Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the release of The Princess Diaries, we packed up our school uniforms and headed north to San Francisco for a two-day adventure visiting the iconic filming locations from this beloved Disney classic.

Before hitting the road, we mapped out every location we wanted to see and planned a route that would take us around the city without too much backtracking. If you’re planning your own Princess Diaries pilgrimage, keep in mind that several of these locations are private residences. Please be respectful of homeowners and their neighbors while visiting.

Day 1

Location 1: Mia’s Firehouse
Address: 724 Brazil Ave

Our first stop was Mia Thermopolis’ famous firehouse home. While the interior scenes were filmed on a soundstage, the exterior of this converted firehouse became one of the most recognizable locations in the film.

Location 2: Cliff House
Address: 1090 Point Lobos Ave

This is the location where Mia and her grandmother share corn dogs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, the Cliff House is currently undergoing construction, so we weren’t able to recreate the exact shot from the movie.

Location 3: Baker Beach

One of San Francisco’s most scenic beaches, Baker Beach appears in the film and offers incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Even if you’re not a Princess Diaries fan, it’s worth the stop.

Location 4: Grove High School
Address: 2601 Lyon St

While this location appeared as Grove High School in The Princess Diaries, it’s actually a private residence rather than a functioning school. During our visit, we saw several fans stop by to take photos in front of this iconic filming location.

Location 5: Musée Mécanique
Address: Pier 45

A must visit for fans. Inside this collection of vintage arcade games and mechanical attractions, you’ll find the arm-wrestling machine featured in the movie. Be warned, its REALLY hard.

After wrapping up our fifth stop, we called it a day and headed off for other plans. The next morning, we picked up right where we left off to visit the last filming locations from the movie on our list.

Day 2

Location 6: Opening Scenes
Address: Jones Street & Green Street

One of the most recognizable opening shots in the film. This is where we see Mia struggling to push her scooter up San Francisco’s famously steep hills on her way to school with a stunning view of Alcatraz in the background.

Location 7: Opening Scenes
Address: Jones Street & Washington Street

Just a few blocks away is the intersection where Mia and Lily meet up on their scooters before heading to school together.

Location 8: Lily & Michael’s House
Address: 15 Phoenix Terrace

This charming home served as the exterior of Lily and Michael Moscovitz’s house. Tucked away on a quiet street, it’s another fun stop for fans looking to recreate scenes from the movie.

Day 3

Location 9: Queen Clarisse’s Genovian Consulate
Address: 10 Chester Place (Los Angeles)

While most of our Princess Diaries adventure took place in San Francisco, we couldn’t resist adding one final stop to complete the experience.

As part of a special D23 pop-up event celebrating the upcoming 25th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, we headed to home to visit Queen Clarisse Renaldi’s Genovian Consulate. Fans may recognize the historic mansion as the exterior used for the Genovian Consulate, where Mia begins her transformation from ordinary teenager to future princess.

Unlike many of the locations on this list, this visit was made possible through the limited-time D23 event, giving fans a rare opportunity to step a little closer into the world of Genovia. It was the perfect way to wrap up our journey visiting some of the most iconic Princess Diaries filming locations in California.

From Mia’s firehouse and the steep hills of San Francisco to the gates of the Genovian Consulate in Los Angeles, this trip felt like stepping directly into one of our favorite Disney movies. If you’ve ever dreamed of following in Mia Thermopolis’ footsteps, these filming locations make for a fun and surprisingly easy California road trip for Princess Diaries fans.