Ganghwado: What To Do On The Island Just An Hour From Seoul

Ganghwado Island (강화도) is the fifth largest island in Korea and is one of numerous islands that can be found out in Incheon in northwest Korea. (Want to check out some of the other islands, start with Modo, Sindo, and Sido which you can also see from Ganghwado Island.) It seems to be the next hot spot location… though I didn’t know that the first time I headed out. With flower dreams and beach views, I was in search of an island that was easy to get to.

Once I realized Ganghwado Island was just an hour west of the city, no one was going to keep me from visiting that’s for sure. I’ve gone a couple times in the past couple of months and each time I note all of the newly built restaurants, cafes and buildings. It really seems like there is some sort of big investment happening on the island and it’s in the process of being built up. It’s also getting easier and easier to access the island so add it to the list of places to check out and then head out when you find time.

There’s a lot to see on Ganghwado Island. Here is where to go and what to do. Feel free to skip around a bit:

• How To Get There
• What To See
  • Haeden Museum of Art (강화도 해든 뮤지엄)
  • Jeondeungsa Temple (전등사)
  • Ganghwa Anglican Church of Korea & Yongheunggung Palace (용흥궁)
  • Huae Dondae (후애돈대)
  • Dolmen in Bugeun-ri (강화 고인돌 유적)
  • Royyal Dog Mural
• What To Do
  • Ganghwa Seaside Resort Luge (강화 씨사이드 리조트)
• Cafes & Restaurants
  • Joyang Bangjik (조양방직)
  • Caffe Tramonto (카페 트라몬토)
  • Mahogany Cafe (마호가니)
  • Dore Dore Cafe

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How To Get There

There are a few different ways to get to Ganghwado Island. Hopping in the car is the easiest if you have one. You could also stop at the Gimpo Sculpture Park on the way in or out too.

By Bus: From Hapjeong Subway Station, go to the bus stop in the middle of the road between exits 10 and 5. Take bus #3000. It goes by 34 stops and takes about an hour and twenty minutes.

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What To See

Haeden Museum of Art (강화도 해든 뮤지엄)

While photos aren’t allowed inside Haeden Museum of Art, they are outside so that’s what you’ll get to see here. The space inside is quite nice and cool from the summer heat so definitely go in and see what is on exhibition, but the outdoor space is also super cool to walk around.

Enter down a long cement corridor and come to a staircase with a mirror on one wall. If that doesn’t make you want to take some fun photos, I don’t know what will. This is even before you’ve gone in.

Buy tickets for the exhibition and you’ll wander through the first floor and then up to the second. The exhibition ticket will also get you a free drink in the cafe on the second floor and there is indoor and outdoor seating there to enjoy it. Even if you want to just stay inside, make sure to walk out the door and around the corner to another mirrored/cement area to walk along again. If you like some fun architecture and art, check it out. If you’re not an art fan, I wouldn’t suggest the stop.

• Address:  44 Jangheung-ro 101 beon-gil, Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 길상면 장흥로101번길 44)
• Hours: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm
• Days: Closed Mondays, January 1st, Lunar New Year Day and Chuseok Day
• Admission: Adults: W13,000; Students: W7,000

Jeondeungsa Temple (전등사)

For something more traditional, visit Jeondeungsa Temple located on Jeongjoksan. The hike up takes about 20 to 30 minutes through a beautiful forest. Take in the serene surroundings of a Korean Buddhist temple that also offers a beautiful view of the island.

Founded in 4th century, it is one of Korea’s oldest temples. Originally called Jinjongsa Temple during Goryeo Dynasty, it was renamed Jeondeungsa in 1282. You won’t find just a temple when you get up there though. After that walk, you can also find the lovely Jukrimdawon Tea House. Have a drink, a snack, and just enjoy the beautiful ambiance.

• Address: 37-41 Jeondeungsa-ro, Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 길상면 전등사로 37-41)
• Hours: 8:30am ~ 6:00pm
• Admission: Adults: W4,000; Children: W1,500

Ganghwa Anglican Church of Korea & Yongheunggung Palace (용흥궁)

Near Joyang Bangjik, to get a little history and cultural appeal, you can head to the Ganghwa Anglican Church of Korea and Yongheunggung Palace. The church was first constructed by Bishop Charies John Corfe in 1900 and was named for Saint Peter and Paul. The church is quite interesting and the wooden interior will give you all of those old western church vibes.

Just next to the church is the palace where King Cheoljong, a Joseon ruler who reigned from 1849 to 1863, lived until his ascension to the throne. The name means palace of the rising dragon, though the palace itself is rather small and would probably not really be able to hold a dragon. The buildings are simple and unpainted much like Unhyeonggung in downtown Seoul. As we walked through the and checked out the buildings, we noted that there are really some lovely doorways and trees overhanging that will be just beautiful in the coming autumn when the colors start to burst from the treetops.

• Address: Gwancheong-ri, Ganghwa-eub, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 강화읍 관청리)

Huae Dondae (후애돈대)

This was a pleasantly unplanned stop. As we drove around the island and followed the bends of the coast, I spotted these sandy stones that were in stark contrast to the land surrounding. I wondered what it was and so we pulled over to check it out. This is Huae Dondae. The sign explained that this Dondae is one of many built in 1679 by 4,300 military, 8000 Buddhist monks and soldiers from three provinces. The platforms held four cannons.

The site has been well preserved and was fully restored in 1998 due to a legend in the neighboring villages that claims ruining the Dondae would bring a calamity to the area. The colors were just really interesting because I hadn’t seen that color stone used in walls in Korea. There is a cafe just to the right of this Dondae which we stopped in for some tea before continuing on though. From here, you could also take steps down to the mudflats and walk along a boardwalk to get some different views of the seaside in the area.

• Address: 954 Seondu-ri Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 길상면 선두리 954)

Dolmen in Bugeun-ri (강화 고인돌 유적)

Dolmen are stone tombs that date back to the prehistoric times in Korea. There are more than 30,000 dolmens in South Korea and Korea has almost 40% of the dolmens that exist on the planet. The dolmens in Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa, Korea were designated as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000 and they are really fascinating. There are 150 dolmens that remain in Ganghwa and the most representative among them is Bugeulli Jiseokmyo.

• Address: 330-2 Bugeun-ri Hajeom-myeon Ganghwa-gun Incheon (인천 강화군 하점면 부근리 330-2)

Royyal Dog Mural

(NO LONGER THERE!) If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that I seek out the murals by Royyal Dog a bit. He has some fantastically beautiful and huge murals around Seoul and the world! If you’re near one, you should always take the extra twenty minutes out of your day to enjoy.

Ganghwado Island has a gorgeous one that suits any day that you need a few more flowers in view. I don’t know much about Ganghwa Hospital and wasn’t ill enough to go in, so just enjoyed the artwork and was on my way. If you have the time, definitely stop… always stop!

If you want to check out some of his other works in Seoul, there’s one down the street from Seoul Station, one in the popular Gangnam district, and one in Hannam-dong that you should find while you’re out and about.

• Address: 11 Ganghwa-daero 312 beon-gil, Ganghwa-eub, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 강화읍 강화대로312번길 11)

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What To Do

Ganghwa Seaside Resort Luge (강화 씨사이드 리조트)

While we haven’t gotten a chance to do this yet, I have gone luging before and man is it fun. If you want to feel a rush, head to the Ganghwa Seaside Resort Luge where you can take a 10 minute gondola ride up to the top of a hill, take in a view of the island, and then luge your way down a 1.8km long course. It’s one of the most popular luge courses in the country so get ready for some fun.

• Address: 4-15, Seondu-ri, Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천광역시 강화군 길상면 선두리 4-15)
• Hours: November – February: 10:00am ~ 5:00pm; March – October: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm

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Cafes & Restaurants

Joyang Bangjik (조양방직)

Joyang Bangjik is an old textile factory that has been turned into a very cool cafe complex. Walk through the front gate and you’re welcomed into the cafe on your right where you can buy a coffee or juice and then head into the main building to find a seat among the numerous options. Take a seat at the long benches in the center or spread out at the tables that are along the walls. There is seating upstairs, around corners and head outside to find ever more. There are hidden rooms with seats for two and cave like buildings with seats for four. It’s honestly amazing how many different parts of this complex there are.

Go around the corner to find antique toys the likes of carousel horses and more. The child in all of us will be excited to see toys from the past. The complex only opened a couple months ago and is still in the process of being completed. While most of the buildings are finished and open for business, there are a couple that had construction crews coming and going. The owner of the complex says its about 70% complete. That said, they didn’t stop us from entering each building even if it wasn’t quite finished.

Go with friends and have some fun. I love a location with some history and this definitely had that and more. This particular complex has a lot of history from when textile production was in its heyday on the island. After cleaning and clearing debris and waste for months, the owner started delving in to provide a place where locals and visitors can appreciate the history of the area.

This textile factory was built in 1933 when Japanese colonial rule was established and in the beginning was made up of just four spaces. Four more spaces were added on over time and the owner is hoping to take it back to when it was just as big. Made of Japanese cedar, the buildings are strong and the wood is now quite difficult to get a hold of. Every space is supposed to be installation art and appreciated. The main space has great blue light filtering in from the skylights and is definitely the most complete of all of the spaces at the moment. Visit now and then head back in a few months time to see what has been added and installed. That’s what I’ll be doing.

• Address: 12 Hyangnamu-gil 5 beon-bil, Ganghwa-eub, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 강화읍 향나무길5번길 12)
• Hours: Weekdays: 11:00 ~ 8:00pm; Weekends: 11:00am ~ 10:00pm

Caffe Tramonto (카페 트라몬토)

Caffe Tramonto was one of those spots that had me at ‘hello’. Well, I saw the views and I saw the foot baths and the trip was planned. This seems to have become a hot spot as soon as it was built on the side of a hill that has the most perfect view of that blue blue water. We arrived about 10 minutes after opening and there was already a wait list for the footbaths. We didn’t mind that because it gave us time to have a delicious waffle and toast snack along with some drinks.

There is seating upstairs and downstairs as well as outside. There’s a ton of seating. I wouldn’t be surprised if they added more footbaths because there are only four and it is definitely what people want to experience when they arrive. There were four very colorful and fruity/flowery options for the footbaths which made it all the more fun and the timing is kept pretty strict so that everyone that visits can get in and out on time. It was definitely enough time for us.

If you go, even if you get right into the footbaths, don’t miss a look around upstairs. There’s a cool green space, a pink velvet room and veranda views of the sea outside. Definitely explore the entire space because, like I said, there is seating everywhere and it’s all worth a gander.

• Address: 2680-16 Haeannam-ro, Hwado-myeon, Ganhwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 화도면 해안남로 2680-16)
• Hours: Weekdays: 11:00am ~ 7:00pm; Saturdays: 11:00am ~ 9:00pm; Sundays: 11:00am ~ 7:00pm

Mahogany Cafe (마호가니)

Come spring, there isn’t anything better than finding flowers. Visit Mahogany Cafe on the island in spring in Korea to find a large garden of daisies. This cafe sits just steps from Dore Dore, which you can find more info on down below. They seem to have collaborated a bit as they share the garden spaces between them. This is important to note if you have a child with you.

Mahogany does not allow children inside though you’re welcome to take pictures with the daisies in front of the cafe like we did. If you have a child, take photos and then just head up the steps to Dore Dore where children are welcome. Because we had Ava with us, we didn’t head into Mahogany to enjoy a cup of coffee, though I have had their coffee other places and do think it’s quite good. Have a cup there if you like and then head up to Dore Dore to eat because they have more food options.

• Address: 1864-18 Haeannam-ro Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 화도면 해안남로 1864-18)
• Hours: Every day: 10:30am ~ 9:00pm

Dore Dore Cafe

Because Mahogany Cafe didn’t allow kids as I noted above, we ended up seated at Dore Dore just up the path. The two cafes seem to have a collaboration going with this location though and we walked back and forth freely. The food at Dore Dore really hit the spot as we were ready for some delicious brunch treats before we headed out to find more on the island. Don’t miss walking through the paths lined with bushes. Enjoy the sights and the natural aesthetics all around at this lovely location.

• Address: 355-21 Heungwang-ri, Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon (인천 강화군 화도면 흥왕리 355-21)

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There is plenty more to see on Ganghwado Island, but this is a good start. Take a day, or a weekend, and head out to see what you can find. There are flower fields in the spring and seaside views in the summer. See what there is in the autumn now!

There is so much to see and do out in Incheon. Think Incheon International Airport is the only thing on Yeongjongdo Island? You’d be wrong. There’s a ton to see and do around the island Incheon International Airport sits on. Be sure to check it out! Get out to the city and see other awesome spots like Incheon Chinatown. It’s definitely a must visit and you can visit the Fairytale Village nearby too!

You should definitely take a trip out to see the Tri Bowl if you love design and architecture as well. Then to wrap it all up, head up to GTower to see the sunset out over the bridges in the nearby sea. Or if you just want to find more islands to adventure to, check out Oido Island which you can actually reach via the subway!

Take a weekend away and enjoy the island that is easy to get to from Seoul. Find a spot to stay and you’ll be on your way!

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