10 Movie Locations in San Francisco

Destroyed over and over in various disaster movies, the Golden Gate Bridge makes its way high up on the list of monumental damage movie tropes. A spaceship crashed into the bay in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). The same year, a giant kaiju attacked it in Pacific Rim, then again in Godzilla (2014), while a tsunami heaved through it in San Andreas (2015).

In Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), we see a climactic battle on the bridge, as well as a sneak-peek to a post-apocalyptic San Francisco. No real bridge was harmed during the making of these movies, but why not snap a few pictures from various lookout points?

San Francisco City Hall features in all 5 movies in the Dirty Harry (1971–1988) series starring Clint Eastwood. It’s used as the mayor’s office where Inspector Harry Callahan is called in to report on what's being done about the madman on the loose. Before Harry’s arrival, we also get a good shot of the street and surrounding view from above the city hall, as well as the building’s impressive interior as he walks up to the office.

You'll find San Francisco City Hall easily as you stroll around the Civic Center neighborhood. The building is open to the public, so take one of the regular tours available to learn more about this historic building.

The Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco is the location of the house in the John Schlesinger drama thriller, Pacific Heights (1990), which starred Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, and Michael Keaton. Also starring was the bright yellow-hued Victorian house at the corner of 19th and Texas Streets.

Parts of the classic car chase in Bullitt (1968) were also shot in Potrero Hill. Embark on a walking tour of this historic district to see these locations, plus the house on 18th Street used as Scott Lang's apartment in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).

San Francisco’s famous Painted Ladies are a series of 19th and 20th-century Victorian and Edwardian rowhouses, as seen in the title sequence of the family sitcom Full House. The sitcom ran for 8 seasons between 1987 and 1995, and continued as Fuller House from 2016, with most of its original and “next generation” casts. The sitcom features the Tanner family, who live in one of these picturesque houses.

You'll be able to walk past the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street and Hayes Street. Combine your visit with a stroll through Alamo Square Park for some great views.

This elegant Victorian house graces a wide corner lot on 2640 Steiner Street, San Francisco. It dates to 1893 but gained big stardom since it served as the setting to the comedy drama, Mrs. Doubtfire (1993).

The film starred Robin Williams in one of his most memorable performances, as the titular nanny-in-disguise. Much of the external features and furnishings such as the door and window panes have been refurbished since, and now slightly differ from how they were depicted in the movie. Nonetheless, it still makes an incredible backdrop for any selfies you might want to take.

Alcatraz is nicknamed “The Rock,” which was fitting for Michael Bay’s action thriller, The Rock (1996). Starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in protagonist roles, it depicts Alcatraz being seized by terrorists.

This island prison is notorious for having detained kingpins such as Al Capone in the past. Crime and thriller movies inspired by the infamous landmark include Escape from Alcatraz (1979), starring Clint Eastwood. Much of it was shot on location, and its production required touch-ups that even helped restore the site. Take a short ferry ride and book a guided tour to go behind the scenes of this monumental filming location. 

San Francisco's Chinatown has served as the inspired setting for John Carpenter’s fantasy action movie, Big Trouble in Little China (1986). It starred Kurt Russell and was shot on location in Chinatown, which is one of the oldest in North America.

You'll recognize the iconic gate as you enter from Bush Street onto Grant Street. You could try reliving some of the memorable scenes, like the one where sightseeing visitors hop on a yellow tour bus through the gate and drive past markets and restaurants.

One of the most memorable scenes in the classic sci-fi horror film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), shows the playground at the Alamo Square Park, where Robert Duvall has his cameo as a priest on a swing and where the alien lifeforms start budding on the plants. They then lightly dash across Steiner Street to San Francisco’s famous Victorian rowhouses, known as the Painted Ladies.

Other than the trees, not much of Steiner Street has changed from how it was depicted in the movie. You can enjoy a stroll around Alamo Square Park as you admire the scenic location. 

The Church Street Muni Station is featured in the cop drama comedy, 48 Hrs. (1982), starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. The movie depicts several parts of San Francisco, including blocks around Chinatown and the Mission, with some scenes more realistic than others.

The Church Street Muni Station is a small, 2-platform station that isn't normally very busy, despite what is depicted in the movie. Take a moment to rest here between sight-seeing spots and imagine Murphy and Nolte blending into the crowd.

A visit to Chestnut Street is unmissable if you're a fan of Peter Yates’ thriller, Bullitt (1968). The movie saw Steve McQueen in one of his most famous roles. However, it’s the car chase that really stole the show. From burning rubber, hard turns and small jumps, to skids and drifts, it takes us on a roller coaster ride down San Francisco’s steep roads.

Relive the iconic pursuit up from the Fisherman's Wharf in the Marina area at Columbus and Chestnut Street, down Hyde and Laguna Streets, then south onto Leavenworth Street. The chase ends at Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, with no explosive gas station in sight, thankfully.