The popular Korean Netflix series ‘Crash Landing on You’ tells the story of a South Korean heiress that accidentally lands in North Korea due to a paragliding mishap and subsequently gets protected by a rebelling North-Korean army officer, who decides he will help her hide & survive. The series became a global hit during the corona pandemic on Netflix due to its original storyline and stunning landscapes. A huge number of episodes were filmed in Switzerland and the Interlaken area more specifically. As the global paragliding capital with an abundance of magnificent mountains it is not hard to imagine why the series has captured so many hearts and how this love story has sent lots fans in search of these idyllic Alps.

The Adventure Hostel in Interlaken makes for an excellent base to explore all these idyllic alpine locations with the itinerary we provide below…

Crash Landing On You (CLOY) aired in 2019 and was one of the highest rated TV dramas in Korea. This is the story of an unlikely romance between an entrepreneur heiress, Yoon Seri and a North Korean military officer, Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok. Due to an unexpected wind gust Seri’s paragliding flights forces her to land over the North Korean border and into the hands of Captain Ri. A unique larger story about the two Koreas culture and identity unfolds with Swiss, and Interlaken landscapes in particular, turning it into a visually stunning spectacle. The stunning and dreamy landscapes plus the fact that Interlaken is globally known for its great paragliding, served as the perfect backdrop to some of the most memorable scenes in the global hit drama and most of them are easily reachable from Interlaken and the adventure hostel.

The Interlaken area takes the spotlight in CLOY with extensive appearances of Iseltwald, Giessbach, lake Brienz, the Victoria Jungfrau Interlaken, Kleine Scheidegg, Eigergletscher and First in Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch, lake Lungern and the panorama bridge Sigriswil.

Interlaken sits right in the middle of all these locations and makes for an excellent starting point to explore all these gorgeous filming locations. It is also the paragliding capital of the world with hundreds of paragliders in the air on any sunny day making it the perfect CLOY filming location. You can easily go paragliding just like Se-ri too with a once-in-a-lifetime tandem flight, just check-out the options here.

Now lets check out each CLOY filming location to give you the ultimate CLOY pilgrimage itinerary in Switzerland.

Iseltwald is featured four times in CLOY, and therefore should be on every 'Crash Landing on You' travelers must visit list. The pedestrian area of Schorren in Iseltwald appears in the opening sequence of CLOY as the street by Lake Brienz where the two protagonists walk, with Seeburg Castle seen in the background. This trail is featured in the opening sequence of all the episodes too making it highly recognizable. Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok look at each other lovingly from opposite sides of the trail.

The trail is only a short ten-minute walk from the boat dock that features the famous piano scene.

To Get There make your way to Interlaken Ost or West Station and then take bus no. 103 to Iseltwald, Dorfplatz and take a 10-minute walk from there

In Episode 7, Jeong-hyeok stands at the boat dock tearfully having to leave Switzerland after learning about his brother’s death. At the request of a young girl he starts playing the piano right on the wooden pier. It is one of the more iconic scenes of Crash Landing on you and the tear dropping “Song For Brother” is a big part of it.

Iseltwald is featured again in Episode 9, when Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok realise to their amazement that fate had brought them together in Iseltwald before.

It appears a final time in Episode 16, when Se-ri goes to Iseltwald in the hope of meeting Jeong-hyeuk after he dropped her a message to meet in Switzerland.

This deepest lake of Switzerland features at the end of Episode 7. The suicidal Se-ri is standing on the cruise boat when she hears beautiful piano music that seems to be telling her “You can live, you must get through this”. Of course it is Jeong-hyeok playing the piano and once again he saves Se-ri without even realizing it.

While visiting Brienz make sure to check-out Brunngasse, the most beautiful street in Europe, right around the corner from their wood-carving statue filled lake-side boulevard.

This is the name of both an incredibly lavish hotel and an epic waterfall reachable from Interlaken by taking a train to Brienz and then the bus heading to Giessbach or by an hour long stunning hike from Iseltwald.

In Episode 9, Jeong-hyeok walks down the steps of this “music university” cheerfully with his schoolmates, just before meeting Seo Dan. In reality this music university is Grandhotel Giessbach a splendid hotel at the shores of Lake Brienz. The classic luxury hotel is known for having retained its classic Belle Epoque splendour. Perched high up on a hill reached by cogwheel train it offers fantastic views of the lake. Guests also get to enjoy spectacular views of the famous Giessbach Waterfalls, which consists of 14 small waterfalls cascading over a distance of 500 metres into Lake Brienz. This waterfall can be seen in the Crash Landing On You scene too.

The Jungfrau region features prominently in CLOY and the map below gives you a nice overview where the locations of First, Schreckfeld, Eigergletscher, Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch are loctated.

To check-out some clips of the series that were shot here we recommend you have a look at the jungfrau embeded video website by clicking here.

Now let's explore each of these seperate CLOY filming locations in-depth!

Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri come to this pass on their own at the end of episode 2. This is where they watched paragliders drifting in the sky years before their fateful meeting in North Korea. They both look in awe at the paragliders doing impressive turns in the air with the spectacular mountain backdrop of the Mönch and Jungfrau.

This mountain pass in the Swiss Alps is a popular tourist attraction as it is the last stop of Wengernalp Railway which is known as the world’s longest continuous rack and pinion railway. Kleine Scheidegg sits between the Eiger and Lauberhorn, and is dotted with several restaurants and hotels, from where you can continue by train to the Jungfraujoch Top of Europe.

In Episode 16, Jeong-hyeok and a reluctant Seo Dan visits Jungfraujoch. In another twist of fate, Se-ri happens to be sitting right behind Jeong-hyeok during the train ride.

Jungfraujoch, also known as the "Top of Europe" as it is home to the highest train station in Europe at 3454m is arguably the most famous viewing point in Switzerland. It is located between the peaks of Jungfrau and Mönch. The impressive building you see in the Crash Landing On You scene is the Sphinx Observatory, an astronomical observatory that is one of the highest observatories in the world.

To get to the Top of Europe read our 'How to best go to Jungfraujoch' information guide that gives you all the inside information.

This is a mountain above the village of Grindelwald named ‘First’. It is in Episode 16 that Se-ri is overjoyed to finally meet Jeong-hyeok after her paragliding landing. The scene was shot just below the first gondola top station and next to the First flieger entrance. The scene takes part on the popular paragliding take-off stop and on weekends you will see dozens of paragliders circling in the air over there. The mountains you see in the background are the North faces of the Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn and Eiger Northface.

Schreckfeld is the third station on the First Gondola Cable Car system located just below the 'First' mountain station. The first station is Grindelwald, the second Bort, and finally the top station is First with the latter also prominently appearing in CLOY.

At the end of Episode 4, Se-ri continues taking pictures for Jeong-hyeok and Seo Dan at a beautiful trail on the side of a mountain, near Schreckfeld cable car station.

This scene appears again at the end of Episode 11, this time focusing on the grumpy Seo Dan. As the camera pans out, you will be able to see the station in the background.

Tourists generally take the cable car all the way to the top station to firstly visit the famous First Cliff Walk and do a hike to the high-alpine lake Bachalpsee. From First down to Schreckfeld you can take a thrilling zip line called the first glider / first flyer and subsequently rolling further down by mountain cart and trotti bikes all the way to Grindelwald.

At the end of Episode 16, Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok meet at this Interlaken landmark hotel during the annual piano performance organised by her foundation. In the scene it is suggested that this event provides a chance for the star-crossed lovers to meet up once yearly in the Victoria Jungfrau, a 5-Star luxury hotel in the centre of Interlaken located right next to the big field (Höhematte) where all the paragliders land.

Panorama Bridge Sigriswil is a 340m long pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the two villages Sigriswil and Aeschlen with breathtaking views of Lake Thun and the majestic Swiss alps. It appears several times in the CLOY series and is a great place to visit located between Interlaken and Thun.

At the end of Episode 4, Se-ri wants to end her life by jumping off this bridge. Luckily, Jeong-hyeok happens to be here too with Seo Dan, and asks Se-ri to take a picture of both of them.

The bridge appears again at the end of Episode 12, when Jeong-hyeok finds Se-ri’s voice recorder and recalls that it was her on the bridge that day. It’s at this point that he realises he is fated to protect and save Se-ri.

In Episode 16, Jeong-hyeok is seen taking a picture of the tearful Se-ri on the bridge also.

Lake Lungern is located a short drive away, over the Brunnigpass, from the Lake of Brienz and Giessbach locations previously mentioned.

In CLOY at the lake a beautiful Swiss chalet is shown where Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok stay during their yearly rendezvous. Unfortunately, you will not be able to stay here because it is a private residence. In the final scene Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok enjoy a romantic picnic near their Swiss chalet by this gorgeous lake. As the camera pans out from this spot, viewers get to enjoy a spectacular view of Lake Lungern

and while you are in the region why not go for delcious Swiss fondue feast at the fondue villa & garden to top a CLOY day off with a trypical Swiss dinner experience!