Where Was Iron Man 2 Filmed? Los Angeles, Monaco and Moscow

Iron Man 2 (2010) was filmed mostly across Southern California, with real stops in Monte Carlo, Moscow and Queens, New York. This guide covers all 18 filming locations: the scene shot at each, and whether you can actually get near it. Several places stand in for somewhere else. Monaco's jail is in Los Angeles, Congress is in Pasadena and San Marino, and the Stark Expo is split between a Los Angeles school and a New York park. Exact pins are in the Go On Set app. Here is the stop-by-stop list.

In this guide

Monaco Grand Prix Circuit

The real Monaco Grand Prix Circuit in Monte Carlo is the film's best-known stop. It is a street circuit with tight corners, with the waterfront and grandstands running alongside. After a lap in his Stark race car, Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) is ambushed in front of the grandstands by Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who swings electrified whips. Jon Favreau and Gwyneth Paltrow are in the scene too. The circuit is public roads for most of the year, but it becomes a restricted zone during race week, and some of the screen action was digitally enhanced.

Tony Stark's hotel in Monaco

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo was opened in 1864 and faces the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Tony uses it as his base during the Grand Prix. The exterior is the real hotel, but the room and background in closer shots were rebuilt at Downey Studios. You can see the facade from the public square in front, and the hotel is a historic landmark.

Randy's Donuts

Randy's Donuts in Inglewood has had its giant rooftop donut since 1953. In the film, Tony sits inside that donut while Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) explains the Avengers Initiative, with Scarlett Johansson alongside. It is a working shop open to the public, so you can walk up, order and look at the rooftop for yourself.

Tony Stark's Malibu mansion

No real mansion exists here. Point Dume in Malibu supplied the cliff and coastline that the effects team built Tony's house on. His lab scenes and his struggle with his father's legacy play out against that digital version. The headland is public, with sweeping coastal views, so it is easy to see what the artists started from.

Senate Chamber

The Pasadena Masonic Temple is a 1920s building with classical details and wood-paneled rooms. It plays the Senate chamber where Tony is called to answer for his Iron Man technology, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Garry Shandling in the room. It is a historic landmark in Pasadena, and the exterior is the part you can usually see.

Stark Expo Main Pavilion

The Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts is a public high school in Los Angeles with a sharp modern design. Here Tony meets Stan Lee, billed as "Larry King," and talks with a U.S. Marshal. Hammer's drones also attack along the external stairways. Kate Mara and Jon Favreau appear in the sequence. It is an active school, so treat it as an exterior look only.

Stark Expo in Queens

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park hosted the 1964 New York World's Fair, and the Unisphere and Observation Towers remain. The film used the park as a reference for aerial views of the Stark Expo's sprawling tech fair, so the final images are largely CGI. The park is open to the public in Queens.

Monaco Jail

The Lincoln Heights Jail is a former city jail in Los Angeles that ran from 1931 to 1965 and has an Art Deco design. After his arrest at the Grand Prix, Vanko is held here until a staged explosion frees him. Downey Jr. and Rourke share the scene. The building is private, and access means a guided tour.

Final battle and the medal ceremony

At the Huntington Library in San Marino, the gardens were recreated on a soundstage for the climactic fight between Iron Man, War Machine and the Hammer drones. The real Munger Research Center was the backdrop for the medal ceremony, where Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) honors Tony and Rhodey (Don Cheadle). The library houses a Gutenberg Bible and works by Gainsborough, and its Japanese and Desert gardens are part of the grounds.

Hammer Industries Headquarters

Justin Hammer's high-tech weapons lab is SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, in an industrial district of Los Angeles County. Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Jon Favreau all appear in scenes here. It is a working facility, so expect to see it from outside only.

Queens Freeway Underpass

The freeway underpass in Los Angeles is the stand-in for Queens. Tony (Downey Jr.) leads the Hammer drones in a high-speed chase beneath the overpasses, with Don Cheadle's Rhodey in the mix. It is public, but a live freeway is no place to linger.

Golf course

The Manhattan Beach Marriott golf course is a 9-hole executive course in Los Angeles County. Senator Stern and Justin Hammer play a round when Vanko phones about the drone project. Garry Shandling and Sam Rockwell play the pair. It is a restricted area, and the course is not open for casual walk-ins.

Monaco Airplane Hangar

A private hangar at Van Nuys Airport is the setting where Hammer (Sam Rockwell) offers Vanko (Mickey Rourke) the resources to take down Tony. The airport is among the busiest general aviation fields in the U.S. The hangar is private, and the exact one is uncertain, so there is little to see.

Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County is known for aerospace testing, and its wide runways suit military scenes. Rhodes brings the Mark II armor here, and Hammer turns it into War Machine. It is a restricted area, so it is not a sightseeing stop.

Coastal Drive with the model boards

This stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Ventura County follows the cliffs and ocean. After visiting Stark Industries, Tony drives it with his father's model boards in tow. It is a public road, so you can drive the same coast.

Tony Stark's Pacific Coast Highway drive

A second Pacific Coast Highway segment, in Los Angeles County, shows Tony behind the wheel on winding coastal roads. It is public road with ocean views.

House of the Government of the Russian Federation

Moscow's House of the Government of the Russian Federation, also called the Russian White House, is the seat of government. It appears as an establishing shot of Moscow. You can view it from outside as a historic landmark.

Kazansky railway station

Kazansky railway station is one of Moscow's three main rail stations. Alexey Shchusev designed it, and it mixes Russian and Oriental influences, with tall towers and ornate facades. It also serves as an establishing shot of Moscow. The station is public.

How to plan the visit

Monte Carlo: the circuit and Hôtel de Paris sit in the same city, so they work as one outing.
Los Angeles basin: Randy's Donuts, the Cortines school, the Lincoln Heights Jail and the freeway overpasses are all in the city, with Hawthorne and Van Nuys nearby.
Pasadena and San Marino: the Masonic Temple and the Huntington Library are close enough for one day.
Coast: Point Dume in Malibu and the two Pacific Coast Highway drives suit a coastal day trip.
Access: Edwards, the golf course, the hangar, SpaceX and the school are restricted or private, so view from public spaces and respect staff and residents. The jail needs a guided tour.
Exact map pins are in the Go On Set app.

Quick answers

Where was Iron Man 2 filmed?

Mostly in Southern California, with other stops in Monte Carlo, Moscow and Queens, New York.

How many Iron Man 2 filming locations are there?

This guide covers 18, including two separate Pacific Coast Highway stretches.

Where was the Monaco Grand Prix scene filmed?

It was shot at the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit in Monte Carlo, where Tony Stark is attacked by Ivan Vanko in front of the grandstands.

Can you visit the Iron Man 2 locations?

Yes for public spots such as Randy's Donuts, Point Dume, the Pacific Coast Highway and Kazansky station. Edwards, SpaceX, the golf course and the hangar are restricted or private.