Squid Game (오징어 게임) became the most-watched Netflix series ever — and since then, fans have been tracking down every real location used in the production. I'll be honest with you right away, because this is the thing most "filming location" lists for this show get wrong: the parts of Squid Game that are burned into your memory — that pastel staircase, the giant doll, the honeycomb room — were almost all built sets, not places you can stroll into. So a guide that promises to take you "inside the game" is, frankly, overselling it.
What you can do is something a little quieter and, I think, more rewarding. You can visit the real-world Seoul neighbourhoods and the wider Korean places that grounded the story — Gi-hun's working-class district, the Han River bridge, the city where the sets were built. They give you the texture of the world rather than the spectacle of the games, and that texture is what made the show feel true in the first place. This guide separates the two honestly: what's a real visitable place, and what was a temporary studio build that no longer exists.
The iconic game arenas — the Green Light Red Light field, the honeycomb room, the marbles courtyard — were purpose-built sets at Daejeon's Chungnam National University and the Yongin Daejanggeum Theme Park. Some have been partially recreated as tourist experiences. The real-world Seoul locations are listed below.
Sets vs. real places: what you can actually visit
Let me make this as clear as I can, because it'll save you a wasted trip. Squid Game was shot in two very different kinds of space, and only one of them is something a fan can go and stand in.
The first kind is the game world: the dormitory full of bunk beds, the candy-coloured staircase between rounds, the playground field where the doll turns its head, the glass-bridge stage. These were elaborate, temporary sets, mostly constructed indoors on studio grounds in Daejeon and at a theme park in Yongin. They were taken down after filming. You cannot visit them as they appeared on screen — and any tour implying otherwise is stretching the truth. The closest you'll get is the occasional pop-up "Squid Game experience" event, which recreates a few games for fun but isn't the original set.
The second kind is the real Seoul and Korea that bookended the games — the neighbourhood Gi-hun lived in, the river and bridge where the story's desperation plays out. These are genuine, public, walkable places, and they're the heart of this guide. They won't give you the thrill of the arena, but they give you something better: the actual lived-in city that the show came from. That's the trip I'd send a fan on, and below I've sorted everything by exactly what it is.
Seoul locations
The steep staircase and cramped alleyways of Ssangmun-dong in northern Seoul served as Gi-hun's home neighbourhood throughout the series. The area is a real working-class district — one of those parts of Seoul that hasn't been redeveloped, making it feel authentic and lived-in. The actual staircase Gi-hun runs up is here and easily findable.
Of everything on this list, this is the one I'd actually make the trip for. It's a real neighbourhood where real people live, not a tourist set, and that's the whole point — the cramped alleys, the hillside steps, the small shops all tell you instantly why a character would be desperate enough to take that strange invitation. Interestingly, Ssangmun-dong is also where Reply 1988 was set, so for many Koreans it already carries a nostalgic, hometown feeling, and walking it gives you a sense of an older, less polished Seoul that's quietly disappearing. Please remember people live here: keep your voice down, don't block doorways for photos, and treat it like someone's street, because it is.
Take Subway Line 4 to Ssangmun Station (Exit 2). The filming staircase is about a 10-minute walk from the station. Search "쌍문동 오징어게임 계단" on Naver Maps for the exact location. The neighbourhood is best explored on foot.
Several pivotal scenes were filmed at and around Mapo Bridge on the Han River — including moments that establish the desperate financial situations of the characters. The Han River parks in this area are among Seoul's most popular recreational spaces, beautiful at any time of year and especially lively on weekends.
There's a layer here worth knowing. Mapo Bridge has a real, heavy reputation in Seoul as a place associated with people at their lowest, and the city has added messages and railings over the years in response to that. The show didn't choose it by accident. So while it's a genuinely lovely riverside spot to walk — the Han River at dusk is one of my favourite things about the city — the bridge carries a weight that the cheerful park setting can mask. I'd treat it as a place to take in the river and the scale of the city rather than a "snap a selfie at the murder bridge" stop. The riverside parks around it are free, open all hours, and a wonderful, very local way to spend an evening with a convenience-store beer and the skyline.
Take Subway Line 5 to Mapo Station (Exit 1) and walk to the bridge. Or take Line 6 to Hapjeong Station and walk along the river. The Han River park is free to enter and open 24 hours.
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Outside Seoul
The production built many of the game sets on the grounds of Chungnam National University in Daejeon. While the original sets have been taken down, the university campus itself is visitable and became a significant location in Korean pop culture history. Daejeon is also worth visiting in its own right — it's Korea's science city, with excellent food and the Expo Science Park.
I want to manage expectations clearly: you cannot go and see the game arenas here. The sets were temporary builds on the grounds and have been removed, and the university is a working campus, not an attraction. So unless you're a serious completist who simply wants to stand where it was made, this isn't a "visit the location" stop in any meaningful sense. What I'd actually suggest is treating Daejeon as a good city in its own right — easy to reach, underrated by foreign tourists, genuinely strong food scene — rather than detouring purely for a campus where nothing of the show remains. Be honest with yourself about why you're going.
From Seoul Station, take KTX high-speed train to Daejeon Station (about 50 minutes). From Daejeon Station, take a taxi or bus to Chungnam National University (about 20 minutes). Combine with a visit to Daejeon's Yuseong hot spring district.
This large outdoor film studio in Yongin was used for additional Squid Game set construction and has been used for hundreds of other K-dramas. The park has permanent sets representing historical Korean architecture and is open to visitors as a tourist attraction. If you're a K-drama fan, you'll recognise streets and buildings from dozens of other shows.
This is the one "set" stop that's genuinely worth visiting, but not really for Squid Game specifically. The Squid Game builds here were temporary and are gone; what remains is the park's standing collection of historical-style streets and palaces that have appeared in an enormous number of period dramas. So go for the broader K-drama-set experience — it's a real, ticketed attraction where you can walk Joseon-era streets and play dress-up in hanbok — and let the Squid Game connection be a fun footnote rather than the reason. If you've already got a long list of historical dramas you love, you'll spend the visit going "oh, that's from such-and-such," which is half the fun.
From Seoul, take the Bundang subway line to Bojeong Station, then a taxi (about 20 minutes). Alternatively, shuttle buses run from central Seoul on weekends. Entry fee applies; check current hours before visiting.
For Season 2, several outdoor scenes were filmed on Seungbong Island, a small and relatively undeveloped island off the coast of Incheon. The island is known for its beautiful beaches and is popular with Korean domestic tourists seeking a quiet escape from Seoul. Visiting gives you both a filming location experience and a genuine taste of Korean island life.
Of all the stops, this is the biggest commitment for the smallest crowd, and I mean that as a recommendation in disguise. Getting here takes a real ferry ride, which immediately filters out anyone doing a quick city tour, so you trade convenience for genuine quiet. The island itself is the draw far more than any specific scene — clean beaches, sea air, the unhurried rhythm of a small Korean island where life slows right down. I'd only send a fan out here if they already wanted a peaceful island night away from Seoul and liked the idea of the Squid Game link as a bonus. As a standalone "filming location," it's a long way to go; as a little escape with a story attached, it's lovely.
From Incheon Ferry Terminal (인천 연안부두), take a ferry to Seungbong Island (about 2 hours). Ferries run several times daily but schedules vary by season — check the Incheon Port Authority website for current timetables. Accommodation is available on the island for overnight stays.
Tips for Squid Game location hunting
- Use Naver Maps, not Google — Search Korean location names in Hangul for better results in local areas.
- The game sets don't exist anymore — Don't travel specifically expecting to see the honeycomb room or the doll. Those were temporary studio builds.
- Ssangmun-dong is the most rewarding — The real neighbourhood gives you the authentic feel of the world Gi-hun lived in. More moving than any studio set.
- Combine with a Squid Game experience — Several companies in Seoul offer Squid Game-themed experience events where you can play the games. Search "Squid Game experience Seoul" for current options.
- Try the official Squid Game tour — VisitKorea offers a themed one-day tour that covers multiple filming spots.
- Combine these stops with our 7-day Korea itinerary for K-drama fans if you have a full week.
Best time to go
Since the worthwhile Squid Game spots are mostly in Seoul, the timing advice is really just "when is Seoul at its best," and the answer is spring and autumn. April brings cherry blossoms along the Han River, and the riverside parks near Mapo Bridge are gorgeous and lively. October and November give you crisp air and golden light, which suits the slightly melancholy mood of the whole show — Ssangmun-dong's hillside steps look their most cinematic on a clear autumn afternoon.
Summer in Seoul is hot, humid and rainy through the monsoon weeks of July, and a lot of what you're doing here is outdoor walking — neighbourhood alleys, riverside paths — so I'd avoid the peak of it if you can. Winter is fine for the city stops if you bundle up; the river and the neighbourhood are still walkable and far less crowded. The one timing factor that genuinely matters is the ferry to Seungbong Island: those schedules thin out badly in winter and bad weather, so if the island is on your list, go in the warmer months and check the timetable before you build a day around it.
Getting around
The good news is that the two stops actually worth your time — Ssangmun-dong and Mapo Bridge — are both straightforward on the Seoul subway, which is clean, cheap, and signed in English. Grab a T-money card at any station or convenience store and tap in and out; it covers subways, buses and even most taxis across the country. For Ssangmun-dong you'll take Line 4; for the river you're on Line 5 or 6. From the stations it's a short walk to each, and Seoul is a very walkable city once you're in the right district.
For finding the exact spots, use NAVER Map, not Google Maps — Google's walking and transit directions are unreliable in Korea, while NAVER is accurate down to the alley. Search the Korean names in Hangul (for example 쌍문동 계단) and you'll get far better pins than English searches return. For the out-of-Seoul stops, Daejeon is an easy KTX hop from Seoul Station, Yongin's theme park is a subway-plus-taxi combination, and Seungbong Island means a ferry from the Incheon coastal terminal — confirm sailing times in advance, because they shift with the season.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit the actual Squid Game arena where they played the games? No — and I'd be wary of anyone selling that. The dormitory, the staircase, the doll's playground and the glass bridge were temporary studio sets, built mostly in Daejeon and at the Yongin theme park, and they were dismantled after filming. The closest you'll find is an occasional pop-up "Squid Game experience" event that recreates a few games for fun, but that's not the original set.
What's the single most worthwhile spot to actually visit? Ssangmun-dong, without question. It's a real, living neighbourhood — the one place that gives you the authentic feel of the world Gi-hun came from, and it's far more moving than any vanished studio build. If you only do one Squid Game thing, do this, and do it respectfully.
Is it worth travelling out to Daejeon or Seungbong Island for the show? Honestly, only if you want those places for their own sake. Nothing of the Squid Game sets remains in Daejeon, and Seungbong is a lovely but committed island trip. Go to Daejeon for the city and the food, and to Seungbong for a quiet island escape — and let the Squid Game link be a bonus, not the whole reason.
Also check our guides to Crash Landing on You locations and Goblin locations.
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