As a fan of 007, I look for the sites shown in the series when I travel. Here are some amazing places I’ve been to so far that I can’t wait to see in person.
However, a word of warning: plenty of spoilers below.
Istanbul
The ancient city at the mouth of the Bosphorus is as much a character in bond’s momentary component as Bond or the damn henchman Donald Grant. Sean Connery passes by many of the city’s attractions such as the Grand Bazaar and Hagia Sophia, where one of the film’s crucial scenes take a stand: take the shots of Tatiana Romanova’s Soviet embassy, take a stand. Completed in 537, Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral when the city was called Constantinople and the capital of the Byzantine Empire. After the conquest of Constantinople through the Ottoman Empire in 1453, it became a mosque and gained minarets. Today a museum, has an immense scale, as dazzling and impressive as the Parthenon or the Colosseum. Enter, stand under the 183-foot dome and appreciate. Yes, there are exhibits to read, but it’s smart to run out of words.
Keep in mind that Hagia Sophia built about 1,500 years ago.
Their next prevent is near the Basilica Cistern, where Bond and MI6 station leader Kerim Bey board a boat to sneak under the Soviet consulate (unfortunately, the periscope they used to practice the consulate’s secret assembly is a fictional film). , the cistern has a large staircase, 453 feet long to 213 feet high, and can hold 2. 8 million cubic feet of water. The 30-foot-high ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns, two of which have bases with Medusa’s face. The Basilica Cistern possibly looks like a tourist trap, but it’s still pretty cool.
The Basilica Cistern: Sorry, there are tours available under the Soviet embassy.
You only twice: The subsequent Bond films to show in Istanbul (not constantinople) come with The World Is Not Enough and Skyfall (more main points about this film below), but in both cases, the screen time is reduced.
Schilthorn
I’ve only been to one corner of Switzerland (Geneva), so I still haven’t done the country justice, but when I return, Schilthorn will be my first stop. The 9,744-foot peak in the Bernese Alps appears in my favorite Bond movie, and it’s the lair of the most productive villain in the series, yes, even bigger than the volcano hollowed out with the monorail in You Only Live Twice. That is. . . how can you not love a position with a breathtaking view of the Alps that is only available through a cable car or a helicopter?By opting for the Piz Gloria, Ernst Stavro Blofeld of Spectre rose through the ranks.
Piz Gloria does not hesitate to communicate her connection with Bond.
The complex was still under structure when the film’s explorers discovered it in 1968. As it roughly matched blofeld’s Piz Gloria hideout described in the book, the manufacturers funded its completion. The structure closely resembles that of the film for which it served as an allergy clinic where Blofeld manufactured a biological weapon. You can eat on site to eat and explore the museum with memorabilia from the shooting. the cities of Grindelwald, where Bond and his former wife, Tracy di Vicenzo, escaped the terrifying henchman Fraulein Bunt and the orange-clad assassins of Blofeld, and Lauterbrunnen, the site of the inventory car race.
A show to die for Piz Gloria (and if you tell what happened in the movie, I literally mean it).
las vegas
After George Lazenby’s turn in Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Connery reprised the role, jumping from Amsterdam to Las Vegas to thwart the long-term plans of former nemesis Blofeld. The scenes in Las Vegas basically show a city that hasn’t existed for a long time. The Tropicana Hotel, the pinnacle of luxury, and the empty spaces of the desert surrounded old (and now demolished) Strip hotels like The Dunes. The Riviera Hotel (where Bond meets Plenty O’Toole) is also history, but the Circus Circus and its intermission games (where smuggler Tiffany Case won the diamond-filled dog) and The Westgate Hotel (the setting for The Whyte House) still exist. Diamonds Are Forever also visits McCarran International Airport, downtown Las Vegas and Palm Boulder Highway Morgue and Cemetery.
The exteriors of The Whyte House in the film were filmed here.
Palm Springs
No, James Bond never made it to las Vegas’ more subtle desert cousin, but a favorite scene filmed here when Bond fought the life-filled killers Bambi and Thumper. The combat filmed at The Elrod House, a modernist fantasy space with a swimming pool that is partially inside Built in 1968 and designed by the famous architect John Lautner (who also designed the Chemosphere that you may recognize in Los Angeles), has a living room that incorporates the rocks of the hill into the walls and is crowned by a large circular The space in the hills above Palm Springs is privately owned, it sold for around $8 million in 2016, so you can’t dwell on it, but you can see it on the streets below.
Corfu
My favorite Roger Moore film spends much of its time in one of my favorite countries, Greece. We start in Corfu, where Bond meets Melina Havelock in the British submarine communication formula lost before being captured via the KGB. Sea off the coast of Albania, Corfu is a world away from the stereotypical Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos. While those Aegean islands are rocky and barren, Corfu is so lush that it reminded me of Hawaii.
This Corfu City clock tower is visual when Bond arrives on the island. The city looks more like Italy than stereotypical Greece.
There are plenty of places to explore, starting with Corfu Town, where Bond and Havelock spend shopping for groceries after their arrival. Forget the whitewashed buildings with blue roofs, the city buildings and the winding streets show the influences of the island’s ancient Venetian and British rulers. . Have a good coffee around Spianáda (the main square of the city) and prepare the local kumquat liquor. Corfu is also one of the places in Greece to delight in the magical celebrations of Greek Easter.
The monastery of Vlacherna is one of the most picturesque places on the island.
The south of Corfu City is a site not to be missed. The small monastery of Vlacherna, which is located on an islet facing the Kanoni Peninsula in a bright blue bay, is shown several times in the film. on a narrow causeway that sits just below the latest technique to Corfu Airport, a paradise for aviation fans like me. Then, enjoy the exclusive view of Corfu as you walk to Kanoni Café to enjoy a Greek salad (one of the best meals in the world) and a bottle of Assyrtiko wine.
Bond relentlessly throws Locque’s off a cliff in the old fortress.
Then, rent a car and travel around the island exploring the sandy beaches and picturesque hill villages. Places to avoid are the old castle above Corfu Town (where Bond pushes the henchman Emile Leopold Locque to his death), Issos Beach (where Locque passes over Countess Lisl von Schlaf), Kalami Bay (where Melina’s pahirs are killed) and Achillion Palace (Corfu’s “casino” in the film and where Bond and Melina stand on the balcony at sunset). on its Citroën 2CV6 car chase), the Bond 007 Cafe has memories of the shooting. If your travel budget is generous, you can rent the villa where Melina killed the hitman Hector Gonzalez with her crossbow (in the film, the villa takes a position in Spain).
The street of the village of Pagi Bond and Havelock fell.
meteorites
This is where Bond fights with the evil Aristotle Kristatos and thwarts the KGB’s plans. Believe me, Meteora is one of the most eye-catching visits, we value the four-hour drive from Athens (or the three-hour hike from Thessaloniki). above the city of Kalambaka are huge monolithic pillars and giant rocks that line the Pinde Mountains in northern Greece. At the sensitive height of the ridges are six Orthodox monasteries, the oldest of which was built in the thirteenth century. monasteries, admit tourists for a small fee.
The Holy Trinity Monastery has a stunning setting.
Bus tours are offered from Kalambaka, but it’s more productive to rent a car and explore the monasteries on your own: a paved circular road connects all six. the role of the desert Saint Cyril in the film. Unfortunately, you don’t have to be climbed into a basket to climb a ladder cut into a cliff, but the scenery is spectacular. To enter the film crews, the interior shots were made on a sound stage. The genuine one is better, in any case. You’ll see rich frescoes before walking the grounds to appreciate the amazing perspectives of the valley below.
saint francis
Yes, A View to a Kill wasn’t the most productive Bond movie, however, there were at least 3 wonderful things: the airships, Grace Jones, and Duran Duran. It’s also the construction that villain Max Zorin and henchman Mayday set on fire to cover up the murder of Stacey’s boss, and that’s a shame, because it’s one of the most beautiful government constructions in America. I’m a bit biased because I was married there, but the interior of Beaux-Arts is lovely and all of this is crowned by a magnificent 307-foot-tall dome that’s taller than the American capital.
The San Francisco City Council makes paying your taxes a bit painful.
Completed in 1915, construction replaced the city corridor destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Guided tours are available, but you can also walk alone. Stand under the roundabout, rummage through the small exhibitions of the Courts of Light, and climb the grand staircase that leads to the paneled room of the supervisory board. Also take a moment for gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk to take his seat in 1977 as California’s first elected official and his assassination in construction a year later.
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, watch out for white airships.
While in town, enjoy an exhilarating stroll across the stunning Golden Gate Bridge, where Zorin and his cool, though not very practical, escape aircraft ended up at the film’s climax. The truck when it opened is the Lefty O’Doul Bridge next to Oracle Park. Stacey’s home, Dunsmuir Hellman Estate in Oakland, which you can visit.
This is the best position for a chase with a giant fire truck.
Paris
Perched on the grounds of the Eiffel Tower, the Jules Verne is where Bond met French personal detective Achille Aubergine before Mayday sent Aubergine with a poisoned hook. screen, but it’s still beautiful. Reservations are a must, and with a dinner starting at 190 euros for a tasting menu, it’s indeed a used place to eat. (My husband and I took my mother-in-law there on her only vacation in Europe, and I was out of it. ) The food was amazing and the view sublime, and you can save a little by going to lunch. After eating, get out in sight of Paris, but leave your parachute at home Zorin’s sumptuous apartment is 32 km north of Paris, in the Château de Chantilly, I haven’t been.
Wine with a view at the Jules Verne Restaurant.
St. Petersburg
I have been fascinated by Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia and his family, so I was very happy to make a stopover in St. Petersburg on a cruise ship 14 years ago. Founded in 1703 through Tsar Peter the Great as the “window to the west” of Imperial Russia, it served as the capital of Russia until the Communist Revolution of 1917. Remembered Leningrad in 1924 (after a few years under the so-called Petrograd), it returned to its original call in 1991. The Neva River flows into the Gulf of Finland, St. Petersburg has an incredibly charming setting with a treasure trove of brightly colored Baroque, Neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings that feel more Mediterranean than Baltic.
The view of the Palace Square from a window of the Hermitage.
Although some st. Petersburg scenes were shot in the UK, GoldenEye was shot there. Just before Pierce Brosnan’s Bond arrived in the city, we briefly see the Hermitage (formerly the Winter Palace and now one of the largest museums in the world) and Grand Palace Square (or Dvortsovaya Ploshchad) and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. And, of course, the car chase takes place on the streets of the city and along its canals. But among them are the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, Nevsky Prospect, the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Peterhof Palace with its elaborate gardens and fountains. In Tsarskoye Selo, after seeing Catherine’s Palace, don’t miss Alexander’s Palace, where Nicholas II and his circle of relatives lived before being exiled and executed.
Peterhof Palace the summer apartment of the tsars.
I would love to come back. But since my visit, the gay and transgender rights perspective has deteriorated significantly, making me reluctant to back down until I’m sure of my safety.
venice
Daniel Craig’s first film takes us into a world of exciting places: the Czech Republic (which replaced Montenegro), the Bahamas, Venice, and Lake Como in Italy. Of course, Venice is a valuable visit. Noted locations at Casino Royale include the Grand Canal, Campo San Barnaba (also a filming location for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and the incredibly sumptuous Cipriani Hotel.
There is no position like Venice.
You only stop in two: the final scene of From Russia With Love (where Bond kills the villain Rosa Klebb before she can hit him with her shoes in a preemptive notch) was also filmed in Venice, as were parts of Moonraker, adding the absurd component. with Bond driving a gondola turned hovercraft in St. Mark’s Square.
If you’re visiting St. Mark’s Square, your hovercraft gondola at home.
Lake Como
After Venice, 150 miles west to the shore of Lake Como in the foothills of the Alps, like Venice, is a position with a wonderful well-deserved reputation, in fact, the green hills that flow into the sparkling lake are as beautiful as expected. In the film, Bond recovers from his torture aboard a ship in Villa del Balbianello, near the town of Lenno. You can make a stop in the sumptuous interior of the villa, but the center of attention is the opulent gardens that line the lake. Anakin Skywalker marries Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, so go ahead and grab your partner and hold her like you did across the lake on Naboo.
Villa del Balbianello: a place of rest and marriage.
Further north, on the western shore of the lake, is Villa Gaeta, where Bond shoots M. White in the leg at the end of the film. It is not open to excursions, but there are some apartments you can book. Aside from visiting (or buying) lakeside villas, one of the most productive things you can do on Lake Como is to end your time traveling around the lake on one of the ferries Just watch the shore go by, with a bottle of wine, and appreciate the homes of the rich and famous.
The town of Varenna, on the eastern shore of the lake, is a lovely location to stay. Easily available through exercise from Milan, it’s a quieter, more understated option for the Bellagio resort with its luxury shopping. and the village of Fiumelatte to watch Italy’s shortest river crash into a waterfall. Then, delight in dinner at the city’s glorious Osteria Quattro pass. The Albergo del Sole is a great location to stay.
The return to Lake Como by ferry is a pleasure.
One for dogs: If you watched the Netflix episode Dogs with Ice, the 10-year-old Labrador retriever and the moment on a fishing boat, his human circle of relatives operates Ittiturismo Ristorante Mella in Bellagio.
This Bellagio is different from the one in Las Vegas.
London
Each Bond film traverses excellent London for at least a brief stopover at M’s workplace to get the summary of his project. However, Skyfall offers us a great excursion around the British capital as Bond rushes to protect M from the assassin Raoul Silva. Popular attractions such as the Palace of Westminster, Whitehall and Smithfield Market before stopping at M’s townhouse. Although he does not appear on the screen, he naturally lives in Knightsbridge, an exclusive domain of West London, where he will locate the Harrods department store (to avoid) and Harvey Nichols (to make a stopover in) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (to make a stopover at absolutely).
Mi6’s headquarters in London makes its presence felt.
The MI6 headquarters shown in the film is the genuine building that houses the UK Secret Intelligence Service. Located in Vauxhall, west London, it has a postmodern design that splits and swells a bit like a ziggurat (“Babylon-on-Thames” is a no MI6 souvenir shop or museum, so you can only walk past and look past the fortress-like gates. screen (something that also happened in The World Is Not Enough).
Bond meets Q at the National Gallery in front of Joseph Mallard William Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire. One of the most productive art galleries in the world, it’s a wonderful place, so make a stop at his recreation (admission is free, but donations are welcome) Later, Bond chased Silva through Charing Cross tube station, jumping to the back of a Jubilee Line train. signed as Temple, it is a separate tube not far away (the Jubilee Line does not prevent in Temple).
The rooftop pool where Bond bathes in Shanghai is really in the other aspect of London at the Virgin Active Club in Canary Wharf (the Shanghai backdrop has been digitally added) Filled with glass skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury apartments, Canary Wharf looks more like New York City than the old streets of Covent Garden. Then hop on the Docklands Light Railway to the Island Gardens barrier in the Isle of Dogs (unfortunately, that’s not what you might think) and cross the 118-year-old Greenwich Pedestrian Tunnel under the Thames – see the stunning interiors of the Old Royal Naval College (where M attends the funerals of those killed in the attack on MI6 headquarters) before boarding one of the Thames Clippers ships to return to the central London. You’re in the biggest city in the world, so have fun.
The Old Royal Naval College of Greenwich with the towers of Canary Wharf beyond.
Glen Coe
The magnificent Glen Coe is the setting for Bond’s Scottish ancestral home, where he takes M to hide (unsuccessfully) from Silva. Although the driving scenes when the couple first arrived in Scotland were shot here, Skyfall Lodge, a transit set built near Elstead, Surrey, about an hour’s drive southwest of London. The scene in which they prevent the car from catching the view filmed in Glen Etive, a short drive from Glen Coe.
Directly from Central Casting, a scene from the Scottish Highlands.
Glen Coe, a long valley (or valley) carved through an Ice Age glacier from an ancient volcano, is a postcard symbol of the Highlands. the weather is windy as it’s part of the party (I’ve heard it can be nice, but this is Scotland, so don’t count on it). Walk the length of the valley avoiding the viewpoints along the way to soak up the austere and gloomy scenery and waterfalls rushing down the cliffs. The guest center at the western end provides a perfect insight into the area’s herbal and human history, adding the Glencoe Massacre of 1692.
Almost like Glen Coe, Loch Leven is an ideal position to stay in the area.
If you are visiting, the Loch Leven Hotel near North Ballachulish. Located directly above the water, the seventeenth-century hotel is warm and welcoming, with comfortable rooms, a perfect place to eat and a charming wood-paneled pub.