Daniel Craig’s first James Bond film, Casino Royale, was released in 2006 to a hail of critical success and made good use of a variety of locations. Much of the film was shot in the Czech Republic, both at Barrandov Studios in Prague, as well as location work that included Prague, Karlovy Vary and Loket.
While the book had been set in Northern France, much of the film was set instead in Montenegro. However, with the majority of studio filming moving to Barrandov Studios instead of the more regular Pinewood in order to cut costs, the production team never actually set foot inside Montenegro. The Czech Republic, most notably the spa town of Karlovy Vary where the Hotel Splendide and casino were set, stood in for Montenegro in the film.
The hotel in fact is the Grand Hotel Pupp, and you can also dine in the dining room where Bond and Vesper celebrated his win at the poker tables with a Vesper martini.
City
The are many reasons to visit Prague, but as a Bond fan you’ll want to go to Danube House, in which Dryden’s office was located in the black and white pre-titles sequence in which Bond scores his second kill to earn the coveted Double-O status.
Inland
Stay at Grand Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary to explore the town and visit Loket to complete the Montenegro scenes from Casino Royale.
Beach
Like Switzerland, the Czech Republic is landlocked. If you are looking for a beach holiday then there are a number of lakes, or you could simply visit Karlovy Vary for the spa!
Further reading
In On the Tracks of 007, Martijn Mulder and Dirk Kloosterboer take a comprehensive look at locations that appear in the films up to Quantum of Solace.
