Your Squid Game-Inspired Itinerary Starts Here (Games Not Included)
Here’s your green light for set-jetting overseas to the South Korean filming locations.
Squid Game Season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger. Rather than wait until Season 3 to get your fill of the Korean Netflix series, there is a much better alternative that can satisfy your wanderlust at the same time: a visit to the show’s filming locations.
At the start of each competition, players are brought to a warehouse on a secret island, where they’re forced to compete in children’s games with a deadly twist. Despite its sadistic nature, the event’s setting is vibrant and whimsical, making it an Insta-worthy attraction.
Though sets like the dormitory where contestants stay during the games and the colorful staircases that lead to each room were reportedly built for production, there are a few other Squid Game filming locations in South Korea that you can actually visit IRL. If you feel inspired to finally check off the bucket list destination in Asia after marathon-watching the second season, here are all the spots to add to your itinerary for a set-jetting adventure.
Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for the Squid Game Season 2.
Start Your Squid Game Trip At Incheon International Airport
You won’t have to go very far for your first Squid Game filming location in South Korea. At the end of Season 1 and beginning of Season 2, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) can be seen about to board a plane at Incheon International Airport. According to Triple Korea, production used Terminal 1 for the scene that kicks off Episode 1 of Season 2.
Since this is the primary airport in Seoul, South Korea, you’ll likely be landing in your first destination and won’t have to travel very far to step into Player 456’s shoes.
Next Up, Squid Game Places To Visit In Seoul
At the beginning of Season 2, Gi-hun was on a mission to find the infamous Recruiter by searching the metro system of Seoul. The Direct reports that both the Hangangjin Station and Oksu Station were used for filming scenes in Episode 1.
Choi Woo-seok and Kim Jeong-rae ended up finding the Recruiter and following him out of the subway system to Tapgol Park, where he played the Bread or Lottery challenge. This park is in the Jung District of Seoul, which is also where Gi-hun got pulled over for speeding by Hwang Jun-ho’s partner in Episode 1.
Another park you can visit in Seoul that has connections to Season 2 is Seoul Land. This is the theme park from Episode 2, where you’re introduced to Kang No-eul (Guard 011), Park Gyeong-seok (Player 246), and his sick daughter.
Seongapdo Island Is Not Open To The Public
The remote island where the games take place is actually Seongapdo Island. The IRL Squid Game filming location is privately owned, so it’s harder to visit than some other spots. It’s also about five hours away from Seoul, so it’s not as easy to visit on a day trip.
Stop By Daejeon Expo Science Park Instead
Visiting the Squid Game island may not be possible, but you can visit another filming location outside of Seoul during your trip to Korea. Daejeon Expo Science Park, which is about four hours away from the capital city, is where production built a lot of its large sets.
Places like the players’ dorm and Red Light, Green Light game room may not be there for you to explore now that filming has wrapped, but there are plenty of things to do in Daejeon while you’re there. Explore the Expo Science Park, go kayaking at the Gapcheon Water Sports Experience Center, and grab coffee from a TikTok-approved cafe.
