Where was Vertigo filmed?

The first turning point of the film comes when Madeleine throws herself into the San Francisco Bay. Seemingly possessed by Carlotta who had a penchant for suicide, she tries to end it all. However, Scottie is watching close by and jumps in and tries to save her.

As he brings her back to his car and tries to bring her round, he shouts “Madeleine? Madeleine!” and she slowly opens her eyes back up to look up at her savior.

This scene was filmed near Fort Point, in Presidio, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. This is a civil war fortress that is now open for tours and sits just below the Golden Gate Bridge.

You can park up in one of the many car parks that surround this super popular viewpoint, or take the number 28 bus and walk through the Golden Gate recreation area.

After Scottie saves Madeleine from drowning herself in the bay, they spend the day together and get out of the city. It’s here that they begin to talk about Carlotta and the possession that Madeleine is going through - especially the dark thoughts that she keeps on having to try and override.

Scottie: “What are you thinking about?” Madeleine: “Of all the people who were born and died while the trees went on living.” Scottie: “Their true name is Sequoia sempervirens—always green, ever living.” Madeleine: “I don’t like it . . . knowing I have to die.”

This deep conversation is set at Muir Woods to the north of San Francisco, but in actuality, it was filmed in California’s oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Located south of the city off Highway 1, Big Basin is home to some of the oldest and tallest redwoods in the world and is a paradise for outdoor pursuits including hiking, mountain biking and camping.

As this state park is a bit out of the way, you’re going to have to drive to access it. There are a ton of parking lots and pull ins by the various trailheads, so you have plenty of options for exploration.

Following his stint in a sanatorium, Scottie visits Madeleine’s favorite places and meets a red-headed woman named Judy (also played by Kim Novak). As she reminds him of Madeleine, he starts seeing her but wants her to change her physical appearance to look more like the blonde bombshell that Madeleine was.

​​Judy: “If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?” Scottie: “Yes—yes.” Judy: “Alright then, I’ll do it. I don’t care anymore about me.”

Judy says she’s from Salinas, Kansas, and is staying in the Empire Hotel. In real life, this used to be the York Hotel and subsequently the Hotel Vertigo. Located at 940 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California, although the Hotel Vertigo signs and banners are still up, it’s listed as being permanently closed. However, it’s entirely possible that someone else will take over the site and restore it to its former hotel glory.

You can find this Vertigo filming location in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco and it has a bus stop for the number 2 bus right outside

In the climax of the film, Scottie discovers that Judy and Gavin were working together to cover up his real wife’s murder. Judy was Gavin’s mistress and pretended to be a possessed version of Madeleine, taking advantage of Scottie’s fear of heights.

Upon discovering this, Scottie forces Judy to go to the tower to explain herself.

Scottie: “He made you over just like I made you over—only better. Not only the clothes and the hair, but the looks and the manners and the words . . . And then what did he do? Did he train you? Did he rehearse you? Did he tell you exactly what to do and what to say?”

However, when they get to the top, tragedy strikes, but on the plus side, at least Scottie conquered his fear of heights.

This scene as well as the original suicide scene were filmed at the real Mission San Juan Bautista on 2nd Street & Mariposa Street, San Juan Bautista, California. When Hitchcock first scouted the location it was perfect, however, when he returned the spire had been destroyed by dry rot and had to be separately filmed on a set and painted in to match the rest of the mission.

As it’s located in San Juan Bautista, it’s quite a way out of the city and is actually down towards Monterey and Salinas. If you’re going for the day, you can drive or catch the intercounty bus which stops in the center of town. From there you can walk to the mission.

During Scottie and Madeleine’s day trip out of the city, they wander through Muir Woods and come out towards the beach. From there Madeleine runs down to the ocean with freedom. As she returns to the shoreline, she embraces Scottie and says:

“I don’t want to die. There’s someone inside me and she says I must die.”

Not the most romantic line in cinema, but somehow this leads to the pair’s first kiss and reassurance from Scottie that he’ll keep her safe. If only he knew!

This heartwarming and romantic pivotal Vertigo scene was shot at Cypress Point in the town of Pebble Beach, California. Just up the coast from Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pebble Beach is home to dozens of hiking trails, forest walks, and a lot of golf courses.

To get here, you’re going to have to drive, but it’s a beautiful journey down the coast. You can park up at one of the many pull ins and hike down to the beach. Alternatively, bring your clubs and hit the links.

Towards the start of the film when Scottie is tailing Madeleine, he follows her into a gallery where she quietly sits and stares at the portrait of a woman who has an uncanny similarity to her.

From afar, Scottie watches, noticing the similarities before asking an uncredited attendant: “That lady sitting in there, who’s the woman in the painting she’s looking at?”, to which he replies “Oh, that’s Carlotta.”

And so begins the historical unraveling of Madeleine’s family tree and the slow decline of Scottie’s mental health.

The gallery that’s used in this particular Vertigo scene is the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which you can find at 34th Avenue & Clement Street, San Francisco, California. Located in the Outer Richmond area in Lincoln Park, this historic art gallery is home to ancient sculptures and pieces as well as art from Europe. It also has spectacular views across the bay and of the Golden Gate Bridge.

There are plenty of parking lots as well as lots of bus stops for the number 38 route.