Iconic Movie Locations in California

As the home of Hollywood movie production, California has rightfully earned its place as the global epicentre of the movie industry. Once upon a time in the early 20th century, filmmakers flocked here to take advantage of the state’s beautiful weather, diverse landscapes, and affordable land. Thousands of films have been shot in California since the 1910s, cementing the region as today’s hotspot for movie tours, and even spotting celebrities! 

If you’re picturing yourself in Cali this year or beyond, you can use this travel guide to get started on your own silver screen adventures… 
 

Griffith Observatory – Los Angeles

With so many movies and TV shows filmed in and around Los Angeles, it’s a hard job to keep count. Just cruising through the city, you’re bound to spot places that feel oddly familiar because you’ve already seen them on the big screen!



Film buff or not, an L.A. tour needs to include the Griffith Observatory. Its famous domed buildings have played a starring role on multiple occasions since opening in 1935, and this effortlessly cool Griffith Park landmark is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. From Arnie’s first imposing appearance in The Terminator and James Dean’s planetarium scene in Rebel Without a Cause to the more recent La La Land - where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltzed here under the stars - the Griffith Observatory is a longstanding piece of L.A. movie heritage.

Top tip: if you walk up Mount Hollywood to visit the Observatory, you can also absorb stunning views over the Los Angeles Basin, Downtown LA, and the iconic Hollywood Sign.
 

Angels Flight – Los Angeles

Playing a prominent role in film noir as well as modern-day titles, Angels Flight is a historic funicular railway built in 1901 and often dubbed ‘the world’s shortest railway’ - carrying riders about 90 metres up and down Bunker Hill for just a dollar each way. Its classic orange and black cars were constructed as a way for L.A. residents to ascend one of the city’s steepest hills, and it has remained a popular and unique tourist attraction for decades.



Seen in many 1950s films such as The Turning Point, M, and Kiss Me Deadly, Angels Flight also featured again in La La Land (2016), where the lead characters shared a romantic kiss. As you may have guessed, La La Land often pays homage to classic Hollywood. And if you’re set on a film noir guided walking tour, this is the ideal location to start!
 

Back to the Future Neighbourhood – South Pasadena

Any millennials reading this will fondly recall the heyday of 80s and 90s childhood movies, notably the iconic Back to the Future trilogy. Among its many filming locations in California is Bushnell Avenue, a quiet, leafy residential street that was used to depict the homes of Biff Tannen and the young parents of the main character Marty McFly: George McFly and Lorraine Baines. Fans may also notice that the street was used in the original 1985 Teen Wolf movie, which also starred the inimitable Michael J. Fox.



Elsewhere in Pasadena, the distinguishable Gamble House (4 Westmoreland Place) served as Doc Brown’s home, lending its artisanal charm to the film’s opening scenes. Just a short drive away, the Puente Hills Mall is home to the familiar backdrop for one of the movie’s most memorable moments, where the parking lot transformed into the makeshift runway for Doc’s DeLorean time machine and chaos ensues!
 

Alcatraz Island – San Francisco

Alcatraz Island was home to the notorious maximum-security federal prison between 1933 and 1963 and took centre stage in the 1996 cult action movie The Rock, which starred Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris. Parts of the film were filmed directly on Alcatraz, including cell blocks and the mess hall. The island’s stark, claustrophobic setting, isolated position, and real-life reputation as a fortress of no escape all add to the suspense of your visit.



Alcatraz has been operated by the National Park Service since 1973 as a major historical and cultural tourist destination. Its haunting history makes for an incredible and eerie place for a night tour, where you may find yourself walking through cold spots, or detecting a mysterious echo through the empty cells. Creepy? Absolutely. Unforgettable? Without a doubt.
 

Bodega Bay – Sonoma County, Northern California

An easy drive about 70 miles north from San Francisco will bring you to the atmospheric Bodega Bay in the Sonoma County region, set along the state’s rugged Pacific coastline. Horror movie fans will delight in this dramatic, isolated small-town landscape as it was the backdrop to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 cult classic, The Birds. 



To this day, you can still see the historic white wood Potter Schoolhouse where the school children were first terrorised by the birds, and the Tides Wharf Restaurant at the Inn of the Tides. Book a table at this iconic eatery for a slice of movie nostalgia and delectable local seafood!
 

Santa Ynez Valley – Southern California

After all those scare fests, this tour calms the nerves. Consider a trip over to the Santa Ynez Valley in So-Cal, one of the state’s most popular wine country areas a couple of hours’ drive north along the coast from L.A. Its undulating hills and peaceful ambience provided the perfect backdrop for the award-winning 2004 film Sideways, which featured Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church’s characters taking a road trip that begins as a relaxing getaway and soon spirals into one of misadventures and romantic entanglements. 



The characters visit many of the region’s top wineries, including Sanford Winery, Firestone Vineyard, Fess Parker Winery and Kalyra Winery, as well as dining out in The Hitching Post II and Los Olivos Café -two real-life eateries that you can still dine in today!
 

Union Station – Los Angeles

The city’s Union Station has frequently been used as a film location, in no small part due to its beautiful Art Deco and Spanish-style Mission Revival architecture, which features lofty ceilings and splendid concourses. This busy transportation hub has made an appearance in several well-known Hollywood films such as Pearl Harbor, The Dark Knight Rises, Catch Me If You Can, and the original Blade Runner. While classic movie lovers will note that the entire Union Station (1950) was shot here!



There are no dedicated movie tours held by the station itself; however, the Los Angeles Conservancy hosts a walking tour every Saturday to showcase its architecture, history, and recognisable areas such as the waiting room for those keen to learn more.  
 

San Diego

San Diego’s cinematic allure lies in its diversity, from picturesque beaches and scenic parks to sleek urban skylines and historic naval settings. Whether it's an indie drama or a big-budget blockbuster, the city continues to serve as a beloved canvas for filmmakers.



One of its most well-known appearances was in the 1986 hit Top Gun, where most of the movie was shot. Kelly McGillis’s character lived in a charming cottage in Oceanside, where a particularly memorable scene took place with Tom Cruise’s “Maverick”. This folk Victorian house is one of the oldest preserved homes in San Diego and now serves as a popular pie shop, ‘High-Pie at the Top Gun House’, where you can go inside and indulge in a warm slice of Hollywood nostalgia while admiring movie memorabilia like a replica of Maverick’s motorbike.

The film’s famous motorcycle scene took place at the intersection of W. Laurel Street and Union Street, and other notable filming locations include the Miramar Naval Air Station and Kansas City Barbecue for that piano scene.



Back in 1959, much of Marylin Monroe’s most famous movie, Some Like it Hot, was filmed at the luxurious Hotel Del Coronado, situated on San Diego’s Coronado Island. Only the hotel’s exterior was shot on location, however all the leading cast members stayed here, including Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. It’s now a National Historic Landmark and continues to appeal to guests for its beautiful beachfront location and timeless charm.

And although brief, classic movie aficionados will recall the opening of Orson Welles’s 1941 masterpiece, Citizen Kane, which features news footage of Balboa Park’s Spanish Colonial buildings that represented parts of Charles Kane’s lavish estate, Xanadu. 
 

The Beverly Wilshire – Los Angeles

This luxurious hotel on L.A.’s exclusive Rodeo Drive is set in the heart of Beverly Hills and has featured in numerous movies and TV shows, remaining an icon of pop culture, most notably as the setting for Julia Roberts’s first taste of the high life in Pretty Woman (1990). The iconic striped entrance and grand lobby where her character, Vivian, begins her life-changing journey are instantly recognisable and present a fantastic photo op for movie lovers.



The 1984 action-comedy classic, Beverly Hills Cop, was also filmed on location here and served as a brilliant contrast between Eddie Murphy’s gritty, street-smart Axel Foley and the posh Beverly Hills setting.
 

Pioneertown, Mojave Desert

Pull on your cowboy boots, grab your Stetson, and drive a couple of hours east of L.A. to the Mojave Desert to be transported to a completely different world. Pioneertown is set a few miles north of Yucca Valley - not far from Joshua Tree National Park - and was constructed in the 1940s as a frontier town-style movie set, where several Westerns and TV shows were shot, including Judge Roy Bean, Annie Oakley, The Gene Autry Show, and the Cisco Kid.



Its dusty streets and film-worthy building porticos were designed to resemble and function as saloons, jailhouses, and post offices for an authentic Wild West feel. A visit to this real-life town today allows for browsing its shops and grabbing a cold beer from Pappy and Harriet’s, a former cantina-style movie set that now serves as a music venue, restaurant, and bar.


For more inspiration, check out our California multi-centre holidays to combine the sights, sounds, and tastes of some of the state’s most iconic movie locations.