Loona is a K-pop girl group with a unique story and concept, and my favorite musical artist. They have twelve members but, instead of debuting as a whole group, each girl was introduced separately. Starting in October 2016, the members debuted one by one with the release of a single album and more promotions while divided into three sub-units, Loona 1/3, Odd Eye Circle, and yyxy. Only in August 2018 all twelve members were united with the official debut of the full group.
During their almost two-year-long debut project, some of the members traveled to various countries around the world to film music videos and take pictures for their albums, including in Europe. This complicated process was reflected in their music videos, which are all connected to each other and tell the story of how the members got together to form Loona. This story takes place in a parallel universe called Loonaverse and it deserves its own article, so I will not go further into detail about its complexity here.
Lastly, I need to say a few (totally unbiased) words about the members of Loona. First of all, in order of debut, their names are: HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul, YeoJin, ViVi, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, Yves, Chuu, Go Won, and Olivia Hye. The members of Loona 1/3 are HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul, and Vivi, while Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry form Odd Eye Circle. Yves, Chuu, Go Won, and Olivia Hye are the members of Loona yyxy, and finally YeoJin is not part of any sub-unit. There are many reasons why they are my favorite group, such as their amazing discography and breathtaking choreographies, as well as their unlimited talent both in singing and dancing, but also because they are incredibly funny and hard-working. I have almost all their albums, only missing some old and rare limited versions, and once I even won a signed polaroid of ViVi, my favorite member of Loona.
Loona in 2021, from left to right: HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul, YeoJin, ViVi, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, Yves, Chuu, Go Won, and Olivia Hye. (Creative Commons)
Preparing the trip, the concert in Frankfurt, and visit to Warsaw
After this long introduction, we can finally get into the story. Between September and November 2022, I traveled across Europe with an Interrail pass (read the whole story of my two-month-long journey across Europe here) and I took advantage of this amazing opportunity to visit some places related to Loona around the continent. In this article I will explain where you can find the same places and how to reach them, using Google Maps links and coordinates for more clarity. Before starting my trip, I looked through the many photos and behind the scenes videos to find out exactly where they were taken. So, I planned to reach every location where Loona has been that I could find in Hungary and Czechia, since I was going to travel through those countries.
However, before reaching those places, I traveled to some other locations related to Loona. Early in the trip, I was lucky enough to be able to go to Loona’s concert in Frankfurt. Since I had a VIP ticket, I even met the group and took a picture with them at the meet and greet event shortly after the concert (more details about this unbelievable day here).
A few weeks later I was in Warsaw, Poland, where Loona had a concert some days before the one I attended in Frankfurt (more about my visit to Warsaw here). Since some Loona members posted a few pictures of their visit to Warsaw, I went to a couple of those places. My goal was to try and take the same photos as the Loona members in the same locations, and this was my first opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, I can’t show you the pictures I tried to replicate here, since they were posted in a paid app called Fab, and they are protected by copyright. If you have the app, you can see those photos in the messages posted by ViVi and HyunJin on September 7, 2022.
The first picture I copied was one posted by HyunJin. It was taken next to the Jan Kiliński Monument along the walls of the Old Town of Warsaw, with the tables of a restaurant called “Portretowa” in the background (Google Maps, coordinates: 52.2483, 21.0108). I even ate lunch in that restaurant, and it was truly delicious.
Later that same day, I visited the Saxon Garden, a large park near the Old Town of Warsaw. ViVi posted a picture taken here next to a fountain, called Fontanna Wielka, with the entrance to the park in the background (Google Maps, coordinates: 52.2407, 21.0098). Taking this picture was way harder than the first one since I had to ask someone to take it with the right position in the right spot, and I was traveling alone. Thankfully I found some nice people who helped me and the photo came out great. This whole experience in Warsaw was like a successful test, since in the following days I had to search for some exact spots and ask people to take very specific pictures of me multiple times.
Tracing Loona yyxy’s steps: Hungary (Budapest, Szabadkígyós, Pécel)
A few days later I was in Budapest, Hungary. In 2018, Loona yyxy visited the city and had the photoshoot for their album Beauty & the Beat there. They also filmed a music video for their song “love4eva” in two castles in Hungary, and I visited those places too. Using the pictures in the album and the series of behind the scenes videos called Loona TV, I was able to find most of the places where the Loona yyxy members have been in Hungary (read more about my time in Hungary here, including my crazy trips to the two castles).
I started my tour of Loona’s places in Budapest from the riverside road along the Danube with a view on the Hungarian Parliament Building just north of the Batthyány tér metro station. In Loona TV #340 the girls can be seen on this road in the evening, with the large illuminated building in the background. As it can be seen in the following episode, Loona TV #341, the group was staying at the hotel located there, so they were probably just in front of this hotel the previous evening (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5084, 19.0392). I then walked along the road going south, passing by the Szilágyi Dezső Square Reformed Church, as the girls did in Loona TV #344 (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5040, 19.0395).
Later, in the early afternoon, I went to the Eötvös tér tram stop, where the group took the pictures on the cover and the first page of the limited version of Beauty & the Beat, along with other photos in the album. However, I needed someone to take a picture of me and there was nobody around so I moved on and I decided to return there another time. Some hours later, I was on the road leading to the large Saint Stephen’s Basilica and that is where I was able to replicate one of Loona yyxy’s photos from the album. The picture was taken near the crossroads between Zrínyi utca and Október 6. utca, with the church in the background (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5005, 19.0508).
I then went to the Church of Saint Theresa of Ávila, where the picture on the cover of the normal version of Beauty & the Beat was taken. I was able to take a photo with the same pose and background as the Loona members, on the side of the church near the railing. In Loona TV #342, Yves and Go Won can be seen talking with some kids here and, while I was there, I didn’t miss the opportunity to imitate Go Won’s funny laugh from that episode (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5022, 19.0623). I also went to the nearby Klauzál tér park that can be seen in Loona TV #343, but I didn’t take many pictures because it was full of kids playing (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.4998, 19.0637).
The next day I went to the Wenckheim Castle in Szabadkígyós, where Loona yyxy filmed many scenes of the music video for their song “love4eva” (Google Maps, coordinates: 46.6087, 21.0840). The castle is located very far from Budapest, so I first boarded a train to Békéscsaba and then a bus to Szabadkígyós, and the entire trip took more than three hours. A funny story about this trip is that in Békéscsaba I tried to pay for the bus ticket with card, but only cash was accepted. Luckily I had a 200 forint coin that I found on the ground the previous day in Budapest, so the driver allowed me to board the bus even though the ticket costed 250 forints.
Visiting the Wenckheim Castle was truly surreal, and I was able to walk through the room where the members were dancing in the music video, and look around the castle where so many iconic scenes were shot. The castle was renovated after the group visited it so a few details were different, but this was nonetheless a crazy experience. While I was there, I asked about the notebook that Loona yyxy signed in Loona TV #350, but they didn’t know what I was talking about, so I think that unfortunately it’s not there anymore. The castle is surrounded by a beautiful park and, before leaving, I also went to the small lake that appears in Loona TV #351 (Google Maps, coordinates: 46.6093, 21.0863). Since this time I didn’t have any other forint coins, I walked for nine kilometers in the Hungarian countryside to get back to Békéscsaba, but it was absolutely worth it and actually a really nice walk.
After arriving back to Budapest in the late afternoon, I took the metro and then the tram to the neighborhood of Hűvösvölgy. Loona yyxy took some of the most iconic pictures from their album in a restaurant here, called Sunny Diner Étterem. The picture on the first page of the normal version of the album was taken on the tables outside this restaurant, along with some other photos both inside and outside the diner. I sat inside, maybe on the same table where Go Won was sitting in one of the pictures. I even looked through the menu to try and get the same food shown in the photos, and it ended up being also a tasty dinner (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5373, 18.9675).
The following day I again took the train, this time to Pécel, a suburb of Budapest. There, I visited the Ráday Palace, the location where Loona yyxy filmed various scenes of the music video for “love4eva” in a splendidly decorated hall, including the one that appears on the thumbnail of the video (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.4874, 19.3420). Here the group also filmed the special video “one”, in which the girls can be seen walking through various rooms of Ráday Palace. The behind the scenes videos Loona TV #352, #353, and #354 also show the group inside the palace.
I have a funny story about this place too. Not learning my lesson from the previous day, I again tried to pay with card, but only Hungarian cards were accepted. However, I was once again lucky, since this time two elderly ladies who were visiting the palace were kind enough to change my euros in forints, allowing me to pay in cash. It looks like I have this kind of luck only when Loona is involved.
Anyway, visiting the Ráday Palace was another unbelievable moment and, since I was allowed to wander around the palace alone, I was able to take many great pictures and I even tried to imitate some easy parts of the “love4eva” choreography shown in the music video.
I then returned to Budapest and, in the afternoon, I went to the large Városliget park, where the members took some pictures for their album near the Vajdahunyad Castle. Loona yyxy was also here in Loona TV #346, where the members can be seen walking around the small lake in front of the castle (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.5154, 19.0830). This is most likely also the place where the girls were blowing dandelions in Loona TV #345, but I’m not entirely sure as I didn’t find the exact spot in the vast park.
Since this was my last afternoon in Budapest, I returned to the Eötvös tér tram stop, and this time I was more lucky as I found some people who helped me get the pictures exactly as I wanted them. The photos came out incredibly accurate, as I located the precise spots where they were taken. For the cover picture, I managed to find the worn-out sticker that can be seen on the railing on the bottom left, a few meters down the road from the tram stop. Meanwhile, the other picture was taken near the sign along the same sidewalk on the other side of the shelter. I was even able to get a picture while the tram was passing by, exactly like the photo in the album. I also took a picture of another spot along the railing on the opposite side of the road, where more photos from the album were taken (Google Maps, coordinates: 47.4981, 19.0471).
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see another place visited by the group, the Inota Power Plant near Várpalota, about 70 km southwest of Budapest. This is an abandoned power plant and I think it can only be visited with guided tours in specific dates that didn’t align with my time in Hungary. Anyway, I was very satisfied with my pictures and the places I saw, and I headed to my next destination, Prague.
Tracing Loona 1/3’s steps: Prague
In early 2017 the members of Loona 1/3 went to Prague to have a photoshoot, and the pictures were used for their album Love & Evil. Again, I used the pictures in the album and the episodes of Loona TV to find the places they visited (read more about my visit to Prague here). This time it was a bit harder and I didn’t find every place in the pictures, since some of them don’t have any clear and specific reference points, but I’m still happy with what I was able to find.
Soon after arriving in Prague, I went to my first Loona place in the city, near the exit of the Můstek metro stop in Jungmann Square (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0829, 14.4222). This is where the girls play a dramatic game of rock, paper, scissors against the staff in Loona TV #119 and #120, which are among my favorite episodes in the series. Here, I was able to take a photo with the same pose as ViVi in Loona TV #120 while standing exactly in the same spot, as confirmed by some marks on the ground that match the ones appearing for a split second in the video.
The next morning, I firstly passed by the hotel where Loona 1/3 stayed while they were in Prague, which can be seen at the start of Loona TV #118 (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0860, 14.4341), and later I went to the Old Town Square, that the group visited in the same episode (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0874, 14.4218). After leaving the square, I went to the toys store where the group was in Loona TV #121, on a street called Havelská. This is also where they took the photo on the poster of the standard version of the album. I even managed to get a picture of myself sitting in the exact same place where the group sat (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0855, 14.4217). I also passed by the nearby spot where HaSeul was standing earlier in the same Loona TV episode, in front of the Church of Saint Gallen (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0856, 14.4220).
In the afternoon I went to the Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on top of the Vyšehrad hill. Here, the group took the most iconic of their pictures in Prague, the cover of the limited version of Love & Evil, in front of the beautifully decorated door on the right side of the church. The photo on the poster of the limited version of the album was also taken here. This is the Loona-related place I wanted to see the most in Prague, so I didn’t miss the opportunity to get a photo of me sitting in the same spot as Loona 1/3 in that picture (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0644, 14.4175).
The following day I started my tour by crossing the famous Charles Bridge. In Loona TV #115, the group is seen taking a picture here with the Malá Strana Bridge Tower behind them, and I was able to get a picture of myself in the same spot, even with the same angle (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0869, 14.4084). Later, I went up to the Prague Castle, and I passed by the place where one of the pictures of ViVi in the album was taken, in front of the entrance to the castle (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0898, 14.3978). The group also took more pictures in a nearby panoramic spot, which is part of a café (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0891, 14.3986). After visiting the castle, I went down to the riverside panoramic point with a view on Charles Bridge, where Loona 1/3 was in Loona TV #117, and Hyunjin was feeding birds in a picture from the album (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0886, 14.4111).
Some time later, I walked around the large park on Petřín hill, where the group has taken various pictures for their album. The park is huge and finding the exact spots they visited is a bit difficult. Using the scenes in Loona TV #116 as reference, I found the small building that can be seen quickly in the episode (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0851, 14.4009). The scene in the same video in which ViVi and HeeJin are talking with the city in the background likely happened close by, and I took a picture in a spot from which the view looked similar enough (Google Maps, coordinates: 50.0840, 14.4007). With that, my Loona tour of Prague was completed, as I visited all the places I was able to find and that was my last afternoon in the city.
Conclusion
This marked the end of my search for Loona places in Europe, as in the rest of my journey I didn’t pass through any other city where the group has been. I am incredibly satisfied with all the places I was able to find, sometimes with surprising precision, and all the pictures I got. This experience was truly a lot of fun and it almost felt like a scavanger hunt. There are still other places in Europe where Loona has been, like Paris, London, and Iceland, not to mention places in other continents like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taiwan, New Zealand, Los Angeles, Thailand, and of course South Korea. I hope that one day I can resume my tour of Loona-related places around the world and continue this incredible journey across the Loonaverse.
The search for Loona-related places continues: Tracing Loona’s steps in Paris >>