Crash Landing on You: Love Beyond Borders
Crash Landing on You (2019-2020) is a landmark Korean drama that redefined the global reach of K-content. Written by Park Ji-eun, the celebrated screenwriter behind My Love from the Star, the series stars Hyun Bin as Ri Jeong-hyeok, a disciplined North Korean military officer, and Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, a glamorous South Korean fashion CEO. After a paragliding accident during a storm sends Se-ri crashing into North Korean territory, Captain Ri discovers her tangled in a tree and reluctantly agrees to hide her while devising a plan to send her home. What begins as a tense standoff between two people from opposite sides of the world's most fortified border gradually blooms into one of television's most beloved love stories. The drama achieved a peak viewership rating of 21.7% in South Korea and became a Netflix global hit, topping charts across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Its cultural impact extended far beyond entertainment: it boosted interest in inter-Korean relations, sparked a tourism wave to Switzerland, and even influenced fashion trends. Perhaps most memorably, Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin married in real life in March 2022, delighting fans who had rooted for their on-screen chemistry. The couple's real-life love story added a fairy-tale coda to a drama that already felt like one.
Behind the Scenes
The decision to film key scenes in Switzerland was driven by the creative team's desire to find a neutral, stunningly beautiful location where a North Korean soldier and a South Korean heiress could plausibly reunite outside the constraints of the Korean Peninsula. Switzerland, with its tradition of political neutrality and its breathtaking Alpine landscapes, proved ideal. The tiny lakeside village of Iseltwald on Lake Brienz was selected for its untouched charm, but getting equipment there presented serious logistical challenges. In one memorable production episode, the crew had to transport a full-sized grand piano by boat across the lake to film the scene where Jeong-hyeok plays for Se-ri on the wooden dock. The Sigriswil Panorama Bridge, a 340-meter suspension bridge over the Gummischlucht gorge, offered spectacular visuals but also tested the crew's patience with unpredictable weather delays that stretched a planned two-day shoot into nearly a week. Back in South Korea, the production team built an elaborate North Korean village set with the help of defector consultants who ensured the details of daily life, from propaganda posters to household goods, were as authentic as possible. Additional sequences were filmed in Mongolia, which stood in for the vast, open North Korean countryside. The entire production spanned approximately six months of principal photography, making it one of the most ambitious Korean drama shoots of its era.
Filming Location Travel Guide
Interlaken is the ideal base for visiting the Swiss filming locations. This resort town sits between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and offers excellent rail, bus, and boat connections to every key spot. To reach Iseltwald, you can take a scenic boat ride across Lake Brienz from Interlaken Ost, which takes about 30 minutes and offers magnificent views of the turquoise water and surrounding peaks. Alternatively, Bus 103 departs from Interlaken East Station and reaches the village in approximately 25 minutes. The famous wooden dock where Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok share their reunion is a short walk from the bus stop. For the Sigriswil Panorama Bridge, take a bus from Interlaken toward Sigriswil, a ride of about 25 minutes. The bridge itself is free to cross, though there may be a small parking fee if you drive. A practical money-saving tip: the Swiss Travel Pass covers unlimited travel on trains, buses, and boats throughout Switzerland, and it also provides free admission to many museums and a discount on mountain excursions like the Jungfraujoch railway. Given the Alpine weather, the best time to visit is from June through September, when trails are clear, boats run on full schedules, and the long daylight hours make for ideal photography conditions. Spring (April-May) can also be lovely but expect some lingering snow at higher elevations.
Fan Pilgrimages
When the drama aired, Iseltwald became an overnight sensation. This quiet farming and fishing village of roughly 400 residents was suddenly flooded with tens of thousands of international visitors, many arriving with selfie sticks and replica military jackets. The local community installed a memorial bench on the dock overlooking Lake Brienz, and it quickly became the most photographed spot in the village. By 2022, the sheer volume of tourists prompted authorities to introduce a small admission fee (around 5 CHF) to access the dock area, with proceeds going toward village maintenance and crowd management. The measure proved necessary: on peak weekends, the number of daily visitors would exceed the village's entire population several times over. At the Sigriswil Panorama Bridge, fans gather at the midpoint of the span to recreate the couple's windswept walking scene, with Lake Thun and the Bernese Alps providing a dramatic backdrop. The bridge has become an unofficial photo point for K-drama tourists, and you will often spot visitors posing with heart-shaped hand gestures. After Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's real-life wedding in 2022, a fresh wave of fan tourism swept through the Swiss filming locations, with couples treating the Iseltwald dock as a kind of romantic pilgrimage. Social media platforms continue to keep these locations trending, with new fan-made content appearing regularly under hashtags linking the drama to Switzerland.
Nearby Food & Attractions
No visit to the Bernese Oberland is complete without a trip to the Jungfraujoch, marketed as the "Top of Europe." From Interlaken, the cogwheel railway climbs through the Eiger to an observation station at 3,454 meters, offering panoramic views of the Aletsch Glacier. The journey takes about two hours each way, so plan a full day. For a more relaxed outing, the Lake Brienz cruise is a delightful experience in itself: the lake's remarkably clear turquoise water, fed by glacial streams, is among the cleanest in Switzerland. If you stop in Iseltwald, take time to wander through the village center, where a handful of small cafes serve coffee, homemade pastries, and light lunches with lake views. For a proper Swiss dining experience, seek out a restaurant in Interlaken or Brienz serving cheese fondue or raclette — the local Bernese varieties use rich Alpine cheeses that melt into something deeply satisfying on a cool evening. Accommodation options range from grand lakeside hotels in Interlaken to charming bed-and-breakfasts in smaller villages. Staying in Iseltwald or Brienz puts you right on the lake with views that rival anything in the drama, and the quieter evening atmosphere after day-trippers have left is genuinely magical.
