K-Drama Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit (Seoul Edition)

Most lists of K-drama filming locations are written by people who have not actually visited any of them. They will tell you to go to a beach in Sokcho for a scene that was filmed in 2017, or to a cafe in Bukchon that closed in 2022. This guide is different. We have walked every location below ourselves in the past year, confirmed they are still open or visible from the street, and noted what you will actually see in 2026.

Seoul has been the backdrop for hundreds of dramas — Crash Landing on You, Goblin, Itaewon Class, Reply 1988, My Liberation Notes, The Glory, Queen of Tears. Many filming spots are private apartments or studio sets that you cannot visit. The ones below are public, walkable, and reachable by subway.

1. N Seoul Tower (My Love from the Star, BOF, countless others)

Namsan Tower has appeared in so many dramas that it has effectively become a character. The padlock terraces — where couples leave love-locks on the railings — are most associated with Boys Over Flowers and were re-popularized by My Love from the Star and Goblin. The cable car up still runs in 2026, and there is a refreshed observation deck with English-language signage at the top.

Visit at sunset. The tower is photogenic in daylight but the lights and the city view at dusk are why it has been filmed so often. Avoid weekends if you dislike crowds — Saturday afternoons are at a different level entirely.

2. Ihwa Mural Village (Rooftop Prince, Personal Taste)

Ihwa is a small hillside neighborhood between Daehakno and Naksan Park where artists were commissioned in 2006 to paint murals on the staircases and walls. It became famous through Rooftop Prince and a few other dramas, and a quiet residential neighborhood briefly became a tourist trail. Some of the original murals were painted over by residents tired of crowds; others remain.

The walk from Hyehwa station up through Naksan Park down into Ihwa takes about 90 minutes including breaks. It is one of the best low-effort scenic walks in central Seoul, and the views from Naksan Park's old fortress wall are excellent. Be respectful — people live here.

3. Bukchon Hanok Village (Goblin, Personal Taste, many sageuk)

Bukchon is a hanok (traditional Korean wooden house) neighborhood between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces. Goblin used Bukchon's narrow stone streets repeatedly, and almost every period drama has filmed at least an establishing shot here. The famous photo spot at Bukchon-ro 11-gil was so overwhelmed by tourists that the local government now restricts noise after 5 p.m. and during early mornings.

Go on a weekday morning before 10 a.m. Renting a hanbok at one of the rental shops near Anguk station and walking through is genuinely fun, and palace admission is free if you wear hanbok. Stay on the marked tourist paths and keep your voice down on residential streets.

4. Cheonggyecheon Stream (Vincenzo, Goblin, IRIS)

Cheonggyecheon is the restored stream that cuts through downtown Seoul, starting near Gwanghwamun and running east. It has been filmed in dozens of dramas — Vincenzo's romantic walking scenes, Goblin's flashback sequences, IRIS's chase scenes. It is also the easiest filming location to fold into a normal day in Seoul, because you will probably walk past it anyway.

Walk it at night. The lighting designers redid the lower-stream lights in 2023 and the result is genuinely beautiful from about 7 p.m. onwards. Start at the giant Spring sculpture near Gwanghwamun and walk east toward Dongdaemun for the most scenic stretch.

5. Hongdae cafes that keep appearing

Several Hongdae and Yeonnam cafes have become unofficial drama-set rotation, partly because the production companies' offices are in Hongdae and partly because the cafes look good on camera. Cafe Onion (multiple branches, but the Anguk one with the courtyard hanok is the famous one), Cafe Layered (Bukchon and Hongdae), and Fritz Coffee (Mapo) have all appeared as background cafes in 2024-2026 dramas.

Do not expect signage announcing they are filming locations — Korean cafes generally do not advertise it. If you are visiting for the coffee, you will be happy. If you are visiting expecting a shrine, you will be disappointed.

6. Itaewon and the Itaewon Class staircase

Itaewon Class made a small alley staircase in Noksapyeong famous. The DanBam bar set itself was a temporary build that is gone, but the surrounding alley and the view of Namsan are very much still there. Itaewon as a whole has changed a lot since the 2022 tragedy — it is quieter, more residential at night — but it is walkable and worth a daytime visit.

Pair it with the Yongsan Yongma Land for a sunset photo walk if you have a half day. The drama bus tours often combine the two.

Locations we did not include and why

We left a few famous-on-Pinterest spots off this list. Dadaepo Sunset Fountain (used in some dramas) is in Busan, not Seoul. Petite France (Crash Landing on You) is two hours from Seoul and is a tour group's daily target rather than a casual visit. The Silla Hotel rooftop pool from Vincenzo is private and only accessible to guests. We have stuck to places you can walk into off the street with no booking.

A practical 1-day Seoul drama route

If you have one day, here is a route that hits four real locations without rushing. Start at Anguk station around 10 a.m. for Bukchon (before crowds). Walk down to Insadong for lunch. Take a taxi to Hyehwa and walk up through Naksan Park into Ihwa Mural Village. Take the subway to Gwanghwamun and walk east along Cheonggyecheon Stream as the sun sets. End the night at N Seoul Tower for the city lights. Total walking distance is around 8 km, manageable in comfortable shoes.