K-Drama Filming Locations: Seoul, Day Trips and Set Fees

K-drama filming locations are easy to plan once you decide how far you want to go. Inside Seoul, Vincenzo’s Sewoon Arcade, Itaewon Class’s Nokseapyeong area, and the Bukchon alleys from Our Beloved Summer and Goblin are all a subway ride away. With a full day you can add Suwon or Winter Sonata’s Nami Island. Stay a night somewhere and the Suncheon drama set is within reach.

The Seoul spots are arcades and alleys, so nobody charges you to walk in. The one catch is Bukchon. People live there, so tourists can only visit at certain hours, and you’ll want to check those before you plan a route.

(Based on Korea Tourism Organization, Visit Seoul, Suwon City and Suncheon City information.)

Start with the K-drama filming locations in Seoul

Seoul and its surrounding provinces are dotted with real-world backdrops from globally acclaimed Korean dramas. Choosing the right pilgrimage itinerary based on your trip duration and favorite drama genre will save hours of transit backtracking.

Sewoon Arcade is the building that played Geumga Plaza in Vincenzo. It’s a 4-minute walk from Exit 12 of Jongno 3-ga Station or Exits 2 and 3 of Euljiro 4-ga Station. I put the Korea Tourism Organization page and the Visit Seoul page side by side to check the hours, and they don’t agree. One says 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the other says it closes at 7 p.m., and both list it as closed on Sundays and public holidays. A weekday afternoon is the safe choice.

Dan-bam from Itaewon Class was a real lamb skewer restaurant. It’s since been renovated and now runs as SEOUL BAM, open evenings only (6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, until midnight on weekends). The same page lists the Nokseapyeong overpass and the bear slide at Itaewon Children’s Park as filming spots too. The closest station is Nokseapyeong on Line 6, so check your map app for the best exit.

For directions, Naver Map or KakaoMap works better than Google Maps here. I’ve written up how to use them in the Naver Map and KakaoMap guide, and the T-money card guide covers paying for the subway.

People actually live in Bukchon

Gamgodang-gil from Our Beloved Summer (about 440 meters long) and the Unhyeongung and Yun Bo-seon House area from Goblin are all in the Bukchon area near Anguk Station. Unhyeongung is closed on Mondays and closes at 5:30 p.m. from November to March. The Yun Bo-seon House isn’t open to the public, so you can only look at it from outside the wall.

The visiting hours are the part that matters most. According to Seoul’s notice, the red zone around Bukchon-ro 11-gil has restricted tourist visits from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day since November 2024, and since March 2025 breaking the rule gets you a 100,000 won fine. I couldn’t confirm in the notice whether Gamgodang-gil sits inside the red zone, so it’s easier to just plan all of Bukchon for somewhere between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Seoul’s real-time city data shows the Bukchon Hanok Village area is quiet on weekday mornings and gets fairly busy by about 1 p.m. Arriving at 10 a.m., right when the restriction lifts, also makes photos easier.

Seoul and the Korea Tourism Organization have both said that Central High School, the school in Our Beloved Summer, is open to visitors only on weekends and public holidays. Those notices are from 2016 and 2023, though, so call the Bukchon tourist information center at 02-2148-4160 before you go. If you plan to walk around in a hanbok, see the hanbok rental guide near Gyeongbokgung.

Bukchon residential etiquette guidelines strictly enforce noise reduction (Seoul filming locations guide): keep speaking volumes low and avoid peering into residential courtyards, as these traditional alleyways are active living neighborhoods. Tourist density peaks heavily on weekends, making weekday mornings significantly better for quiet exploration.

Suwon’s K-drama filming locations fit in a day

Suwon City’s official Hwaseong drama route maps key production sites across the fortress perimeter. Filming locations blend commercial cafes with private residential homes along the mural village alleys; maintain respectful boundaries by photographing private residences strictly from street public easements.

If you’re a Twenty-Five Twenty-One fan, start at Namporu on the Hwaseong fortress wall. Our Beloved Summer’s mural alley appears on Suwon’s list as Jidong Mural Village, while a Korea Tourism Organization page calls it Haenggung-dong Mural Village. They’re a short walk apart, so you can see both together.

To get there, take a bus from Suwon Station (Line 1 and the Suin-Bundang Line). Buses 11 and 13 from the Exit 4 side stop in front of Hwaseong Haenggung, and from Gangnam Station the 3000 express bus goes straight to Paldalmun (per Suwon City and the Suwon Cultural Foundation).

Is Nami Island still the Winter Sonata island?

Winter Sonata aired in 2002, and Nami Island is still one of the headline spots on the Korea Tourism Organization’s English site. Admission is 19,000 won for adults, with the round-trip ferry included. The island is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the ferry runs every 10 to 20 minutes between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

From Seoul, take the ITX-Cheongchun from Yongsan or Cheongnyangni to Gapyeong Station, about 1 hour. From there it’s a 5-minute taxi ride or a walk of more than 20 minutes to the ferry dock. Recheck autumn and winter ferry timetables on the official operator portal before departure.

For travelers holding a nationwide Korail Pass (Gapyeong and Nami Island transit guide), the ITX-Cheongchun express train is fully covered, including complimentary advance seat reservations. Always verify specific route eligibility on the official Korail portal prior to travel. Local taxis stationed outside Gapyeong Station reach the ferry terminal in five minutes for approximately 4,000 to 5,000 won.

Walking through the sets

The Suncheon drama set recreates a 1960s Suncheon town, a 1970s Seoul hillside neighborhood and a 1980s street on the edge of Seoul, all at full scale. According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s accessible-tourism page, more than 80 productions were shot here, including Gumiho Tale 1938, Pachinko, Giant and East of Eden. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last entry at 5 p.m. Admission is 3,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for teens and 1,000 won for children.

The KTX from Yongsan to Suncheon takes 2 hours 39 minutes (44,000 won in standard class), so a day trip is tight. From Suncheon Station, city bus 71 or 77 goes to the front of the set (per Suncheon City).

The Suncheon open set serves as a major retro cultural landmark (Suncheon itinerary field guide). Even on weekday mornings, visitors gather early for retro school uniform rentals and photography across the hillside alley sets. Arriving at the 09:00 opening window ensures clean backdrops before regional tour buses arrive.

The photo above is Hapcheon Video Theme Park in South Gyeongsang. It’s a set built to look like the 1920s through the 1980s, and the Korea Tourism Organization’s photo description says more than 190 productions were shot there. I couldn’t confirm its hours or admission from an official page this time, so they aren’t in the table.

One more thing before you go

News reports said the Korea Tourism Organization and Studio Dragon signed an agreement in July 2026 for a Hallyu Olle trail linking filming locations around the country. No opening date or details have been announced yet, so don’t plan around it for now.

For more on filming locations and K-culture, have a look at the K-culture collection.