A Day Trip from Seoul: Ganghwa Island

Ganghwa Island is a neat island with many kinds of cultural and historic landmarks that go back to the Joseon Dynasty. If you only had one day, I recommend going to the first three locations I listed below. I went to those three places with my friend. This private tour will take you to some of these places, offers hotel pickups from Seoul and has a lunch stop.

Ganghwa Peace Observatory

From this highpoint, look across the river into North Korea. What you’ll see through telescopes is very different from the highly politicized, militarized, media portrayal you typically see or associate with North Korea. It is less touristy. What you will see from here is open farmland and people looking like they are living their lives like normal. Inside the observatory, I also saw North Korean souvenirs as well as maps, educational material and notes for peace and unification. I went on a private tour with a friend. My friend shared how his grandfather escaped North Korea and was hoping to visit again. These are the stories you hear about, but are now personalized as I heard directly from my friend. The road we took had us pass through a security checkpoint, so it would be best to travel with a private guide or driver. Admission is 2500 KRW for adults and 1700 KRW for youth.

Gwangseongbo Fortress

Gwangseongbo is an earthen fortress built in 1232. My friend and I took a walk around the fortress. Though the entire walking track is almost seven miles long, we took a short walk for about an hour and took some pictures by the cannons and the river as well as one of the gates. There were not many people walking around the day we went. Admission is 1100 KRW.

Ganghwa History Museum

The Dolmen sites are next to the museum. The There are exhibits of the history and culture of Ganghwa. Admission is 3,000 KRW for adults, 2000 KRW for children.

Dolmen

Dolmens are considered World Heritage. Dolmens are tombs that were used during prehistoric days. Dolmens come in different shapes and sizes and there are plenty to see around Ganghwa Island. I saw one Dolmen from the Ganghwa History Museum, which is an excellent place to learn about the unique history of the island as well.

Jeondeungsa Temple

Where you can learn about the Joseon Dynasty and the history of Buddhism in Korea.

Tidal Flat

It's a great place for bird watching and the area is within De-militarized Zone. The area is still very natural with little development.

Ganghwa Anglican Church

South Korea also has a strong culture of the Christian faith. The original church building stands. It is also built in the Korean architecture style of the early 1900s so it does not look like a western church.

Goryeo Palace Site

Learn about the Goryeo people and their resistance to the Mongolian Invasions for almost 40 years.

Many of these restaurants will have a menu that is mostly in Korean. This is why it is best to go with a tour guide and ask them for recommendations. My friend took me to the first place on this list.

• Ganghwa Pungmul Market (강화풍물시장) - Fish market with several stalls that will cook the fish for you and you can get set meals. My friend took me here for lunch and we had the herring. Set meals come with banchan (Korean Sides). Expect a meal to be around 30,000 KRW.

• Changseok Eel (창석이네 민물장어) - grilled freshwater eel. Similar to a Korean BBQ restaurant, this small restaurant which serves grilled eel with lettuce wraps and banchan.

• Purulsol Garden (푸른솔가든) - Korean pork rib restaurant. The meat is grilled at the table and all are served with Korean side dishes. They also have naengmyeon, cold noodle dish. This place has Korean dishes most Westerners would be familiar with.

• Manful Chicken Gangjeong (만물닭강정) - Korean Fried Chicken in business for 40 years. It's common to order the fried chicken and have a beer to drink.

• Wolgot Hwangtojip (월곶황토집) - Famous for its chicken dishes. The restaurant is along the river.

• SOLT Coffee (솔트커피) - Locally owned coffee shop serving snacks like macaroons. The macaroons are made daily on site.