Stylish, suave, slick; James Bond is all about fast cars and hot Bond girls; jet-setting around the globe kicking, killing and foiling the nefarious designs of the mega villains, all with a macho charm on his face while uttering the famous line, ‘The name’s Bond… James Bond’…
With the license to kill and romance the stunning ladies; the dialogues, action scenes, and exotic locations of these movies have all become part of the Bond folklore. So, suit up and follow in the footsteps of Bond and don’t forget to enjoy the special Bond drink; Martini cocktails stirred and not shaken!
North Shore, Jamaica
Movie: Dr. No
Ian Fleming’s Dr. No mentions Crab Key, an island located thirty miles north of Jamaica and the lair of Dr. No, the evil protagonist with plans to destroy American missile testing facility of Cape Canaveral. However, this fictitious island was portrayed by North Shore of Jamaica in the film by the same name in 1962. Bond played by the charming Sean Connery, set-up the franchise and eventually, the careers of 6 more actors, who played the iconic role of 007. Today, the area is a highly popular tourist site filled with top notch hotels and beachfront resorts.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Movie: From Russia With Love
Istanbul has featured in several Bond movies with its iconic landmarks becoming the stunning backdrops for several memorable action scenes. One of the prominent sites is the famous Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine church turned Ottoman Mosque and eventually, into a museum today. In the movie, From Russia With Love, 1963, Tatiana played by Italian actress Daniela Bianchi, leaves the plan of the Russian consulate and the Lektor machine for 007 in the iconic Turkish museum.
Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland
Movie: Goldfinger
Andermatt, a small Swiss village located 80 kilometres away from Zurich is a popular hiking and skiing region, blessed with the typical Swiss scenic beauty. It also got immortalised in the movie Goldfinger in 1964. Remember the scene when James Bond (Sean Connery) chases Goldfinger’s Rolls Royce in an Aston Martin DB5 car along the beautiful Alpine landscape!
Love Beach, Nassau, Bahamas
Movie: Thunderball
Love Beach became famous for James Bond’s (Sean Connery) underwater encounter with Domino (French Actress Claudine Auger) and then romancing under the sun in the movie Thunderball, 1965. Love Beach is purely romantic and lies west of Gambler Village in Nassau. It’s also a great snorkelling spot due to its shallow seas and rocky sea bottom.
Temple of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt
Movie: The Spy Who Loved Me
In the movie, The Spy Who Loved Me, released in 1977, James Bond (Roger Moore) and KGB agent Major Amasova (Barbara Bach) follow the steel teeth villain, Jaws into the Great Hypostyle Hall. The famous maze like structure filled with giant columns are part of the temple complex of Karnak, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a popular tourist attraction of Egypt.
Meteora, Kalampaka, Greece
Movie: For Your Eyes Only
Roger Moore’s fifth Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, released in 1981; where we saw him dangling from a high cliff was mesmerising, isn’t it? The scene was actually shot in the Meteora, a series of craggy mountains and cliffs that house Orthodox monasteries and complexes in Greece. Once upon a time, 24 such monasteries were built by monks and now only five are intact. One of them is the famous Aghia Triatha Monastery featured in the movie.
Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India
Movie: Octopussy
Roger Moore’s sixth Bond movie, Octopussy (1983) featured the Indian city of Udaipur extensively. It acts as the palace of the main villain, Kamal Khan. The luxurious palace formed the backdrop of the story as Bond swims in the lake disguised as a crocodile to enter the palace and escapes the henchman of the prince. The palace is known as Taj Lake Palace today; a luxurious, heritage property in the middle of the beautiful Lake Pichola and is surrounded by the Aravalli Hills. Guests can visit this beautiful white marble palace and stay in the luxurious hotel. Lake Palace is reached by ferries from the City Palace in Udaipur.
Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Movie: GoldenEye
One of the most suave and sophisticated actors who have essayed the Bond character ever, Pierce Brosnan’s first movie GoldenEye, featured the Arecibo Observatory of Puerto Rico. The climax scene where Bond manages to destroy the satellite dish, GoldenEye with Natalya Simonova played by Polish actress Izabella Scorupco. The real observatory in Puerto Rico, is a major scientific station that has the world’s largest single-aperture telescope and conducts key research in radio and radar astronomy.
Grandhotel Pupp, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Movie: Casino Royale
Daniel Craig portrays Mi6’s 007 in the reboot of the James bond movie, Casino Royale in 2006, a movie which rekindled the fanfare for the James Bond series. In the movie, James Bond and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) arrived in Montenegro and checked in a vintage and classic hotel named Hotel Splendide. However, the actual hotel is Grandhotel Pupp, a luxury hotel in the city of Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic.
Varda Viaduct, Turkey
Movie: Skyfall
In the last instalment of James Bond series, Skyfall (2012), Daniel Craig is shot by Eve Moneypenny played by Naomie Harris and he falls into the abyss from a high railway arch. The railway arch is Varda Viaduct, a beautiful stone arch railway bridge built by the German engineers in Turkey in 1912. To visit the bridge, you have to travel to Hacikiri Village, Adana Province in the southern part of Turkey.
Bond Trivia:
It was not until 1958, when James Bond uttered the famous words in the movie, Dr No. – ‘And I would like a medium Vodka dry martini — with a slice of lemon peel. Shaken and not stirred, please. I would prefer Russian or Polish vodka.’
Doctor No approved of his choice with a sheepish smile and said, – ‘I see you are also a man who knows what he wants.’
