2019 Kdrama Tour + Tips on How To Spot Korean Drama Shooting Locations

Even when on a Kdrama lie-low last year, I was able to catchup a bit from my list. My 2019 favorites include Hotel Del Luna, Touch Your Heart, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, Love Alarm, Encounter, and When The Camellia Blooms.

In this post, I'm sharing three 2019 Kdrama spots I was able to visit in a day, and how you can spot them too!

Brunch in a Hotel Del Luna Location

Cafe in Ddeurak is the typical Kdrama location that people suddenly dash to even though it doesn't necessarily have any significance to the Korean drama's storyline.

Jang Manwol, IU's character, just passed by this cafe while following Goo Chan-sung. It's the part where she was balancing on a brickwall, the facade of the cafe as background.



This is the scene from Hotel Del Luna. Sadly, I can't take the exact pictures from HDL coz in real life when I was there, someone's painting the floorings in front of the brick wall!



Since it's a cafe, I decided to go in for brunch. It's my first stop of the day, and I am definitely starving!

I usually take a break whenever I go to a restaurant shooting location, just to make the most of the time I spent commuting to the place. For Cafe in Ddeurak, I walked for about 15-20 minutes to get there from the train station. I won't waste my time just to look at it or take pictures from the outside.




Even for non-kdrama fans, Cafe in Ddeurak turned out to be a nice homey space with cute vintage interiors. I ordered a hot latte and coffee bun from the ajussi at the counter. The cafe was empty when I went in, but it was packed when I was about to go out.

How to go to Cafe in Ddeurak:
Go down Anguk Station, Exit 1. Follow Google Maps, walk is about 15-20 mins.

I was passing by a residential area on my way back to Anguk Station when I saw a huddle of people in one corner. I walked passed them, and didn't even look.

I was about 2 blocks away when I looked back out of curiosity, and saw cameras, heavy equipment, staff running around in their long puffer jackets, and a crowd across the street with their camera phones out. I missed an actual shoot by an inch!

Bookstore from Romance is a Bonus Book

My next stop was the bookstore featured in Romance is a Bonus Book. I really like this Kdrama coz it's about writers, novels, and noonas!

IRL, Arc N Book is a pretty bookstore located at the basement of a corporate building called Buyong Eulji. Aside from books, they also have a nice selection of stationeries and Kpop albums. It also has nice hallways filled with books from floor to ceiling, forming an arch. Even non-Kdrama fans will find them fascinating!



Got myself the postcard of the girl in red plaid top by the beach. It reminds me of my walks in Jumunjin Beach!



BTS and ASTRO albums, side-by-side:

Screenshots from the Kdrama Romance is a Bonus Book:



How to go to Arc-N-Book:

Go down Euljiro 1-ga Station, Exit 1-1. Go to the basement of Buyong Eulji Building.

Snow in Seoul

I was inside the bookstore when I saw the locals peeping outside the glass window. Snowfall! I went out right away to enjoy my first snow for this winter trip. I decided to walk around the area, and saw a skating rink, a huge I-Seoul-U sign, and the old Seoul City Hall.

School in Extra-Ordinary You

After the snowfall was the rain. It was cold, and I was hungry, but I decided to make one last stop before calling it a day. I decided to go to Seuli High School, or the campus of Eun Dan-oh and Haru in Extraordinary You!


Yonsei University is such a beautiful school, like most campuses I've been to in Korea (Ehwa, Keimyung University, etc). Walk from the train station was so far though, but you'll pass by a lot of shops and food chains along the way.

I made a stop in a Subway to rest my feet and have late lunch. I had the egg sandwich, and sat on the table by the window facing outdoors. It made me imagine random "what ifs".. What if I studied here in Korea? What if I go back to school? Ahhh, it's nice to dream a little.

Aside from Extraordinary You's Seuli High School, Yonsei University is also featured in Romance is a Bonus Book as Hanguk University, where Lee Jong Suk's character taught literature.





How to Go to Yonsei University:

Go down Sinchon Station, Exit 2 or 3
Follow Google Maps (prepare for long walk!)

Other Kdrama Locations I went to for this trip:

Skating rink in Love Alarm
1980s Hotel Del Luna
Sokcho hotel featured in Encounter
Itaewon Class
Goblin Breakwater
Yellow Bookstore in Goblin

How to Spot Korean Drama Locations

Before, I used to look for Korean drama locations by searching for the real name of a school or restaurant. Then I search these names on Google Maps or Naver.

Nowadays, looking for the Kdrama location is easier with the website called Korean Dramaland! It is a site where thousands of filming spots were already published by different Kdrama fans all over the world, categorized by Titles, Subway Station, Neighborhood, and even by category (Cafe, Parks, Hotels, Schools, etc.)

Some tips when going to a Kdrama location:

1. Prepare for long walks, especially if it's a school, park, or residential area.

2. Make the most of your time in the location not only by taking photos and videos, but also by fully experiencing it. Dine in the resto, read books and buy souvenirs in the bookshop, stay a little longer on a park bench, etc.

3. Practice basic etiquette and be aware of photo and filming restrictions.

4. If you can't find it on Google Maps, try Naver app too!

Read More Here: http://www.anagonzales.com/2018/10/in-nutshell-slides-from-my-kto-and.html

Watch Here: