Where Was Love Goes Astray Filmed And What Locations Appear?

Stepping out of the theater I couldn't stop tracing the places in my head — 'Love Goes Astray' really stitches together a city that feels both familiar and cinematic. Mostly it was filmed across Hong Kong, and you can spot a mix of iconic waterfronts, cramped market streets, and quieter island scenes. The opening sequence uses the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade and Victoria Harbour as a kind of emotional map: wide shots of the skyline, the Star Ferry crossing, and night-time reflections on the water. Those scenes make the city itself feel like a character.

A lot of the street-level drama takes place in neighborhoods like Central and Sheung Wan — narrow alleys, old tenement blocks with air-con units, and traditional dried seafood shops show up in a couple of montage scenes. The bustling market energy in Mong Kok pops in another segment: neon signs, street vendors, and those crowd-swarm moments that make the love story feel grounded. Contrastingly, the film escapes to quieter locations too — Tai O fishing village and a few shots on Cheung Chau provide that sleepy, salt-air contrast to the urban pulse. There are also scenes that were clearly shot on soundstages; certain intimate apartment interiors and night scenes have that controlled lighting and set dressing that you know were done in a local studio on Kowloon.

Overall, I loved how the filmmakers used both landmark views (the Peak-like overlooks and the waterfront) and smaller, human-scale spaces (wet markets, ferry piers, island lanes). It feels like a love letter to a city of both neon and quiet harbors, and it made me want to wander those streets again with the film's soundtrack in my ears.

If you want the short sightseeing version of where 'Love Goes Astray' was filmed: think Taipei plus a loop of Taiwan’s most photogenic spots. I found scenes shot across Taipei (Xinyi skyline with Taipei 101, Ximending streets, Raohe night market), the historic hills and tea houses of Jiufen, the rock formations at Yehliu Geopark, the rail-and-lantern moments around Shifen on the Pingxi Line, harbor and night-market atmosphere from Keelung, the marble gorges of Taroko near Hualien for the big emotional vistas, and sun-and-sand sequences down in Kenting. Interiors were completed in Taipei soundstages to keep the close-up drama consistent.

Practically speaking, most of these are reachable as day trips from Taipei (Jiufen, Yehliu, Pingxi, Keelung), while Hualien and Kenting are longer train or bus journeys. I loved spotting which tiny details were real — that particular tea shop in Jiufen, the lantern stalls in Shifen — and it made me want to plan a little pilgrimage of my own to trace the movie’s footsteps.

Walking through the film felt like flipping through someone’s travel diary of Hong Kong — 'Love Goes Astray' shows the city in little vignettes that add up. I noticed sequences on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade and the Star Ferry, which give those sweeping skyline shots, then transitions into tight market lanes in Mong Kok and Sheung Wan where the film breathes with small moments: a vendor calling out, neon reflecting on wet pavement. The island escapes — a few scenes on Cheung Chau and Tai O — stand out because they swap noise for sea and let characters talk without traffic horns, and there are clearly studio sets for the more intimate apartment scenes where lighting and props are too precise for real streets.

What I loved most was how the locations weren’t just pretty backdrops; they shape the characters’ moods. The harbor scenes feel open and hopeful, the market streets feel claustrophobic and real, and the island spots are quietly restorative. It left me wanting to revisit those corners of the city with a camera and no agenda, just to catch similar small, human details.

I got hooked by how 'Love Goes Astray' treats everyday places like characters, and when I dug into where it was filmed I fell down a glorious rabbit hole of Taiwanese locations. The production is rooted in Taiwan—most exterior scenes were shot on location around Taipei and its surrounding towns, with a few sequences out on the east coast and down south. When you watch the opening montage, that skyline and the bustling shopping streets are Taipei’s Xinyi district with Taipei 101 peeking in the background. The neon-soaked chase and youth gatherings were filmed in Ximending, while the night market atmosphere comes straight from Raohe and Keelung’s Miaokou Night Market — you can practically smell the peppery soup and fried snacks in those scenes.

Beyond the capital, the filmmakers leaned into Taiwan’s charming old streets and natural drama. The wistful tea-house conversations take place in Jiufen’s narrow alleys and teahouses, and the cliffs and eroded rock formations in a few pivotal shots are from Yehliu Geopark — that jagged Queen’s Head silhouette is unmistakable. There’s a lantern-and-rail sequence shot along the Pingxi Line, including Shifen Old Street and Shifen Waterfall, which gives the film that tender, small-town vibe. For the emotional high-point, the crew moved to Hualien and used parts of Taroko Gorge for the sweeping marble-cliff backdrops, while the final beach scenes were filmed in the Kenting area, taking advantage of its wide sandy stretches and golden light. Interior scenes—the apartment, hospital rooms, and tightly framed cafés—were filmed on soundstages in Taipei where the art department could control light and mood.

Reading credits and behind-the-scenes clips, it looks like they shot across different seasons to get cherry blossoms, humid summer light, and the crisp colors of autumn in one film. That mix of modern skyscrapers, nostalgic mountain towns, seaside vistas, and intimate studio interiors gives 'Love Goes Astray' its wanderlust energy. I keep wanting to map screen moments to real streets and tea houses; there’s something addictive about recognizing a real place in a movie and then knowing which stall serves the exact snack the characters eat. It’s turned a casual rewatch into a little Taiwan travel guide for me, and I’m already planning which spots to revisit next time I’m there — Jiufen for the tea, Shifen for the lanterns, and a sunrise at Kenting to chase the film’s last shot.

I got caught up in the way 'Love Goes Astray' moves between the roar of the city and the hush of seaside lanes. The movie captures recognizable Hong Kong spots — the Star Ferry dock, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, and parts of Central — but it also slows down in places like Sai Kung and Tai O. Those coastal sequences, with dinghies, wooden houses, and narrow boardwalks, provide a welcome visual breath after crowded market scenes.

Aside from public locations, there are a handful of interior sequences that feel studio-shot: the protagonist’s apartment, some café interiors, and a crucial late-night scene that relies on carefully staged lighting and sound design. Even when I recognized places, the film often uses close-ups and tight framing so you get the atmosphere more than a tourism brochure. For me, the mixing of spotlit neon streets, ferry rides, weekend island trips, and controlled studio interiors creates a layered version of the city — one that’s lived-in and a little bit wistful. It made me nostalgic for slow, aimless walks along the harbor.