Travel Inc.’s tour were on sale, including the Hongdae starts, the group of up to 13 and the private tours (and on 24 and 26 November too, inside the road-works week). On a Monday, take the 7-hour option or a bridge option from Myeongdong and expect the 2nd Tunnel.

Check dates for the DMZ tour

Or choose by the day you have:

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Before you book

• Passport. Paju City checks ID before it issues tickets: for foreigners the passport itself, an alien registration card or a US military ID. Screenshots, photos, copies and expired passports are refused.
• The tunnel. People who use a wheelchair or have difficulty walking may not enter the 3rd Tunnel, which is narrow and steep (Paju City). PLK Travel Inc.’s tour is not for people with mobility impairments.
• Cancelling. Every GetYourGuide tour on this page can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. For the cost of each option, see the DMZ tour with defector price.