Grand historic hotel facade with palm trees on a sunny Beverly Hills corner

Where Was Pretty Woman Filmed?

Most of Pretty Woman was shot around Los Angeles, with a surprising Pittsburgh stand-in for the opera house.

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The Short Answer

Pretty Woman was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California, with key locations in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Burbank, and downtown LA. The Beverly Wilshire, Rodeo Drive, and Vivian's Hollywood apartment building all appear. The opera house exterior was shot at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and interior hotel scenes used the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel.

Pretty Woman arrived in 1990 and turned a handful of Los Angeles streets into some of the most recognizable backdrops in romantic comedy history. Filming ran from July 24, 1989 to November 30, 1989, mostly in and around LA, with a few unexpected detours.

The good news for fans is that many of the locations are easy to find. Some are public streets and working businesses, a couple require museum admission, and one no longer exists at all. Here is the full breakdown.

Every Location At A Glance

LocationWhereWhat was filmedAccess
Regent Beverly Wilshire HotelBeverly HillsExterior, lobby, and hotel scenes where Edward and Vivian stayFree to see
Las Palmas HotelHollywoodVivian's apartment and fire escape finale sceneOutside only
Rodeo DriveBeverly HillsShopping montage and boutique scenesFree to see
Former Ambassador HotelLos AngelesHotel interiors, dining room etiquette lesson, ballroom scenes (now demolished)Closed
Los Angeles Equestrian CenterBurbankPolo match sceneTicketed
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyLos AngelesOpera house lobby sceneTicketed
Carnegie Museum of Natural HistoryPittsburghOpera house exterior (as San Francisco opera)Ticketed
Bank of America BuildingLos AngelesEdward's office scenesOutside only
Cicada Restaurant & LoungeLos AngelesUpscale restaurant business meeting sceneFree to see
Hollywood BoulevardHollywoodOpening montage and street scenes with Vivian and KitFree to see

Filming Locations Map

10 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills
Location 01

Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel

California, Beverly Hills Free to see

Filmed here: Exterior, lobby, and hotel scenes where Edward and Vivian stay

The exterior, lobby, and hotel scenes where Edward and Vivian stay were shot here. It remains an active luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, and the public areas are accessible to visitors. The hotel has embraced its film fame and offers Pretty Woman-themed packages. Note that the famous penthouse suite was not filmed on site: it was a set built on a soundstage at Walt Disney Studios.

Las Palmas Hotel, Hollywood
Location 02

Las Palmas Hotel

California, Hollywood Outside only

Filmed here: Vivian's apartment and fire escape finale scene

This Hollywood building stood in for Vivian's apartment, including the fire escape finale scene. It is a private hotel, so access is exterior only, but the facade is easy to view from the street and has become a popular stop on film location tours. Fans of the movie will recognize it instantly from the closing moments of the film.

Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Location 03

Rodeo Drive

California, Beverly Hills Free to see

Filmed here: Shopping montage and boutique scenes

The famous shopping montage and boutique scenes were filmed along this public Beverly Hills street. Today it remains one of the most visited tourist areas in Los Angeles, lined with luxury shops. No ticket or reservation is needed: anyone can walk the same stretch of sidewalk where the shopping scenes took place, making it one of the easiest locations to experience.

Former Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles
Location 04

Former Ambassador Hotel

California, Los Angeles Closed

Filmed here: Hotel interiors, dining room etiquette lesson, ballroom scenes (now demolished)

Hotel interiors, the dining room etiquette lesson, and the ballroom scenes were filmed at the Ambassador Hotel. The building was demolished in 2005, and the site is now part of the Los Angeles High School of the Arts, with no public access. There is nothing left to see of the original interiors, so this stop exists only in the film and in archival photographs.

Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Burbank
Location 05

Los Angeles Equestrian Center

California, Burbank Ticketed

Filmed here: Polo match scene

The polo match scene was shot at this working equestrian facility in Burbank. It remains an active venue, and events may require tickets, so anyone hoping to catch a match or see the grounds in action should check the schedule ahead of time. Unlike most locations on this list, visiting on a random day may mean finding little happening.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Location 06

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

California, Los Angeles Ticketed

Filmed here: Opera house lobby scene

The opera house lobby scene was filmed here, with a dinosaur fossil standing just off-camera during shooting. The museum is open to the public with admission, and the dinosaur exhibits remain a major draw. Film fans can stand in the same lobby space and then explore the fossils that were inches from Julia Roberts during filming.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh
Location 07

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Ticketed

Filmed here: Opera house exterior (as San Francisco opera)

The opera house exterior, standing in for the San Francisco opera, was filmed at this Pittsburgh museum. San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House had been damaged by an earthquake, so production looked east for a double. The museum is public and admission is required for entry. It is the one essential Pretty Woman site far outside Los Angeles.

Bank of America Building, Los Angeles
Location 08

Bank of America Building

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: Edward's office scenes

Edward's office scenes were shot in downtown Los Angeles, with this building's exterior serving as the setting. The building is not open for casual interior visits, but the public plaza around it is accessible and the exterior is easily viewable. It makes a quick stop for anyone already exploring downtown LA's financial district.

Cicada Restaurant & Lounge, Los Angeles
Location 09

Cicada Restaurant & Lounge

California, Los Angeles Free to see

Filmed here: Upscale restaurant business meeting scene

The upscale restaurant business meeting scene was filmed here. Cicada remains an active restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, and reservations are recommended for anyone who wants to dine in the same room where the scene played out. Of all the Pretty Woman locations, this is the one where fans can most directly recreate an on-screen moment over a meal.

Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Location 10

Hollywood Boulevard

California, Hollywood Free to see

Filmed here: Opening montage and street scenes with Vivian and Kit

The opening montage and street scenes with Vivian and Kit were filmed along this famous stretch. It is a busy public tourist area, home to the Walk of Fame, and requires no ticket or planning to visit. Combined with the Las Palmas Hotel nearby, it makes an easy walking circuit of the film's Hollywood moments.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story is set in Los Angeles, California, and it was filmed primarily in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, with some location doubles in Pittsburgh and Burbank. The biggest gap between setting and shooting involves the opera sequence: the exterior is actually the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, while the lobby belongs to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

The Studio Side

Walt Disney Studios in Burbank handled soundstage work. Most notably, the penthouse suite at the Beverly Wilshire was not a real room at all: it was a set built on a soundstage there. The studio is not open to the public for visits.

Tours That Visit These Locations

Film location tours are one of the easiest ways to see these sites without mapping them out alone, and at least one running tour includes a Pretty Woman stop.

L.A. Film Locations Tour

The Movie Guys' L.A. Film Locations Tour

This guided tour of Los Angeles movie locations includes a stop at Vivian's apartment, the Hollywood building with the fire escape from the finale, alongside stops from many other films.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Stay At The Pretty Woman Hotel?

Yes. The Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is an active luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, and it offers Pretty Woman-themed packages. However, the penthouse suite shown in the film was a set built at Walt Disney Studios, not a real room at the hotel.

Is The Ambassador Hotel From Pretty Woman Still Standing?

No. The Ambassador Hotel was demolished in 2005, and the site is now part of the Los Angeles High School of the Arts. There is no public access and nothing remains of the interiors used in the film.

Where Was The Opera Scene Filmed?

In two different museums. The opera house exterior was filmed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, standing in for San Francisco's opera house, which had been damaged by an earthquake. The lobby scene was shot at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Can You Visit Vivian's Apartment Building?

Only from the outside. The Las Palmas Hotel in Hollywood is a private hotel, so the exterior is viewable from the street but the interior is off limits. It is a popular stop on film location tours.

When Was Pretty Woman Filmed?

Filming took place from July 24, 1989 to November 30, 1989. The film was released in 1990.

Where Was The Polo Match Scene Filmed?

At the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. It is still an active equestrian facility, and events there may require tickets, so check the schedule if you want to visit during a match.

Pretty Woman's Los Angeles is remarkably intact. A visitor can walk Rodeo Drive in the morning, view Vivian's apartment from the street, dine at Cicada, and tour the Natural History Museum lobby, all in a single day. The Pittsburgh opera house exterior is the outlier, a cross-country bonus for completists. Anyone short on time can book a film locations tour and let a guide connect the dots.

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