Crash Landing on You Filming Locations — Visit the Real Places

Crash Landing on You (사랑의 불시착) is one of the most beloved K-dramas ever made — and honestly, its filming locations are half the reason it lodged itself so deeply in everyone's hearts. The drama looks like a postcard in almost every frame, and that's not an accident: it was shot across two of the most photogenic places on earth, the Swiss Alps and the quiet northern edge of South Korea. Fans travel from all over the world to stand where Yoon Se-ri (윤세리) and Ri Jeong-hyeok (리정혁) stood, and I completely understand the urge.

I'm Rosa, and I've spent years pointing friends toward the real places behind their favourite dramas. What I love about a CLOY pilgrimage is that it isn't one neat little day trip — it's a proper adventure that spans countries, climates and moods. One half is alpine and sweeping; the other is hushed, rural and emotionally heavy because of how close it sits to the real border. Below is my honest, accuracy-first guide to the locations I'm confident appeared in the show, how to string them together, and what to expect when you actually arrive — because the experience on the ground is rarely what the screenshots promise.

A quick word on expectations before we start: a few of these spots are stylised heavily in the drama through camera work, lighting and a North Korean village that was purpose-built as a set. I'll be straight with you about what's a real public place you can wander into and what's more of a "stand near it and imagine the scene" situation. That honesty matters more to me than hype.

Why CLOY fans make this pilgrimage

Plenty of dramas are set in pretty places. CLOY is different because its locations are doing emotional work. The Swiss scenes bookend the entire love story — they're where the two leads almost cross paths before they ever know each other, and where the show returns for its bittersweet resolution. Standing in that landscape, you feel the distance the characters had to travel, literally and figuratively. The Korean locations carry the opposite charge: they sit right up against the Demilitarized Zone, so visiting them isn't just fan tourism, it's a brush with one of the most loaded borders on the planet. That mix — fairy-tale romance on one end, real geopolitical weight on the other — is exactly what made the drama hit so hard, and it's why the pilgrimage feels meaningful rather than gimmicky.

One thing I always tell people: you don't need to do all of it. If you're already going to Switzerland, lean into the alpine half. If you're in Korea, the DMZ-adjacent stops pair naturally with a day you might spend learning about the peninsula's history anyway. Treat this as a menu, not a checklist.

Switzerland locations

South Korea locations

This is where a CLOY trip changes character entirely. The Korean side of the drama lives in Gangwon Province (강원도) and the borderlands of Gyeonggi (경기도), close enough to the Demilitarized Zone that you feel the proximity in the air. The North Korean village Se-ri hides in was built as a set, not borrowed from a real town, and a few border-region spots stand in for the rest. Below are the Korean locations I'm confident about, with directions kept deliberately general — rural transit and opening hours shift around, and I'd rather you double-check the current details than trust a number that's gone stale.

How to visit these locations

There's no single route that links Switzerland and Korea, obviously, so think of this as two separate mini-itineraries you can do years apart. If you're tackling the Swiss half, base yourself in the Interlaken area and treat Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen as a one- or two-day pair — they're close enough that you can see both without rushing, and the mountain railways and cable cars are the whole point, not just transport.

For the Korean half, the logic is geography. Imjingak and the Yanggu set both sit toward the northern border, but in different directions from Seoul, so I wouldn't try to cram them into one frantic day. A route that works: dedicate one day to the DMZ-adjacent experience around Imjingak (it pairs naturally with a guided border tour), and a separate day to the Yanggu village set, which is a longer haul into Gangwon and deserves its own unhurried pace. Then close the loop with the easy Yeouido stop on any evening you're already in central Seoul. In short: border history first, fan set second, riverside wind-down last.

Best time to go

The two halves want opposite things from the calendar, sort of. In Switzerland, roughly April through October gives you the green-meadow look most fans picture, while deep winter swaps it for snow and the chance that some high routes are closed. Pick based on which version of the drama's scenery you're chasing. In Korea, spring and autumn are the sweet spot — Yeouido in particular is famous for its cherry blossoms, and the borderlands feel less harsh than in the bitter winter or humid peak summer. If you can, aim Korean-side visits at a weekday; the popular spots get noticeably busier on Korean weekends and holidays.

Getting around

Switzerland's mountain transport is, frankly, a joy — trains and cable cars run like clockwork, and a regional travel pass can cover a lot of the journeys, so you rarely need a car. Korea is a different story once you leave Seoul. The city's subway is superb and gets you to Yeouido effortlessly, but the border-region and Gangwon stops involve intercity buses, the occasional taxi for the last stretch, and a bit of patience. Two practical things genuinely help: download Naver Maps (네이버 지도) before you go, because Google Maps is weak for rural Korean directions, and for the DMZ-adjacent areas, accept that some zones can only be entered on an organised tour rather than independently.

What to know before you go

A few honest heads-ups. The Yanggu village is a preserved set, so its opening status can change — confirm it's actually operating before you commit to the long trip out. The DMZ-adjacent areas around Imjingak sometimes require a booked tour and ID checks, and access can tighten at short notice depending on conditions at the border, so build in flexibility and don't treat it as guaranteed. And manage your screenshot expectations: between a purpose-built village set and heavily stylised Swiss cinematography, "it looks exactly like the show" is truer in some spots than others. Go for the atmosphere and the meaning, and you'll never be disappointed.

Tips for visiting filming locations

• Visit Yanggu on a weekday — weekends can get very crowded with Korean tourists, especially in spring and autumn.
• Combine the DMZ visit with Imjingak — most DMZ tours from Seoul stop at Imjingak as part of a day trip. Book in advance, especially in peak season.
• Swiss locations are best in summer — June to September gives you the green meadows from the drama. Winter gives you snow but some areas may be inaccessible.
• Download Naver Maps — Google Maps coverage in rural Korea is limited. Naver Maps (네이버 지도) has much better coverage, especially in Gangwon Province.
• Bring the drama stills — Screenshot the exact scenes before you go. It makes finding the precise filming spots much easier and the photos much more satisfying.
• Combine these stops with our 7-day Korea itinerary for K-drama fans if you have a full week.

Frequently asked questions

Was Crash Landing on You actually filmed in North Korea? No — and it couldn't have been. The North Korean village you see was built as a film set in the Yanggu area of South Korea's Gangwon Province, and other "North" scenes were shot in the South Korean borderlands. That's part of why the show feels so poignant in person: the closest you can get to its North Korea is a careful recreation on the southern side of a border the characters can't freely cross.

Can I visit the Swiss and Korean locations on one trip? Realistically, most fans don't. They're on opposite sides of the world and suit completely different kinds of holiday. I'd treat them as two separate pilgrimages — do the alpine half if you're already heading to Europe, and the border-region half when you're in Korea. Trying to force both into one itinerary usually means doing neither justice.

Do I need a guided tour, or can I go independently? It depends on the stop. Yeouido and the general Swiss locations are easy to do on your own. The Yanggu set is doable independently but remote, so leave plenty of time. The DMZ-adjacent areas near Imjingak are the exception — some zones can only be entered on an organised tour with ID checks, so for those, booking a tour is the practical (sometimes the only) option.