Squid Game: Seoul and Incheon Outside the Games

The series begins with its main characters as children, playing a squid game with their friends on a patch of open ground. That scene was filmed at Gyodong Elementary School, a school on Ganghwa Island in Incheon that opened in 1906. Its old buildings stand in for the children's neighbourhood, and the game they play gives the whole story its shape. It is forbidden to enter the school, so visitors can only look at it from the lane outside. Even so, it is the quiet origin of everything that follows.

Visitor guidance: On Ganghwa Island in Incheon; visitors are not allowed inside, so view the school from the lane outside.

Gi-hun proudly announces that he is from Ssangmun-dong, and this is his home turf. He is often seen in Baegun Market on Samyang-ro 154-gil, at the fish stall run by the mother of Sang-woo, where the two share a coffee and a cigarette. The stall that plays "Sangwoo's Fish" is Paldo Dried Fish, and the grilled fish Gi-hun carries is really sold there. The market is a working neighbourhood market rather than a set, so visit it quietly, as a customer rather than a pilgrim.

Visitor guidance: A working market on Samyang-ro 154-gil; buy something and keep the aisles clear.

At the end of a bad day, Gi-hun waits on a subway platform and a smiling stranger offers him a game of ddakji. The man is the Salesman, played by Gong Yoo, and the scene was filmed on the Gangnam-bound platform at Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station, on the Shinbundang Line in Gangnam. The station opened in 2011 and is still a working stop. Fans still play ddakji on the platform for nostalgia, so on a quiet afternoon you may find someone crouching over a paper tile.

Visitor guidance: A working subway platform on the Shinbundang Line; stand clear of the doors and the yellow line.

After their brief exit from the contest, Gi-hun and Sae-byeok are dropped off in the city at night. They end up beside Namsan Park, with the lit N Seoul Tower standing behind them and the games already far away. The scene was shot beside Namsan, the hill in central Seoul. Today it is a public park of hiking trails and picnic spots, with the cable car and the tower at the top. The exact stretch of road was never identified, so the pin marks the park.

Location precision: The show does not identify the road; the pin marks Namsan Park, where Gi-hun and Sae-byeok are dropped off.

Visitor guidance: A public park with marked trails; the cable car and N Seoul Tower are at the summit.

Back home in Ssangmun-dong, Gi-hun sits outside a convenience store with a bottle of soju. An old man joins him, and over ramen and drink they talk. He is Oh Il-nam, player 001, and the two meet again here after the first game. The store is the CU Ssangmun Uicheon branch on Uicheon-ro 39-gil, where the scene was filmed over four days. The shop at No 11 still shows off its Squid Game connection in the window.

Visitor guidance: A working convenience store on Uicheon-ro 39-gil; buy a drink and sit outside.

In episode 2 the show follows Deok-su to Incheon, where he meets a fellow gangster in the rain. The meeting place is My Land, the oldest amusement park on Wolmido Island, a seaside strip of rides west of Seoul. Its Viking and the frantic Tagada Disco are the park's highlights, and the scene makes a bright, gaudy backdrop for a very cold conversation. Korea Tourism names My Land; Incheon's city guide and Netflix put the scene at the Wolmi Theme Park nearby, so the pin marks My Land. Check opening hours before you go.

Location precision: Korea Tourism names My Land, while Incheon's city guide and Netflix name the nearby Wolmi Theme Park; the pin marks My Land at 7 Wolmi-ro 234beon-gil.

Visitor guidance: A working amusement park on Wolmido; check ride hours and ticket prices before travelling.

After the games, Gi-hun receives an address on a mysterious card. He follows it at night to a gleaming tower in Yeouido and comes face to face with Oh Il-nam again. The scenes were filmed at IFC Mall, the shopping centre inside the International Finance Center Seoul complex. The mall opened on 30 August 2012 and is connected to Yeouido Station on Lines 5 and 9. It is an ordinary place to shop, which makes the confrontation feel stranger: the glass, the escalators, the city lights outside, and the revelation waiting inside.

Visitor guidance: IFC Mall is open to the public and connects to Yeouido Station on Lines 5 and 9.

In the finale, "One Lucky Day", Gi-hun reaches Incheon International Airport and almost boards a flight. Then he turns back and decides to challenge the people behind the game. The airport is the main international gateway to Seoul and opened for business in 2001; several scenes of the series were shot there. In 2023 the makers apologised after filming a season 2 escalator scene drew complaints from passengers. Concourses are open to travellers, so you can walk the same halls — though the departure he refused is the part that matters.

Visitor guidance: A working airport open to travellers; allow time for security if you are flying.

In the season 2 opener, "Bread and Lottery", the Salesman returns. He sits in Tapgol Park in Jongno and hands out lottery tickets and bread to the homeless people there, then stamps down the bread that is left. It is a brief appearance in a park with a much older history: Tapgol is the site of the origin of the March First Movement of 1919. The park sits at 99 Jongno, is served by Jongno 3-ga Station on Lines 1, 3 and 5, and is open to the public.

Visitor guidance: A public park at 99 Jongno, a short walk from Jongno 3-ga Station.