In the final sequence of ‘Casino Royal’, Mr White (Jesper Christensen) drove through the gate into his estate. He got out of his Jaguar and stood at the edge of the lake. When his phone rang, he answered it. Immediately after asking the question “Who is this?”, he was shot in the leg. He crawled to the stone steps, where James Bond (Daniel Craig) was already waiting for him. He introduced himself by saying, “My name is Bond, James Bond.”
The sequence was filmed on the grounds of the estate, at the center of which stands Villa La Gaeta. at Como Lake, Italy. It is located in San Siro, halfway along Italy’s Lake Como, on its western shore.
Villa La Gaeta at Lake Como.
Daniel Craig saying ‘My name is Bond, James Bond’ for the first time was filmed there on June 1st in 2006.
Villa La Gaeta at Lake Como.Villa La Gaeta at Lake Como.The entrance gate to the estate. The Villa La Gaeta is visible in the background.
Opposite the entrance gate to the estate stands an information board stating that scenes for ‘Casino Royale’ were filmed there.
Information board in front of the entrance to the Villa La Gaeta.The path leading to the villa from the main entrance.View of Lake Como from the garden.Garden by the Villa La Gaeta.
After visiting M’s house (John Barry’s apartment in London as M’s home in ‘Skyfall’), James Bond (Daniel Craig) decided to return to active duty. Accompanied by Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear) he headed for an MI6 underground safe house in Range Rover Vogue SE. To return to duty, Bond had to undergo physical, medical and psychological test.
The entrance to the underground facility was filmed on a winding road down to Smithfield Car Park. It is located next to the Smithfield Meat Market.
Smithfield Market in front of the entrance to the Smithfield Car Park.
In the film, the entrance gate was guarded by a guard with a gun. In fact, it is a public parking lot with a barrier.
Entrance to the Smithfield Car Park.
The scene at the Smithfield Market was filmed on January 28th 2012. A specially prepared Range Rover Vogue SE was used for this purpose. The stunt driver drove the car from the roof of the vehicle and Daniel Craig looking through the window was filmed with a camera attached to a special rig mounted outside the car.
The cobblestone paved road from the entrance to the Smithfield Car Park to the entrance to the underground car park forms an almost complete circle around the Smithfield Rotunda Garden with the Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle.
Smithfield Rotunda Garden with Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle surrounded by the road down to the underground parking lot.Smithfield Rotunda Garden with Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle surrounded by the road down to the underground parking lot.Smithfield Rotunda Garden.Entrance to the underground garage.
The tunnel ride was filmed in a different location. When you enter the underground parking lot, the tunnel that appears before your eyes is not like the one shown in the movie.
Interior of the underground car park.
The underground MI6 facility was filmed at Pinewood Studios and the Old Vic Tunnels in London. The House of Vans London located in the Old Vic Tunnels was the place where Bond’s physical skills evaluation was filmed.
Unfortunately the House of Vans London closed its doors in December 2022, so you can no longer see the interiors known from the film. I got there in February 2023, so I was just too late to see this place.
Real filming locations together with screens of scenes filmed in these places. Film scene on top and my location photo at the bottom.
– 33 East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– 33 East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– Parking at 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– 33 East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– 33 East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)– East 65th Street in New York, USA. Read the story behind the scene: ‘Live and Let Die’ in New York. (location photo: 2025)
At the end of opening sequence in ‘Skyfall’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) was shot. He fell into the river and disappeared. He was presumed dead, but suddenly appeared in London and surprised M (Judi Dench) in her apartment.
M returned home late in the evening. It was raining heavily. She entered the apartment and saw Bond waiting for her in the dark.
The scene with M returning home was filmed at Cadogan Square in London in February 2012. Special rain-maker rig was used to create an artificial torrential downpour.
Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
The exterior of M’s apartment was filmed at 82 Cadogan Square. This address was actually the home of famous composer John Barry.
82 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
John Barry is very well known to all James Bond fans. He provided the musical scores for the following 11 Bond films: ‘From Russia with Love‘, ‘Goldfinger‘, ‘Thunderball‘, ‘You Only Live Twice‘, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service‘, ‘Diamonds are Forever‘, ‘The Man with the Golden Gun‘, ‘Moonraker‘, ‘Octopussy‘, ‘A View to a Kill‘ and ‘The Living Daylights‘. In addition Barry is known for his jazz arrangement of famous ‘James Bond Theme’ from ‘Dr. No’.
82 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
After an evening swim in the sea James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) in Aston Martin DB5 took the scenic road at the seaside. They drove out of the tunnel straight onto Sassi di Matera that is a historic part of the city of Matera.
Sassi di Matera by night. View from Via D’Addozio at Convent of Saint Agostino.
The end of the tunnel was built just for filming on the street Via D’Addozio next to Convent of Saint Agostino.
Exact location of the fake tunnel. Via D’Addozio next to Convent of Saint Agostino Sassi di Matera. The tunnel was built above that part of the street.
Aston Martin db5 drove out of the tunnel straight onto a viewpoint overlooking the city. You can notice in the film that the barrier at the viewpoint was covered so it looked like a stone wall.
Viewpoint at Via D’Addozio next to the Convent of Saint Agostino Sassi di Matera.
Standing at the viewpoint you can see the difference between the real view and the one shown in the movie. There was some CGI used to create it. In the film you can see a stone bridge against the background of the hills to the left of the city. The bridge was filmed in Gravina in Puglia and pasted into the view of Sassi di Matera.
View from Via D’Addozio at Sassi di Matera.
James Bond parked the car in the city center. He and Madeleine Swann walked slowly up the stairs to the hotel.
The scene where Bond and Madeleine got out of the car was filmed at Via Bruno Buozzi at the intersection with Rione Pianelle, just a few steps from Piazza San Pietro Caveoso.
Via Bruno Buozzi at the intersection with Rione Pianelle in Sassi di Matera.
The next scene where the couple was walking to the hotel was filmed at via Muro.
Via Muro in Sassi di Matera.Via Muro in Sassi di Matera.
At night Madeleine Swann went out onto the hotel balcony.
For that scene part of the hotel including front wall and the balcony was built at Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli. It is one of the most popular viewpoints in Sassi di Matera. If you stand there, you will see exactly the same view as Madeleine.
View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.
Fake hotel room was built on scaffolding so that it was at the level of the square Piazzetta Pascoli. If you look down from the viewpoint, you will see the place where the scaffolding was set up.
Location of the fake hotel at Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli viewpoint.
In that footage of the Italian TV you can see how the hotel was built:
The film crew was working in Sassi di Matera in September 2019.
‘Bond, James Bond’ – that’s how 007 introduced himself to Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) at the beginning of ‘Dr. No’. They were playing card game Chemin De Fer (Baccarat) at Le Cercle at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in London.
The Club was established at the beginning of 19th Century. In 1950 Les Ambassadeurs Club was relocated to No. 5 Hamilton Place in the Mayfair area of London. Gaming club Le Cercle was opened to members of Les Ambassadeurs only in May 1961.
– A sign with an inscription ‘Les Ambassadeurs Casino’ on the gate in front of the entrance to the Club.
The sequence was filmed on March 2nd 1962 but not in the Les Ambassadeurs Club. Ken Adams recreated its interior at the Pinewood Studios located in the village of Iver Heath near London.
– Entrance to the Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.– Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.– Entrance to the Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.
In ‘Casino Royale’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) sailed to Venice in Italy. They stayed at a hotel overlooking the St. Mark’s Square.
In reality there is no such place. The lobby of the luxury hotel in Venice was filmed inside the Historical Building of the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic.
– Grand hall of the Historical Building of National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic.
The entrance to the Historical Building of the museum is located on the upper part of the Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí 68). It is called Historical in distinction from the New Building that belongs to Museum Complex of the National Museum as well.
– The Historical Building of the National Museum on the upper end of Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) in Prague, Czech Republic.
The scene with Bond and Vesper walking together to the exit door of the hotel was filmed at the main entrance to the museum. You can access this area without buying tickets.
– Entrance hall at the museum. Main entrance door on the left side of the photo, behind columns. Entrance to the grand hall on the right side of the photo. In the film the reception desk was located at the stairs on the opposite side of the hall, in the middle of the photo.– View from the entrance to the museum towards the grand hall.
To enter the grand hall you need to purchase a ticket to the museum. You can find ticket prices and opening hours on the official website of the museum.
You can recognize this location also from other movies such as: ‘Mission Impossible’ (1996), ‘From Hell’ (2001), ‘EuroTrip’ (2004), or ‘The Omen’ (2006).
In “The Living Daylights” James Bond (Timothy Dalton) helped KGB General Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) to escape from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Koskov was smuggled in pipeline across the border to Austria and then taken to UK by military aircraft. After completing the mission Bond returned to MI6 headquarters in London, UK.
In a short establishing shot the entrance to the laboratory of Q was shown. It was Malaysia House at Trafalgar Square in London, UK. There was a sign above the entrance saying “Universal Exports LTD”.
– Malaysia House at 57 Trafalgar Square in London, UK.
When you visit this place you can see Tourism Malaysia logo instead of “Universal Exports”
– Malaysia House and Uganda House next to it.
Currently in Malaysia House there is a Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. Prior to that the Malaysian High Commission was located in the building.
Carole Ashby played in two James Bond films: “Octopussy” and “A View to a Kill”.
In “Ocopussy” she was cast as one of Octopussy girls. In “A View to a Kill” she played Dominique, called “whistling girl”, who performed in the Tour Eiffel Restaurant in a routine called “Dominique and the Enchanted Papillons” (Butterflies).
I portrayed her in December at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic.
On December 8th 2023 I was invited to the media event at ‘BOND IN MOTION’ in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a great collection of 85 exhibits from James Bond films. That day special guests attended the event: Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould OBE, stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, actress Maryam d’Abo, actress Carole Ashby and EON’s archivist Meg Simmonds.
– Aston Martin DB5 from ‘No Time to Die’.– Land Rover Defender 110 double-cab from ‘Skyfall’.– Actress Carole Ashby, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould OBE and actress Maryam d’Abo.– Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould OBE standing at the roll over rig from ‘Die Another Day’.– Stunt coordinator Lee Morrison. – EON’s archivist Meg Simmonds.– Aston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’.– Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from ‘Die Another Day’.– Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from ‘Die Another Day’.– Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from ‘Die Another Day’.– Spiked Tyre from ‘Die Another Day’.– Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin N2 from ‘Spectre’.– Aston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’.– Rolls-Royce Phantom III from ‘Goldfinger’.– Rolls-Royce Phantom III from ‘Goldfinger’.– Aston Martin V8 from ‘The Living Daylights’.– BMW Z8 from ‘The World is Not Enough’.– Jaguar XKR from ‘Die Another Day’.– Jaguar XKR from ‘Die Another Day’.– Aston Martin DBS Superleggera from ‘No Time to Die’.– Aston Martin DB10 from ‘Spectre’.– Jaguar C-X75 from ‘Spectre’.– Jaguar C-X75 from ‘Spectre’.– Little Nellie autogyro from ‘You Only Live Twice’.– Acrostar BD-5J jet from ‘Octopussy’.– BMW R1200C from ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’.– Q boat from ‘The World is Not Enough’.– Aston Martin DB5 miniature from ‘Skyfall’.– MIG 29 miniature from ‘Goldeneye’ and Bell 206 Jetranger miniature from ‘For Your Eyes Only’.– Pipeline inspection gauge from ‘The Living Daylights’.– Aston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’.Aston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’.– G-DAR from ‘No Time to Die’.– Stealthy Bird glider from ‘No Time to Die’.– Neptune miniature from ‘For Your Eyes Only’.– AS355-F1 Twin Squirrel miniature from ‘Goldeneye’, Tiger helicopter miniature from ‘Goldeneye’ and Switchblade from ‘Die Another Day’.– Cello case sled from ‘The Living Daylights’.– Ice dragster from ‘Die Another Day’.– Skyfleet S570 miniature from ‘Casino Royale’.– Bell-Textron jetpack from ‘Die Another Day’ and Space Shuttle miniature from ‘Moonraker’.– Eurocopter AS-355FI miniature from ‘The World is not Enough’.
