The guide › Day trips › Ganghwado
Day trip · The island of fortresses
A large island at the mouth of the Han River, joined to the mainland by two bridges. All of Korean history has passed through it — from Bronze Age dolmens to nineteenth-century gunboats — and almost no foreign tourists.
Updated 7 October 2026
Ganghwado served as the court's refuge during the Mongol invasions, then as the maritime lock on the capital: the French (1866), American (1871) and Japanese (1875) fleets all ran up against it. What remains is a line of coastal forts, one of the oldest temples in the country, and a countryside of rice fields and mudflats that feels a world away from Seoul.
The island is big and its sites scattered. Without a car, pick two or three places and accept taking a taxi between them.
The largest dolmen in South Korea, a slab of over fifty tonnes resting on two standing stones. UNESCO-listed along with the Gochang and Hwasun sites. A small history museum stands next door.
Tucked inside a mountain fortress, it is said to be one of the oldest temples in the country. Look for the four small naked figures carved under the roof corners of the main hall.
472 metres, the island's summit. A staircase then a rocky ridge lead to Chamseongdan altar, where legend has Dangun, mythical founder of Korea, making offerings to heaven. Allow two to three hours return.
The finest of the coastal forts, scene of the fighting against the Americans in 1871. A walk under the pines along the strait.
At the far north of the island, North Korea is less than two kilometres away across the water. Show your passport at the checkpoint.
On neighbouring Seongmodo, now linked by a bridge. A Buddha carved into the cliff looks out over the Yellow Sea; the sunset here is renowned.
The former Goryeo palace site, an Anglican church built like a hanok, and an old textile mill converted into a café-museum that has become the town's main draw.
Bus 3000 leaves from Sinchon station and reaches Ganghwa terminal in an hour and a half to two hours depending on traffic. Pay with T-money.
Local buses run from the terminal to each site, but they are infrequent. A taxi is the realistic way to link two places; keep the site names in Korean to hand.
The only trip on this list where a rental car really changes the day.
Ganghwa's purple turnip, served as kimchi, grilled eel, and salted shrimp from Oepo harbour.
The access bridges are jammed on Saturdays and Sundays in the late afternoon. Head back before 4 pm or after 8 pm.
The mudflats on the south coast are exposed for kilometres at low tide. Do not wander out: the sea comes back fast.