Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
A boardwalk restaurant in Monterey California
A boardwalk restaurant in Monterey California
Original photo by Ava Calpino
Culture > Entertainment

I Saw Some ‘Big Little Lies’ Filming Locations!

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LMU chapter.

Before starting my sophomore year, my family took a trip down the California Coast. This trip included two days in Monterey, where Big Little Lies is set. While not all iconic filming locations were actually in Monterey, I did get to visit some!

The Cafe

In the show, this is the Blue Blues Cafe, a popular spot for the women to sit and chat. In reality, it is an Italian restaurant called Paluca Trattoria on Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. There is even a sign by the door that says it was on Big Little Lies!

Bixby Bridge

This is the iconic bridge in the opening credits! Sadly there was construction and insane traffic when we drove over it, so I couldn’t get any good pictures. The view of the ocean off the bridge is beautiful though!

Del Monte Beach

This is the beach where a lot of the running scenes take place. The beach itself is actually fairly small and quiet and is also located in Monterey. 

The Monterey Bay Aquarium

This was one of the highlights of my trip! Jane gets a job here in the second season and this is a Monterey staple. The aquarium is massive and has tons of animals to see. My personal favorites were the sea otters and sharks. 

The Coastal Scenery

I’m just going to put all the beautiful scenic locations I saw altogether. The show has tons of clips of nature scenes such as waves and oceans. Most of these coastal scenes were either filmed in Monterey, Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea, or Pacific Grove. This photo is from the seventeen-mile drive, which I also highly recommend. The drive was gorgeous and full of amazing nature. I was lucky enough to visit all these spots on the trip and have a wonderful experience.

Ava Calpino

Wisconsin '22

Ava Calpino is a senior strategic communication major at UW Madison. She previously wrote for LMU's chapter. She loves writing, the environment, and cute animals.