Top Gun (1986)

About this film

Few films have done more for a city than Top Gun did for San Diego. Released in 1986, Tony Scott’s high-octane aviation drama turned the streets, beaches and skies of Southern California into one of the most recognisable backdrops in cinema history. The aircraft carrier sequences, the beach volleyball scene, the bar where Maverick meets Charlie — most of it is still findable, still visitable and still recognisable thirty-eight years later.

MCAS Miramar — Fighter Weapons School

The fictional Top Gun school — officially the Naval Fighter Weapons School — was based at Naval Air Station Miramar, then a Navy facility north of San Diego. The airfield sequences, the briefing rooms and the flight line were all filmed here. Today Miramar is a Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS Miramar), closed to casual visitors, but the base is visible from the surrounding roads and the F/A-18 Hornets that operate from it are audible for miles. The base holds its annual Miramar Air Show each October — one of the largest military air shows in the world and the closest most civilians will get to the real Top Gun environment.

Visiting: The air show in October is the best opportunity. Book well in advance — it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The surrounding Miramar area gives views of the flight line and occasional aircraft departures and arrivals.

Hotel del Coronado

The bar scene where Maverick (Tom Cruise) first meets Charlie (Kelly McGillis) was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island, just across the bay from downtown San Diego. The Del, as it is universally known, is one of the great Victorian seaside hotels of the United States — a vast wooden structure opened in 1888, designated a National Historic Landmark and still operating as a hotel. The exterior and the beachside setting are immediately recognisable from the film.

The beach in front of the Del is where the famous volleyball scene was filmed — the net is long gone but the beach remains. The hotel itself is worth visiting regardless of the film connection — the architecture, the history and the setting across the bay from San Diego are all exceptional.

Visiting: The Del is open to non-guests for dining and walking the public areas. The beach is public. Coronado is reached by the San Diego-Coronado Bridge from downtown San Diego or by the Coronado Ferry from the Broadway Pier — the ferry crossing gives the best views of the bay and the hotel.

Kansas City Barbecue — the bar

The bar scenes where Maverick and Goose sing Great Balls of Fire were filmed at Kansas City Barbecue on West Market Street in downtown San Diego, a few blocks from the waterfront. The restaurant is still operating and has leaned entirely into its film connection — Top Gun memorabilia covers the walls and the piano from the scene is still there. It is a genuine San Diego institution rather than a manufactured tourist attraction and the food is good.

Visiting: Kansas City Barbecue is at 610 West Market Street, downtown San Diego. Open daily. Walk-in only, no reservations. The memorabilia wall is worth seeing and the ribs are worth eating.

Point Loma and the Pacific coastline

The opening sequence — the carrier operations and the early flight sequences over the Pacific — were filmed off the coast of San Diego with real Navy cooperation. Point Loma, the peninsula that forms the western edge of San Diego Bay, gives the best land-based view of the Pacific approaches that the film made famous. The Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point Loma has panoramic views of the bay, the ocean and the Coronado Islands on the horizon.

Visiting: Cabrillo National Monument is open daily. The America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass covers entry. The lighthouse and the tide pools on the western side of the point are worth adding to any visit.

Practical information

San Diego is 120 miles south of Los Angeles on Interstate 5 — around two hours without traffic. Coronado is connected to San Diego by bridge and ferry. A day trip from Los Angeles covering the Hotel del Coronado, Kansas City Barbecue and Point Loma is entirely feasible. An overnight stay in San Diego allows a more relaxed exploration of the city and its connection to the film.

The sequel, Top Gun: Maverick (2022), returns to many of the same locations thirty-six years later. See our Top Gun: Maverick guide for how the two films compare on location.