10 Famous K-Drama Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit in Korea

K-drama tourism is a real and growing thing. The Korean Tourism Organization has entire campaigns built around it, and for good reason — when a drama captures a location beautifully, fans genuinely want to stand in that exact spot. They want to see the bench, the alley, the beach, the street food stall where That Scene happened.

Here are ten filming locations tied to iconic K-dramas, where they are, and what you’ll actually find when you visit.

1. Crash Landing on You — Jeju Island, Korea

While the North Korean scenes were filmed on a set and partly in Switzerland (Oberhofen Castle and Bern doubled for certain exterior scenes), a significant portion of Crash Landing on You was filmed on Jeju Island — and the Jeju locations are fully accessible.

Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast filming locations in Jeju overlap with areas used in the drama, and the island’s distinctive landscape — volcanic terrain, citrus groves, dramatic coastal cliffs — appears throughout. The Swiss sequences have made Interlaken and Bern surprisingly popular with Korean tourists who want the full Crash Landing experience, but Jeju is the more practical pilgrimage destination.

Travel tip: Rent a car on Jeju. Public transport exists but the island is large, and driving lets you reach coastal filming spots that buses don’t serve efficiently.

2. Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) — Jumunjin Beach, Gangwon-do

The iconic shot of Goblin standing on a beach in a long coat, surrounded by fluttering buckwheat flowers, was filmed at Jumunjin Beach in Gangwon Province. The buckwheat flower fields nearby (and in Boryeong) have become pilgrimage sites for fans of the drama.

Goblin also filmed extensively in Quebec City, Canada — the old town streetscapes, the winter scenery — which the production used to suggest a different historical era without actually building elaborate sets. The Canadian Tourism Commission has credited Goblin with a measurable uptick in Korean visitors to Quebec.

Travel tip: Jumunjin Beach is about 20 minutes north of Gangneung by car. Gangneung itself is worth a visit — it hosted 2018 Winter Olympics events and has excellent coffee culture (it’s considered Korea’s coffee capital).

3. Itaewon Class — Itaewon, Seoul

The drama is set in and around the actual Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, and a substantial portion was filmed on location. The pojangmacha and street scenes throughout the show use real Itaewon streets, and the neighborhood’s multicultural character — more international than most Seoul districts — is central to the drama’s identity.

The specific bar depicted in the show (Danbam) was a set, but the surrounding streets and the general atmosphere of Itaewon are entirely real and walkable. Itaewon is also one of Seoul’s more foreigner-friendly neighborhoods, with extensive international food options and English signage.

Travel tip: Itaewon suffered significantly from the 2022 Halloween crowd crush tragedy and has been rebuilding its identity since. It’s still very much a functioning neighborhood worth visiting — just approach with that context in mind.

4. Descendants of the Sun — Taebaek, Gangwon-do

The fictional war-torn country “Uruk” in Descendants of the Sun was primarily filmed at a filming set constructed in Taebaek, in the mountainous interior of Gangwon Province. Much of the set remains accessible as a tourist attraction — you can walk through the military camp, hospital, and town square used in the drama.

Taebaek itself is a former coal mining city that has reinvented itself partly around K-drama tourism, and the Descendants set is one of the more complete filming location experiences available in Korea.

Travel tip: The Taebaek area is also known for its snow festival in winter. Combining a drama location visit with the Taebaek Mountain Snow Festival makes for a full winter itinerary.

5. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha — Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was filmed in the real seaside village of Pohang’s Guryongpo area, which was transformed into the fictional Gongjin. The drama’s warmth came partly from its location — the narrow fishing village streets, the sea views, the traditional buildings — and much of that is still intact.

The production left some elements in place after filming, and the village has leaned into its drama tourism identity. You can walk the streets from the show, find filming location markers, and eat at restaurants that served as set pieces.

Travel tip: Pohang is also home to Homigot, a coastal landmark with a famous hand sculpture emerging from the sea. It’s a natural add-on to any Pohang drama location trip.

6. Reply 1988 — Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul

Reply 1988 was filmed in the Ssangmun-dong neighborhood in northern Seoul, which was chosen and dressed to authentically recreate the feel of a 1980s working-class Seoul neighborhood. The production worked to retain the actual character of the area rather than build an entirely artificial set.

The specific alley used as the central street of the drama’s neighborhood (쌍문동 골목) has become a pilgrimage site for fans. Many of the buildings and locations used are still there, though time and redevelopment have changed some details.

Travel tip: Ssangmun-dong is accessible via Ssangmun Station on Seoul Metro Line 4. The neighborhood retains a genuinely older feel compared to more redeveloped parts of Seoul — worth visiting even without the drama connection.

7. My Love from the Star — Petite France, Gyeonggi-do

Several scenes from My Love from the Star were filmed at Petite France, a French-village-themed cultural center in Gyeonggi Province, about 90 minutes from Seoul. The location’s European aesthetic was used to suggest a different time period and place.

Petite France is a functioning tourist attraction with exhibits on French culture, the Little Prince (the author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is heavily featured), and a garden with nice views over the surrounding valley. It’s a popular day trip from Seoul regardless of the drama connection.

Travel tip: Petite France is close to Nami Island (남이섬), another famous filming location (Winter Sonata) and one of Korea’s most visited natural sites. Combine both in a single day trip.

8. Vincenzo — Geumga Plaza (실제 위치: 창동 지역, Seoul)

The Geumga Plaza in Vincenzo was not a real building — it was a set dressed to look like an aging commercial building with an unusual tenant community. However, the neighborhood feel was drawn from real Seoul commercial district aesthetics, and filming took place in various Seoul locations.

Several exterior scenes were filmed in the Dobong and Nowon areas of northern Seoul. The drama’s Italian sequences were filmed on location in Italy.

Travel tip: Vincenzo’s appeal is as much about mood as specific location. Walking through older commercial districts in Seoul’s less-touristed northern neighborhoods gives you a feel for the world the drama was drawing from.

9. Sweet Home — Mapo-gu Apartment Complex, Seoul

Sweet Home was primarily filmed at a real apartment complex in Mapo-gu (서울 마포구), which served as the Green Home apartment building. The production worked extensively with the actual building structure, and the drama’s claustrophobic, contained atmosphere came directly from filming in a real residential space.

The specific complex is a functional apartment building, so respectful distance is appropriate — it’s not a curated tourist attraction. But for completeness: it exists, it looks exactly like the drama, and it’s in western Seoul.

Travel tip: Mapo-gu is a worthwhile area to visit for other reasons — Hongdae, one of Seoul’s most vibrant young neighborhoods, is in this district.

10. Squid Game — Seongapdo Island Staircase

The production design team built Squid Game’s sets rather than filming at existing locations, but one real location that’s become associated with the drama is the staircase on Seongapdo Island (선갑도) in Incheon — a real spiral staircase attached to a cliff face that has obvious visual similarities to the drama’s iconic staircase set.

Seongapdo is accessible by ferry from Incheon, and the staircase was a minor attraction before the drama. Post-Squid Game it became a bucket-list destination for international fans.

Travel tip: The ferry schedule to Seongapdo is tide-dependent and limited. Check current schedules through Incheon ferry services before planning around it. The island itself is quiet and scenic — it’s a full nature day trip, not just a staircase visit.

Planning Your K-Drama Location Trip

A few general tips for K-drama location travel in Korea:

Naver Map (Korean mapping app) has dramatically better local information than Google Maps for finding specific filming spots. Download it before you go.
Many locations have Korean-language filming location markers (촬영지) that aren’t obvious if you can’t read them. Photos of the markers shared in fan communities can help you identify the right spot.
Weekends bring more Korean drama tourists to famous spots. Weekday visits are quieter and better for photography.
Some locations are in residential areas. Respect that people live there.

Find Your Next Drama to Visit

Before you book the flights, you need to decide which drama is calling to you. Take our K-Drama Mood Quiz — it matches your personality to the K-drama genres and styles you’ll actually love, so your next binge comes with a built-in travel itinerary.