For action movie enthusiasts, the attraction of James Bond films is the archetypal handsome hero battling villains and restoring justice. But for those with a serious case of wanderlust—anyone reading this, perhaps—it’s the films’ settings that play a starring role. Bond has chased his nemesis around the Great Pyramids of Giza, a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, and along Venice’s canals, among several dozen other gorgeous backdrops. So, while you wait for the next 007 film (expected in 2028), consider one of these six destinations where a James Bond movie was made.
Bilbao, Spain
In the opening scene of The World Is Not Enough (1999), Bond leaps from a Swiss bank, which is a six-story 1904 building at Alameda Mazarredo 63 in Bilbao. The city is known for its Guggenheim museum, designed by Frank Gehry in his trademark style; the movie features its exterior. Bilbao is also a hub for Basque country wine, culture, and and food, known as much for its high-end gastronomic restaurants as for casual pintxos bars.
Where to stay
Book now: The Artist Grand Hotel of Art
The Guggenheim’s undulating silver exterior is as much of an attraction as the art within, and the Artist Grand Hotel of Art, right across the street, has a perfect view of the museum. To view its curves, come for a bite or drink at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant/tapas bar, open for breakfast and then from 4 p.m. The hotel was renovated in 2025, and though its 145 rooms are not as cutting-edge as its glittering neighbor, they’re modernist-leaning and comfortable, if a little corporate, and some have views of the museum.
James Bond author Ian Fleming wrote all 14 Bond books in Jamaica, and the country’s scenery features in several books and films.
Courtesy of Andy Ngucaj/Unsplash
Jamaica
Where else to start your Bond world tour but on the Caribbean island where the Bond books were born? Author Ian Fleming holed up each winter at GoldenEye, his home in northeastern Jamaica, steadily writing the James Bond series. Most visitors will land at Norman Manley Airport in Kingston, but travelers from Miami and Providenciales (Turks and Caicos) can fly directly to Ian Fleming Airport in Ocho Rios. The island’s white-sand beaches, clear waters, tropical forests, and caves have played starring roles in Dr. No (1962), Live and Let Die (1973), and No Time to Die (2021). Many of the filming locations, such as Laughing Waters and Crab beaches in Ocho Rios, are private, but Pearly Beach immediately next to Laughing Waters has the same sugary sand and warm ocean. A fun way to escape the heat is by touring Green Grotto Caves, mid-island on the northern coast, the lair of Live and Let Die’s villain.
Where to stay
Book now: GoldenEye
Author Ian Fleming’s Caribbean hideout, GoldenEye, is today a resort with 49 cottages, bungalows, and beach huts, plus Fleming’s own three-bedroom villa. This is peak barefoot luxury, where you can swim or paddle into the warm, blue-green lagoon right from your front door. The cottages come with their own kayaks (all guests can borrow kayaks and stand-up paddleboards), and each room includes Blackwell Rum (hotel owner Chris Blackwell’s own brand) and pretty hand-dyed batik bathrobes.
During World War II, both Axis and Allied spies frequented the Palácio Estoril Hotel.
Courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Estoril, Portugal
Estoril was a center of espionage during WWII, when both Axis and Allied spies and personnel (including Fleming—then a British naval officer) filled its hotels. Fleming stayed at Palácio Estoril Hotel while running double agent Dušan Popov. And Popov is believed to have inspired Fleming’s first James Bond Book, Casino Royale (1953) and the subsequent film versions in 1967 and 2006.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) was filmed at the Palácio, as well as in the neighboring town of Cascais, about 45 minutes by train from Lisbon and popular for its beaches and 15th-century citadel. Check out oft-overlooked Estoril near the westernmost point of the European continent and Sintra-Cascais National Park.
Where to stay
Book now: Palácio Estoril Hotel
In OHMSS, Bond parks his British racing green Aston Martin in front of the iconic Palácio, speaks to the manager, and then is taken through to the garden and enticing pool, which remain today. The hotel’s 161 rooms are classic in design, with lilac bedskirts and throw pillows, framed botanical prints, and plush carpeting. Although you may not want to leave the Palácio’s luxury confines, it’s a 10-minute walk to the beach, which has an ocean pool, and less than 20 minutes’ drive to Cabo Raso (Cape Roca), the westernmost point in Europe.
Cortina, which will host the Winter Olympics and Paraolympics in 2026, first hosted the games in 1956, and infrastructure left over from those games features in For Your Eyes Only.
Photo by Dzerkach Viktar/Shutterstock
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
For anyone into winter sports, the tiny ski town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites is best known for its pistes—and for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1956 and again next year (along with the Paralympics). Bond fans will recognize Cortina’s Olympic stadium and bobsled run, where Bond meets his villains Emile Leopold Locque and Erich Kriegler. Cortina d’Ampezzo is less than three hours from Venice and has snow through March, sometimes into April. If you’d rather hike than ski, hit the trails leading to beautiful Alpine lakes Lago di Sorapis and Croda da Lago.
Where to stay
Book now: Hotel de Len
Bond stayed at the Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel, which sadly closed in 2023. Hotel de Len, right in the town center, is a modernist chalet, minimalist but still cozy. The 22 rooms have pine paneling and furniture and spacious bathrooms, plus views of the mountains or the town; some rooms in each category have balconies.
To reach this floating palace-hotel on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, guests take a quick ride on a zero-emissions boat.
Photo by photoff/Shutterstock
Udaipur, India
Udaipur in western Rajasthan is best known for its lakes and sumptuous palaces, and a few have prime roles in Octopussy (1983). Bond himself stays at the Shiv Niwas Palace, near Lake Pichola, an early 1900s estate for royal guests. The titular character is living in luxury in the Taj Lake Palace, the floating summer home built for Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1743. Kamal Khan’s lair is not on Lake Pichola but up in the late 19th-century Monsoon Palace, the former hilltop home of Maharana Sajjan Singh. Even if you’re not staying in one of the palace hotels, you can drop in for tea, or tour the City Palace Museum, a jewel box of lavish mirror mosaics.
Where to stay
Book now: Raffles Udaipur
On a private island on Udai Sagar Lake is this palace-style hotel with 137 rooms, which guests reach via a zero-emissions boat. The property, opened in 2021, has 16-foot-tall hand-painted murals, manicured gardens that house 30 bird species, and a sparkling pool. If you’re visiting during monsoon season, the 3,500-volume library is a comfortable place to hole up, as is the spa with its frescoed ceilings and arched windows.
Sölden was already a popular ski region in Tryol, Austria, but it was the filming of Spectre that (literally) put it on the global screen in 2015.
Courtesy of Ötztal Tourismus
Sölden, Austria
The Tyrolean Alpine town of Sölden loves Bond so much that after Spectre (2015) was filmed there, 007 Elements, a James Bond Installation, was opened on the movie’s set. The ice Q restaurant here was the setting for the Hoffler Klinik, where Dr. Madeleine Swann worked. Your mission starts with a 12-minute cable car ride up to the summit of 10,000-foot Gaislachkogl Mountain, after which you’ll immerse yourself in video and sound installations, get an inside look at the tech behind assorted 007 gadgets, and learn how chase scenes were filmed Sölden.
Where to stay
Book now: Grünwald Resort
On the outskirts of Sölden and directly on the slopes, Grünwald Resort is ideal for travelers, especially families, who want to be able to self-cater while still enjoying hotel amenities. Its modern studios, chalets, and apartments all have kitchenettes. After a day of skiing followed by the requisite après-ski, go for a soak in the hotel’s heated outdoor pool—surrounded by snow-covered peaks—or warm up even more in the steam room or light-filled sauna.
This article was originally published in 2015 and most recently updated on July 29, 2025, with current information. Valerie Stimac contributed to the reporting of this story.
