---
node: dest_ganghwa_island
type: destination
slug: ganghwa_island
title: "Ganghwa Island"
lead: "Ganghwa is a large island west of Seoul at the mouth of the Han river, close enough to North Korea that its northern shore faces the border. It holds dolmens from the first millennium BCE that are on the UNESCO list."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: dest_ganghwa_island.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Example_of_a_southern-style_dolmen_at_Ganghwa_Island.jpg"
image_author: "Taewangkorea"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The island has been the country's back door for a thousand years: the Goryeo court fled here from the Mongols in 1232 and ruled from it for nearly thirty years, and the fortresses along its east coast fought French and American expeditions in the 1860s and 70s. The dolmen at Bugeun-ri is the largest in Korea, a capstone of some fifty tonnes. From the observatory on the north shore the North Korean bank is visible across two kilometres of water.

## Highlights

The dolmen site, the fortress at Gwangseongbo and the north-shore observatory make one clear day out, in that order. Ganghwa is known for hwamunseok sedge mats and for its ginseng market in the main town. Buses run from Seoul in about ninety minutes; there is no rail.