James Bond tourism: Culture and Travel Context

James Bond, also known as Agent 007, is one of the world's most successful literary and motion picture franchises, and has codified the spy fiction genre. The novels and films have been set at locations around the world, most of them available to visit.

James Bond's original author Ian Fleming wanted to write the "spy story to end all spy stories", and produced twelve books from 1953 to 1966. Bond is mainly a product of Cold War Europe, in which the Soviet Union was the main antagonist. As of the 2010s, Bond has been the main character of 26 feature films, portrayed by seven different actors. The franchise has also expanded to other media, such as video games and animated series.

While interior scenes of the films have usually been recorded in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, most exterior scenes have been shot at the actual locations. Most exceptions have been scenes in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, which were recorded elsewhere.

The complete list of James Bond film locations is very long (see Wikipedia). The list below contains real-life locations accessible to tourists, which have been prominently featured in at least one film, as well as studios, hospitality venues and other locations connected to the franchise.

Due to tradition, the sets have been concentrated to European cities, as well as the Caribbean.

1 SIS building, London (United Kingdom). London contains the SIS building, which opened in 1994, and has been visible in most films of the Brosnan and Craig periods.

Montenegro, which was still considered Yugoslavia (also known as Serbia and Montenegro) while filming Casino Royale. While the original novel placed the casino in a fictional town in northern France, the casino seems to be inspired by Monaco, and the casino exterior is that of the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

2 Venice (Italy). Three Bond films have been set and recorded here: From Russia With Love (1963), Moonraker (1979), and Casino Royale (2006).

4 Istanbul (Turkey). Like Venice, three films were set and recorded here: From Russia With Love, The World Is Not Enough and Skyfall. The latter also features the 3 Varda Viaduct, a 1912-built railway viaduct over a deep ravine in the Taurus Mountains in the south of the country.

8 Pinewood Studios (Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom). Most interiors of the films have been shot here, such as M's office and 007 Stage (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, all of Daniel Craig's Bond movies and many other non-Bond movies).

This cultural overview is an excerpt of a community travel guide. Confirm current access, schedules and prices with the venue before planning a visit.

Source and licence

Text adapted from James Bond tourism by Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.