Both ‘Moonraker’ and ‘Casino Royale’ were filmed in Venice (“Moonraker” in Venice & ‘Casino Royale’ in Venice). The most spectacular location common to both films is the St Mark’s Square.
– St. Mark’s square in Venice.
‘Moonraker’ was filmed mostly in northeastern part of the square. Bond (Roger Moore) entered the Venini shop located at Piazzetta dei Leoncini, next to St Mark’s Basilica and the corner of St Mark’s Square. Real Venini shop was there until 2020. Unfortunately it was closed because of lack of customers during lockdown. It was replaced with Giobagnara shop.
– Venini shop at Piazzetta dei Leoncini in Venice in 2019.
– Giobagnara shop at Piazzetta dei Leoncini in Venice, Italy in 2023.
There is a clock tower called Torre dell’Orologio next to the shop . Bond finished the fight with the villain Chang (Toshiro Suga) by throwing him through the clock face and onto the piano standing under the tower.
Later in the film, at the end of the chase through the canals in Venice, Bond returned to the square in a gondola. Below is a video showing the behind-the-scenes of this scene.
Walking along the north side of the square you will get to the passage called Sotoportego del Cavalletto. It was filming location of the scene with James Bond (Daniel Craig) noticing Vesper (Eva Green) walking away with suitcase full of money in ‘Casino Royale’.
A few steps away in the eastern corner of the square you will get to Longchamp shop. It was Basel Bank in ‘Casino Royale’.
Through the window you can see interior of the shop that was designed as a bank lobby just for the film.
Standing there you would notice that James Bond didn’t take the shortest route from the hotel to the bank. He ran into the square from its southern corner (right side of the photo below). Later the camera was directed towards St Mark’s Basilica as in the photo below. 007 was running from left (eastern corner) to the right (southern corner).
Finally he came to the Basel Bank located in the corner on the left (eastern corner).
James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) arrived to Splendide hotel in Montenegro. 007 received keys to Aston Martin DBS parked in front of the hotel. Soon after check-in they both went to a meeting with their MI6 contact person – Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Gianni) in a small village in Montenegro.
The sequence was filmed in Loket in Czech Republic that is located very close to Karlovy Vary that was another ‘Casino Royale’ filming location (read ‘Casino Royale’ in Karlovy Vary).
Scenes with 007, Vesper Lynd and Rene Mathis were filmed in a heart of Loket’s Old Town at T.G. Masaryk street that resembled a square around the Column of the Holy Trinity. Below you can see part of the street from which Aston Martin DBS arrived. While taking the photo I was standing next to the Column of the Holy Trinity that was visible in the scene with Bond and Vesper arriving to the village.
– T.G. Masaryk street in Loket.
– Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
James Bond parked the car in front of the building with a bright facade (on the right in photo below).
– Náměstí T. G. Masaryka in Loket.
– Náměstí T. G. Masaryka in Loket.
Restaurant zone where James Bond, Vesper Lynd and Rene Mathis where sitting and talking was located between Hotel Goethe and Hotel Bily Kun. You could see the facade of the hotel with its name behind Matthis in one of the scenes. It was the only facade not modified for the film. There were montenegrin letters on other buildings.
– Hotel Bily kun in Loket.
There is beautiful castle in Loket. It is worth to climb the tower with great view.
– Castle in Loket.
– View from the castle in Loket.
Between roofs you can see the facade of the Hotel Bily Kun that was seen in the film.
James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) arrived by train to Montenegro. They got into the black limousine parked at the railway station and drove to the Hotel Splendide. 007 was sent to the Balkans to play poker against Le Chiffre in the titled Casino Royale.
In the film James Bond made journey to Montenegro, but it was filmed mostly in spa-town of Karlovy Vary in Bohemia, west Czech Republic. The Montenegrin train station was in reality the Mill Colonnade.
– Mill Colonnade in Karlovy Vary.
There was a scene with Bond and Vesper walking and talking on their way to the limousine filmed between columns of the Mill Colonnade, however it was deleted from the final version of the film.
– Mill Colonnade in Karlovy Vary.
The limousine waiting for James Bond and Vesper Lynd was filmed at Lazenska street next to the Mill Colonnade. The street in reality is not much different from the film shot.
– Lazenska street in Karlovy Vary.
Next scene with the limousine on the the way to the Hotel Splendide was filmed at Trziste street with the Holy Trinity Column and the Castle Tower in background. The limousine turned right and drove towards the Market Colonnade. In reality the car would be shortly at the starting point. The Mill Colonnade is at the end of the street.
– Trziste street in Karlovy Vary.
The building that appeared in the film as the Hotel Splendide was the Grandhotel Pupp. The limousine with 007 and Vesper arrived at the entrance to the hotel. In the film there was asphalt square. Currently there are cobblestones. Walking on them you can find several plates with names of famous hotel guests. ‘Daniel Craig’ is engraved on one of them.
– Main entrance to the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary.
– ‘Daniel Craig’ plate in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.
When I’ve visited the hotel this year, the lobby looked pretty similar to the one from 2006, when it was the film set. James Bond and Vesper Lynd were standing at the reception desk that you can see below. When Bond asked Vesper to pay for their stay, there were stairs and corridor visible in background.
– The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.
– The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.
– The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.
Elevator doors look the same as in the film.Vesper Lynd got into the elevator alone and asked Bond to take another one. As you can see, currently there is a mirror inside the elevator. In the film there was wooden wall. When the elevator doors closed the receptionist came up to Bond and gave him an envelope with car keys.
– Elevator in the Grandhotel Pupp.
– Elevator in the Grandhotel Pupp.
Bond went to the parking lot where Aston Martin DBS was parked. It was real parking lot at Goethova Stezka street in front of the Gradhotel Pupp.
– Parking lot in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.
– Parking lot in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.
– Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
In the evening James Bond walked from the hotel to Casino Royale. In background you could see Grandhotel Pupp as in the photo below.
– The Grandhotel Pupp at dusk. View from Charles IV Park.
For the titled Casino Royale the producers used Emperor Spa, renamed to Lazne I (Spa I) in 1918. The building is located very close to the Granhotel Pupp.
– The Emperor Spa known as Spa I.
– The Emperor Spa known as Spa I.
You can recognize the facade of the building from the ‘Casino Royale’ poster as well as DVD and Blu-ray covers. There was no access to the building for several years. In 2017 it was opened for visitors. In the corner of a large room upstairs there is a poster with photos from the film set. You can see there how the interior of the building became interior of Casino Royale. General casino room and the staircase were filmed in that building. The room where Bond and Le Chiffre were playing poker was built in film studio in Prague.
– Photos from the set of ‘Casino Royale’ in Zander Hall in Lazne I (Spa I).
There were film lights mounted over the set, therefore magnificent ceiling in the room was not visible in the film. There were tables in the middle of the room and bar counter between columns, all the rest such as paintings on a wall and lamp were unchanged. It still looks as in the film. James Bond walked along the room. At the beginning of the shot you could see the painting over the door on the right in photo above.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
Below you can see the opposite side of the room. There was the entrance to the ‘SALON PRIVE’ where 007 was playing poker.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
During a break in the game of poker James Bond and Vesper Lynd were attacked at the hotel by two assasins. Bond killed them both in the fight in the stairwell. Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) hid their bodies into the trunk of the car parked in front of the hotel. Mathis told Bond about that while they were standing on a balcony (see photo below).
– Balconies at the Grandhotel Pupp.
James Bond returned to the poker game and lost all the money. 007 and Vesper went to the balcony. He tried to convince her that she would give him more money, but with no success.
Bond returned to the main room in the casino and ordered a drink. Bar counter was built between columns that you can see in next two photos.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
James Bond was standing by the column, when he saw Le Chiffre with Valenka (Ivana Milicevic) and Kratt (Clemens Schick) leaving the casino. Next photo was taken from the place where the bar counter was located. You can see on the left the door where Le Chiffre was heading to.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
– Zander Hall in Spa I.
Bond took a knife from a table and went to the door after the villain. James Bond ran down the stairs. In the next photo you can see where that scene was filmed. On the right you can see opened door to the room where the scene with 007 at the bar counter was filmed.On the staircase Bond met Felix Leiter from CIA. Jeffrey Right, who played ‘brother from Langley’, walked the stairs that you can see in the next photo covered with red carpet.
– Staircase in Lazne I (Spa I)
– Staircase in Lazne I (Spa I)
Felix Leiter offered Bond money for the poker game. In the next two photos you can see where they were standing and talking.
– Staircase in Lazne I (Spa I).
– Staircase in Lazne I (Spa I).
Bond won the game. He left the casino with Vesper to celebrate at the dinner. The scene in the restaurant was filmed in the Granhotel Pupp. Below you can see the table where they were sitting when that scene was filmed.Vesper left the restaurant after receiving message from Rene Mathis. Shortly James Bond realized that it could be a trap and the girl could be in danger. He ran through the door in pursuit of her (see the last photo).
After frantic car chase at the beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) drove to Siena in Tuscany, Italy. He entered the mysterious tunnel. He stopped the car and opened the trunk. There was Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) tied up. James Bond said to him: ‘It’s time to get out’. Right after that the film intro with ‘Another Way to Die’ song by Jack White and Alicia Keys appeared on the screen.
James Bond arriving to Siena in Aston Martin DBS was filmed at Chiesa di San Giuseppe located at the junction of Via di Fontanella, Via Giovanni Dupre and Via Sant’Agata. 007 drove uphill by the Via di Fontanella and after driving under the archway he drove down the Via Giovanni Dupre in the direction of Piazza del Campo. As you may see in photos below he drove up to the one-way street, however the one-way street sign was not seen in the movie. To film the scene, the camera was attached to special wires, so it could be moved high above the roofs from the street level.
– Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.
– Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.
To look at historical city center over the archway at Chiesa di San Giuseppe (as in photo below) you may walk up the Via Sant’Agata to the square at Sant’Agostino church.
The entrance to the tunnel was filmed at Piazzetta Della Paglietta square located at Via Salicotto street.
– Piazzetta Della Paglietta and Via Salicotto street.
– Piazzetta Della Paglietta in Siena. View from Vicolo della Manna.
– Entrance to the tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
Nowadays it would be difficult to drive in the tunnel as James Bond in Aston Martin DBS due to number of stuff belonging to one caffe in the neighborhood.
– Tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
There was MI6 safe house at the end of the tunnel. M (Judi Dench) was waiting there for 007 and his prisoner. Mr. White told them, that the organization of which he was a member, had people everywhere. It turned out that M’s bodyguard, Craig Mitchell (Glenn Foster), was one of them. He tried to kill M, to save Mr. White. James Bond followed him in pursuit in underground aqueducts, Piazza del Campo during famous Palio and on the rooftops of historical buildings. It finished inside the campanile.
The beginning and ending of that foot chase was filmed in the studio where underground aqueducts and interior of the campanile were built. Scenes at Piazza del Campo and on the rooftops were filmed on location in Siena.
Six month before the beginning of principal photography the crew got permission to film real Palio. They used 14 cameras located in different places at Piazza del Campo to capture shots that were later used in ‘Quantum of Solace’.
– Piazza del Campo in Siena.
In May 2008 the film unit returned to Siena to film foot chase in the city. There were 300 extras selected from 1500 candidates on Piazza del Campo when James Bond and Craig Mitchell running through the crowd were filmed.
Bond and Mitchell ran out of the square through an open gate. It is the entrance to Museo Civico in Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo in Siena.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
They ran into the courtyard just behind the gate. Standing in the courtyard it is worth looking up at the sky and the tower called Torre del Mangia
– Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
To film the chase of the rooftops, two kilometers of special cables for safety and camera support were used. Cables were suspended on arms of four giant cranes. Each crane weighted two hundred tons. It was necessary to make first geological investigation. There were holes deep at about 10-20 meters made in the ground and filled with cement. It took three months to complete this.
It was difficult to find exact filming location of that sequence, because it turned out that balconies seen in the movie were built just for the purpose of filming. I’ve found only one existing balcony (see photos below) above intersection of Via del Rialto and Vicolo del Vannello streets. It was the one seen in background behind 007 chasing Craig Mitchell. All other balconies from the movie were built on the left from that one.
In the next photo you can see Via del Rialto with Torre del Mangia at Piazza del Campo in background. While taking this photo I was standing right below the place where the balcony from the movie was built.
– Via del Rialto in Siena.
During the chase, James Bond jumped on the balcony, walked into the apartment and jumped from the window on the roof of the bus. The scene with the bus was filmed at Via Pantaneto. Daniel Craig made a jump from the window that is visible in next photos (second row from the roof, first window from the right). The driver stopped the bus when he heard James Bond jumping on the roof. When 007 was rolling on the bus,Via Pantaneto street was seen in background.
– Via Pantaneto in Siena
Bond climbed the gutter to continue the chase on rooftops. It was the gutter on the left at the arch above Via Pantaneto (see next photo). In the next photo you can see the window from which Bond jumped on the bus and the gutter he climbed.
After the chase James Bond returned to MI6 safe house. When he turned left from Via Salicotto to Piazzetta Della Paglietta, the building visible in the last photo was seen in background.
Sources: – ‘Bond on Location’, dir. Bob Done, Special Treats Productions, 2008 – ‘James Bond. Szpieg ktorego kochamy’ Michal Grzesiek, Wydawnictwo Bukowy Las 2011
At the beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) in Aston Martin DBS was chased by criminals in two Alfa Romeos 159. Moreover Italian police joined in on the chase. After evading pursuers 007 drove to Siena.
Second unit with director Dan Bradley was working in northern Italy for several weeks to film that 3 minute sequence. First part of the car chase was filmed in April at Lake Garda. Second part of the sequence was filmed near Carrara in May 2008.
At the very beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ camera was skimming across the Lake Garda approaching the tunnel at the water. It was filmed in northeastern part of the lake. You can see that tunnel in next 3 photos that were taken from the beach at Riva del Garda. Car chase was filmed on the road near Navene on the east coast of the lake and near Limone Sul Garda on the opposite coast.
– Lake Garda in northern Italy.
– Lake Garda in northern Italy.
– Lake Garda in northern Italy.
For dynamic shots gyro-stabilized remote-controlled camera crane called ‘Ultimate Arm’ was used. It was attached to the roof of a Mercedes ML55, that was painted matt black to limit reflections. It could reach a speed of speed 200 kph and the camera could be just inches away from the action during high speed chase.
There were several accidents on the set. Especially two of them were described in international publications. Aston Martin employee, who was delivering a car to a publicity shoot for the movie, crashed a £134,000 Aston Martin DBS into the lake. The driver was not hurt, but he had to pay fine for unsafe drive. Completely destroyed car has been later purchased by a collector. Few days later two stuntmen playing villains in Alfa Romeo 159 were involved in an accident. Aris Comninos was in a coma. His co-driver, Bruno Verdirosi, was also treated in hospital.
James Bond turned left to avoid roadblock. It was filmed at the intersection of Via IV Novembre SS45bis with Via Benaco SP38 at Lake Garda, near Tremosine. Aston Martin DBS and black Alfa Romeo 159 drove through two short tunnels. That scene was filmed nearly 300 km south from Lake Garda on Via dei Colli, near passo del Vestito, not far from Carrara. Also on Via dei Colli the last scene with Alfa Romeo falling from the cliff was filmed. Other car chase scenes were filmed at marble quarries near Carrara (see photos below). Stunt coordinator Gary Powell said, that they had to change tires in cars when they moved from tarmac mountain road at Garda Lake to marble quarry. There was only one brand of tire for Aston Martin, therefore they had to cut their own treads into the tires.To create the scene seven Aston Martins and nine Alfa Romeos were used. There were also two Land Rovers. The one that hit the building and fell from the cliff had no engine. It was removed and gasoline was taken out so it wouldn’t create unnecessary explosion.
– Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
– Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
– Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
– Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
More photos from Lake Garda and Carrara marble quarry:
James Bond (Daniel Craig) was following Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) from Nassau to Miami. They both entered ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition. Dimitrios left a bag in a cloakroom. 007 went after him to the main hall. Shortly they both began speechless battle with a knife. James Bond was the winner. 007 noticed that the number from cloak room that Dimitrios put on a poker table was gone. The bag from the cloakroom was gone too. Bond ran out of the building and stopped at the entrance. He took the cellphone taken from Dimitrios and dialed the number that was selected as the last one. In the crowd of people walking in front of the building he saw a man with a bag answering his call.
The whole Miami sequence was filmed in Prague in Czech Republic. The exterior scene was filmed at the building of Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic at nábřeží Ludvíka Svobody.
– The Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
– The Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
Interior scenes were filmed in the National Memorial on the Vitkov Hill.
– The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
– The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
– The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The scene in which Alex Dimitrios left the bag was filmed in the cloakroom located on the second floor
– Cloakroom in the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
When Dimitrios and James Bond left the cloak room they walked by the open door that you can see in photo below.
– Cloakroom in the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition was filmed on the first floor, in the room where currently you can find permanent exhibition. It is possible to get there from main entrance at cash desk. The other way is to walk down from the second floor. Stairs are located behind decorated door presented in the center of the photo below. In the film it is possible to see people in background walking those stairs.
– Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
Next photo was taken from Columbarium towards the room where the ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition scene was filmed. There is steel construction of permanent exhibition visible in background. On the left there is visible detail of stone handrail of the stairs leading to the second floor above.
– Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
James Bond killed Alex Dimitrios and put his body at the stone wall. In that scene there was decorated window visible in background, the same as in photo below.
– Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
When 007 left the building there was again the building of Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republica that doubled for museum in Miami, USA.
– The Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
JAMES BOND 