A decade ago, on my last day in Seoul before flying home, I ventured to Ganghwa to tick the Dolmens. I waited near a metro station in Seoul, trying to find the correct bus in heavy traffic. I think I missed one but eventually got on the right bus. The ride was long, and being offline, I missed my stop. Several Koreans on the bus gestured for me to get off, and I managed to exit one station late, so I only had to walk a little.

The bus ride was the most memorable part of the visit. There was one iconic dolmen, but for those who have seen Carnac, it was underwhelming. The newly built museum was also closed, likely because it was a Monday. After two loops around the grounds, I waited for my bus back to Seoul.

Given my previous experiences, I was not inclined to visit more Dolmens. However, we had set ourselves the challenge of visiting all Korean sites in three weeks, so we had to visit a Dolmen site. Based on Philipp's review and the involved logistics, we settled on Gochang.

Gochang is a much better site than Ganghwa. There are plenty of Dolmen fields and formations to explore. As previous reviewers noted, there are multiple trails to hike. Exploring the site takes at least an hour. Additionally, the Koreans have set up a full tourist infrastructure with a large, multimedia-heavy museum, a historic village, a tourist train, cafes, restaurants, and even their own currency. It was surprising to see the enormous size of the facilities and the limited number of visitors. We figured the number of visitors increases on weekends or with school excursions.

We did not visit Hwasun, even though we passed within 500 meters of the site when going to Unjusa. We felt Gochang was as good a visit as possible, and traveling by public transport and cab, we decided to have a little more time for Gwangju.

Getting There

You can go by bus from Seoul to the Ganghwa Dolmen.

Gochang is connected by bus to Jeonju and Gwangju. From the bus terminal, it's easiest to take a cab to the museum. On-site, it's a leisurely stroll.

Hwasun is probably the most complicated as the location is a bit remote. The bus connections are hard to work out. All buses running to Hwasun district seem to have the same number but follow different routes beyond a certain point, so you have to read the terminal station in Korean. You can go to Neungju and take a cab to the dolmen site from there.

While You Are There

In Ganghwa, there is Ganghwa Anglican Church, which is listed as aspiring by some. Generally, you are in Greater Seoul, and there is plenty to see.

A 30-minute cab ride from Gochang lies Pilam, a very good Seowon. To the north is Museong, another Seowon. If you have transportation, you can also explore the Gochang Getbol. My research suggested Julpo Bay Tidal Flat Ecological Park and Mandol Mud Flat Experience Center as good points of interest. Due to logistics, we decided against it and visited the default Getbol site (Suncheon) a few days later instead.

Hwasun is near Gwangju, which is a very pleasant Korean city. Any visit to Hwasun should be combined with a visit to Unjusa, the stellar Korean temple nearby.