Travel opens up worlds you never knew existed, and entertainment does exactly that. The global Hallyu wave is a testament to the power of Korean storytelling. K-dramas offer an emotional getaway into spaces brimming with warmth, magic and belonging. More than that, they give us the rare chance to step into the real-life locations that stayed with us long after the credits rolled. We get to reconnect with the exact feelings those stories stirred. Here is a look at the dramas that not only made us fall in love with South Korea, but also made us see familiar places in a whole new light.
Goblin: Where Magic Meets Destiny
Canada was always an alluring destination, but Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) breathed romantic folklore into its cobblestone streets. Stepping through a magical door into autumn-clad Québec City offered Ji Eun-tak, a girl who had long felt shunned by fate, a world beyond her bleak everyday life. At the same time, Kim Shin (played by Gong Yoo), who had carried the silent weight of immortality for over nine centuries, found an unexpected glimmer of warmth and hope among the falling red maple leaves.
That magic found a different expression at Jumunjin Breakwater, back in South Korea, where a simple candle blown out by Eun-tak summoned Kim Shin and marked the beginning of their fateful connection. Though from completely different realms and entangled in a tragic divine fate, their bond reached a point of no return. They knew destiny was rarely kind, but the unspoken promises woven through their journey, from the autumn streets of Québec to the crashing Korean waves, carried them through to the very end.
Rue du Petit-Champlain (Québec City, Canada)
The reality on the ground: Nestled in Old Québec’s Lower Town, Rue du Petit-Champlain is a historic pedestrian street lined with boutiques and distinctive architecture. Its cobblestones and old-world atmosphere make it easy to see why it fits the romantic world of Goblin. The drama’s famous red-door scene adds another layer of meaning for fans visiting the neighbourhood.
Traveler’s tip: Visit early in the morning or later in the day for a quieter stroll. Autumn brings seasonal colour, but the weather, foliage and river views vary, so don’t expect the landscape to look exactly as it does on screen.
Jumunjin Breakwater (Gangneung, South Korea)
The reality on the ground: This coastal breakwater became a popular destination after appearing in Goblin. Unlike the romantic scene it hosts, the structure serves a practical coastal purpose. Visitors still come to recreate the memorable encounter, and nearby businesses may offer props such as red scarves and buckwheat flowers.
A Quiet Haven for Two: Crash Landing on You in Switzerland
Traveler’s tip: Check local conditions before visiting and follow all posted safety warnings. The sea can be unpredictable, so don’t venture onto exposed sections when waves or weather make access unsafe. If you want to recreate the scene, check nearby businesses for current prop availability and prices before relying on them.
Lovely Runner: A Neighbourhood Full of Memories
Before Lovely Runner captured viewers’ hearts in 2024, Haenggung-dong in Suwon was simply another part of the city. Today, fans visit the area to relive the memories of Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) and Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok). At its heart is Mong Ted café, which doubles as Sol’s home in the drama. Just across the alley stands the blue-gated house that represents Sun-jae’s home.
The yellow umbrella has become one of the show’s most recognisable symbols. In one timeline, a struggling Sun-jae watches the girl he has a crush on run towards him with an umbrella. Her smile leaves his heart fluttering. In another, Sol travels back in time, carrying feelings she cannot easily express and a future she is desperately trying to change. The umbrella becomes a reminder of the feelings that exist between them, even when the two cannot quite meet each other where they are. Fans have affectionately called this their “sunshine moment.”
But this neighbourhood holds more than the promise of romance. It is also where friendships take shape and memories are made. Tae-song (Song Geon-hee) and Sun-jae share an iconic night here, while Baek In-hyuk (Lee Seung-hyub) witnesses one of Sun-jae’s attempts to show affection towards Sol, earning him an unexpected flying kiss in return.
Perhaps that is why the neighbourhood means so much to fans. Some couples arrive with a yellow umbrella, hoping to recreate a moment that made their hearts flutter. Others come hoping to find someone who would run towards them with one. Either way, they are not just visiting a filming location. They are stepping into a memory they already hold dear.
Itaewon Class: Where Outcasts Become Family
A dream, a broken family, a criminal and now a businessman. Park Sae-ro-yi’s (Park Seo-joon) journey was far from easy, with all the odds stacked against him. After losing his father, who dreamed of opening a restaurant, Sae-ro-yi found himself imprisoned for attacking the man responsible for his father’s death. Yet he refused to let his circumstances define his future. Determined to carry his father’s dream forward, he opened Danbam, a tiny restaurant where simply staying afloat was a daily struggle.
Itaewon is where that dream began to take shape. Success was never guaranteed, and nobody was going to save Danbam if it went bankrupt. But Sae-ro-yi was determined to make it work. He looked beyond social labels and gave people whom society often judged or dismissed a chance to prove themselves. It was a fresh start where outcasts became family, finding a sense of belonging in a group the outside world might call dysfunctional. And while Sae-ro-yi’s journey began with revenge, it grew into something bigger: a chance to level up when pushed to the absolute brink, build something of his own and take control of his future.
Needless to say, many of us struggle with similar situations at work and within society. We all seek a sense of belonging, hoping to be seen one day even when we keep our wounds hidden. Itaewon Class offers warmth amid the pressures of work and society. It leaves us with the hope that our circumstances need not define our future, and that belonging can be found in the most unexpected places. Maybe, when fans walk through Itaewon, they are looking for a little of that hope themselves.
Fun Fact: Danbam was actually a pocha (Korean drinking house) which opened after Itaewon Class’ roaring success. It is located along the quieter back alleys of Itaewon, Seoul.
Each place tells a story, but K-dramas give us a reason to visit and create our own tales. Love, loss and pain are as real in our lives as the emotions we experience through these stories. Rather than shying away from them, perhaps it is time to embrace them, travel to the places that moved us and create memories of our own. After all, the story doesn’t have to end when the credits roll. Sometimes, it is only the beginning of our own.
Stories We Watch. Places We Discover.