James Bond Was Here (9 Photos)

Real places where James Bond was filmed

A hotel in a hairpin bend, a restaurant on a summit, a rock in the sea and a dam you can still jump from. The films came and went, and most of these places are still there. They run in film order, from Goldfinger in 1964 to No Time to Die in 2021.

More: The Movie Ended, the Set Stayed (10 Photos)

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🪨 Ko Tapu — Phang Nga Bay, Thailand 🇹🇭

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). This 66-foot limestone pillar stands in the sea off Khao Phing Kan, where the villain Scaramanga had his island hideout. It is narrower at the waterline than at the top.

💡 Name Fact: Since the film, the islands have been known as James Bond Island, and their original names are rarely used, even by locals. You can’t sail right up to the pillar anymore: tides are wearing away its base, and since 1998 tourist boats have been kept at a distance.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsKo TapuNatural sea stack · Phang Nga Bay, Thailand20 m limestone sea stackAo Phang Nga National ParkBond film, 19741The 66-foot (20-meter) limestone pillar is wider at the top than at the bottom, Atlas Obscura says.Atlas Obscura2Ko Tapu means “nail island”, after the rock’s shape; since the film it is nicknamed James Bond Island.Showcaves.com1974Filmed for The Man with the Golden Gun199026 JulPhotographed from the beach1998Boats kept from approaching200718 FebPhotographed in Phang Nga Bay201417 AugPhotographed with Khao Phing Kan20198 JanPhotographed with tour boats202613 JulTours still stop at the rockMore photos2014 Setting between the cliffsPhoto: Robert Haandrikman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

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🌀 Hotel Belvédère — Furka Pass, Switzerland 🇨🇭

Goldfinger (1964). The Hotel Belvédère sits inside a hairpin bend of the Furka Pass road, and it appears in the film. Josef Seiler built it in 1882 as a lodge for visitors to the Rhône Glacier. The Swiss newspaper NZZ calls it “perhaps the most famous pass hotel in the world.”

💡 Guest Fact: Its guests over the years included Sean Connery and Pope John XXIII. Cars made the overnight stop unnecessary, and the hotel has been closed since 2015.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHotel Belvédère1882 · Furka Pass, SwitzerlandBuilt 188290 beds by 19071According to the NZZ, it is perhaps the most famous pass hotel in the world.NZZ2The hotel has been closed since 2015, according to Swissinfo, the NZZ and Wikipedia.Swissinfo1983SepPhotographed with the Rhône Glacier20043 OctPicswiss photo of the pass and hotel201316 AugPhotographed on the Furka road201828 JulPhotographed in its hairpin bend202215 JulNZZ: “the closed icon”202328 AugSwissinfo: closed since 2015, for sale202420 AugPhotographed standing in the bendMore photos1983 Hotel beside the Rhone GlacierPhoto: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: LIU Xiao / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🏔️ Piz Gloria — Schilthorn, Switzerland 🇨🇭

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The revolving restaurant on top of the Schilthorn, at 9,744 feet, played Blofeld’s mountain hideout. It turns a full circle every 45 minutes.

💡 Deal Fact: The building was unfinished when the film crew arrived. The producers paid to complete the revolving platform in return for the right to film there. The mountain still trades on it: in June 2013 it opened Bond World 007, an exhibition with a helicopter simulator and a bobsled from the film, and George Lazenby, the film’s Bond, came up for the opening.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPiz GloriaKonrad Wolf · Schilthorn, SwitzerlandArchitect Konrad WolfRenovated 2016Bond film, 19691The cable car station and revolving building were built from 1963 to plans by Bern architect Konrad Wolf, according to Blick.Blick2The summit building was renovated over one and a half years and the work was completed in 2016, the operator says.Schilthorn1968Building completed for Bond filming200717 MarPre-renovation restaurant photographed201529 DecRevolving restaurant photographed2016Summit building renovation completed20209 MarDrone view of summit building202515 MarSummit reopens after closure202619 JunRestaurant turnover up, says operatorMore photos2007 Pre-renovation restaurantPhoto: Yesuitus2001 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🌊 Kallur Lighthouse — Kalsoy, Faroe Islands 🇫🇴

No Time to Die (2021). The green north end of Kalsoy, around the Kallur lighthouse, stood in for the villain’s island in the film’s final act. A short, steep hike from the village of Trøllanes leads up to it.

💡 Effects Fact: In the film the island sits off eastern Russia. The harbor and missile silos seen on screen were added digitally. Off screen, the island now has a real Bond memorial: in March 2022, Kalsoy locals put up a gravestone near the lighthouse that reads “In Memory of James Bond, 1962–2021.”

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsKallur LighthouseLighthouse · Kalsoy, Faroe IslandsNorthern tip of KalsoyBond memorial, 20221927 (Guide to Faroe Is.)1The No Time to Die crew filmed at Kallur Lighthouse for three days in 2019, according to the Faroese postal service.Posta2Kalsoy locals set up a James Bond memorial stone near the lighthouse in March 2022.KVF201821 JunPhotographed before the filming2019Bond crew films here for three days202221 MarJames Bond memorial stone unveiled202222 JulLighthouse photographed20237 JulLandowner announces toll gate202319 JulMemorial stone photographed202525 MarVisitNorth guide describes the siteMore photos2023 James Bond memorial stonePhoto: Elfabso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Ekrem Canli / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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📡 Arecibo Telescope — Arecibo, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

GoldenEye (1995). The final fight takes place on the platform hanging above the Arecibo dish, which was 1,000 feet across and built into a natural sinkhole. For 53 years it was the largest single-dish telescope in the world.

💡 Collapse Fact: After two of its cables failed in 2020, the platform Bond fought on fell into the dish in December 2020.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsArecibo TelescopeWilliam E. Gordon (Cornell) · 1963 · Arecibo, Puerto RicoDish 305 m / 1,000 ftOpened 1963GoldenEye (1995)1Cornell says the telescope was the backdrop for a climactic action scene in the James Bond film GoldenEye.Cornell Chronicle2Its 900-ton receiver platform fell onto the 305-meter dish in December 2020.ABC News1963Opened as an ionospheric observatory20091 AprDish and platform photographed201815 MayPlatform photographed from below202019 NovNSF to decommission the telescope20201 DecPlatform falls into the dish202128 DecWrecked dish during demolition202213 OctNSF: reflector won’t be rebuilt202612 JanC3 education center nears openingMore photos2018 Platform seen from under the dishPhoto: Juan.Alcaide231 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2021 Wrecked dish during demolitionPhoto: Tedder / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: EgorovaSvetlana / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🪂 Verzasca Dam — Ticino, Switzerland 🇨🇭

GoldenEye (1995). The film opens with Bond jumping off the Verzasca Dam on a bungee cord. The concrete wall is 720 feet high.

💡 Jump Fact: A 2002 Sky Movies poll voted the jump the best movie stunt of all time. Soon after the film, the dam’s owners let a bungee company in, and visitors have been making the same jump ever since.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsVerzasca DamLombardi · Verzasca Valley, Ticino, Switzerland220 m arch damGoldenEye jump, 1995Designed by Lombardi1Bond’s jump from the dam was voted the best movie stunt of all time in a 2002 Sky Movies poll.Irish Examiner2The 220-meter-high, 380-meter-long arch dam stands at the entrance to the Verzasca Valley.MySwitzerland1963Gorge cleared for the dam196430 JulWall rising, aerial photo1965Construction span ends (per ABB)1995GoldenEye bungee jump filmed200217 NovVoted best movie stunt20225 FebPhotographed with reservoir empty2026Bungee season 2026 listedMore photos1963 Gorge cleared for the damPhoto: Jack Metzger / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)1964 Wall rising, aerial photoPhoto: Swissair Photo AG / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2022 Reservoir emptiedPhoto: Freigut / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Wladyslaw / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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🏯 Himeji Castle — Himeji, Japan 🇯🇵

You Only Live Twice (1967). Himeji Castle played the ninja training camp of Tiger Tanaka, head of Japan’s secret service in the film. The white keep is one of only 12 original castle keeps left in Japan.

💡 Heritage Fact: In 1993 it became one of Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The castle has appeared in many films, from Bond to Akira Kurosawa’s Ran.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHimeji CastleIkeda Terumasa · 1601–1609 · Himeji, JapanRebuilt 1601–1609Ikeda TerumasaYou Only Live Twice, 19671Ikeda Terumasa replaced, repaired and expanded the existing fortifications in a major overhaul between 1601 and 1609.Himeji Castle guide site2In the 1967 film You Only Live Twice, Himeji Castle was portrayed as a ninja training facility.Kobe Shimbun199311 DecRegistered as World Heritage2009OctKeep restoration begins201018 SepKeep inside restoration scaffolding2015MarKeep restoration completed20162 NovKeep photographed from inside walls202425 OctKeep complex photographed202511 MaySeen from Himeji StationMore photos2010 Keep inside restoration scaffoldingPhoto: Corpse Reviver / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Gilles Desjardins / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🌵 Paranal Residencia — Atacama Desert, Chile 🇨🇱

Quantum of Solace (2008). This hotel for astronomers at the Paranal Observatory played the Perla de las Dunas, the desert hotel where Bond’s last showdown with Greene went up in flames. Outside is one of the driest deserts on Earth; inside is a pool and a garden under a glass dome.

💡 Telescope Fact: The Residencia houses the staff and visitors of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, on the mountain above. Besides the pool, it has a gym, a restaurant and two gardens. A crew of more than 300 filmed its outside for several days in March 2008; most of the interior scenes were shot on a set at Pinewood Studios in England, rigged with over 50 explosives for that showdown.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsParanal ResidenciaAuer+Weber for ESO · 2002 · Cerro Paranal, ChileAuer+Weber, 2002Quantum of Solace (2008)1A 300-strong film crew shot at Paranal for several days at the end of March 2008, mostly exteriors of the Residencia.ESO2Under a domed roof the architects placed an enclosed tropical garden and pool, a desert oasis for astronomers.ESO2000Under construction200211 FebFinished facade at dusk200830 OctESO: Bond film shot here in March2012JulGarden and pool under the dome202114 FebAtrium photographed, in use202615 JunStill home to Paranal staffMore photos2000 Under constructionPhoto: European Southern Observatory / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: European Southern Observatory / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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🧊 ice Q — Sölden, Austria 🇦🇹

Spectre (2015). The glass ice Q restaurant on the Gaislachkogl, at about 10,000 feet, stood in for the Hoffler Klinik, a private clinic in the Austrian Alps where Bond meets Madeleine Swann.

💡 Museum Fact: In July 2018, 007 Elements, a James Bond exhibition built into the mountain, opened next to the restaurant.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsice QJohann Obermoser · 2013 · Sölden, Austria3,048 m summitCompleted 2013Spectre’s Hoffler Klinik1The glass restaurant on the Gaislachkogl summit was built from May to November 2013, according to Bergbahnen Sölden.Bergbahnen Sölden2In Spectre, the gourmet restaurant was set up as the futuristic Hoffler Clinic.Sölden tourist board2013NovConstruction finished (May–Nov)20152 Aprnextroom architecture record201623 AugPhotographed in summer201812 Jul007 Elements opens below it202214 FebPhotographed in winter snow202527 JulPhotographed from the bridge sideMore photos2025 Suspension bridge and entrance sidePhoto: Tiia Monto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Otto Domes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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