Film locations
Los Angeles on screen
Los Angeles is the film capital of the world — not just because the studios are here, but because the city itself is the set. The streets, the hills, the diners, the beaches and the freeways have appeared in more films than any other city on earth. Most of the locations are still there.
About Los Angeles as a filming destination
No city has been filmed more than Los Angeles. The Hollywood Hills, Griffith Observatory, the Venice Beach boardwalk, the Bradbury Building in Downtown, the Chemosphere house in the hills — these locations carry decades of cinematic history and most are freely accessible. For the film-literate visitor, Los Angeles rewards exploration in a way that no other city does.
The concentration of recognisable locations is extraordinary. Walk down any street in Silver Lake or Echo Park and you are likely standing in the background of something. Drive Mulholland Drive at night and you understand immediately why David Lynch used it as a title. Stand at the Griffith Observatory at dusk and you are standing where James Dean stood in Rebel Without a Cause, where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone danced in La La Land.
The Los Angeles film location circuit is best done by car over two or three days — the city is too spread out for a single day to do it justice. The key areas are Hollywood and the hills, Downtown, the Westside from Santa Monica to Malibu, and the San Fernando Valley where many of the studio back lots sit.
Films shot in Los Angeles
La La Land
Damien Chazelle's 2016 musical transformed real Los Angeles landmarks into a love letter to the city. Every major location is visitable.
Read the full locations guide →Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Tarantino's 2019 love letter to 1969 Los Angeles was filmed across Hollywood, the Hills and the Valley. Most locations are still standing.
Read the full locations guide →Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino's 1994 crime epic used real Los Angeles diners, neighbourhoods and streets. Most of the locations are still findable.
Read the full locations guide →Top Gun: Maverick
Joseph Kosinski's 2022 sequel returned to the same San Diego locations thirty-six years later — real aircraft, real carriers, and a film that earned the comparison.
Read the full locations guide →