In Casino Royale filming locations included Prague, the Bahamas and Italy as Daniel Craig made his 007 debut.
During Casino Royale (2006) James Bond travels to locations such as Madagascar, the Bahamas, Montenegro and Venice, and required a number of weeks on location in addition to studio work.
Principal photography for Casino Royale commenced on January 31st 2006 and ran all the way through to July 21st.
Zoom in for specific Casino Royale filming locations
Where is Casino Royale set?
Casino Royale takes James Bond from Madagascar to the Bahamas, Miami, Montenegro, Lake Como and Venice. However, the places seen on screen are not always the places where filming actually took place.
Although much of the action is set in Montenegro, the country itself does not appear in the finished film. Instead, the production used Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic to stand in for Montenegro, with the Grandhotel Pupp doubling as Hotel Splendide and the nearby Kaiserbad Spa becoming the Casino Royale. Likewise, scenes set in Madagascar were filmed in the Bahamas, while many of the Miami airport sequences were actually shot in Prague and at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
Czech Republic
The film is one of the few in the series not to primarily shoot at Pinewood, but instead was based in Prague.
Prague
Most studio work took place at Barrandov Studios in order to cut costs. Sometimes known as the “Hollywood of the East”, the studios have been used by franchises such Mission: Impossible and Bourne.
The Bond series joined them with Casino Royale. Filming locations include exteriors of Danube House (Karolinská 650) in the black and white sequence when Bond earns his licence to kill.
After attending a meeting in the House of Commons M ends her rant to Villiers telling him “Christ, I miss the Cold War”. This was filmed in the library at Strahov Monastery (Strahovské nádvorí 1). The exteriors of the Body Worlds exhibition are the Ministry of Transport (Nábrezí Ludvíka Svobody 1222). And Prague’s Václav Havel Airport stood in for many of the Miami airport scenes.
Even the lobby of the hotel Bond and Vesper stay at while in Venice were filmed in Prague. The hotel was in fact the Natural History Museum (Václavské nám 68, Wenceslas Square).
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary, formerly Karlsbad or Carlsbad, is the largest spa town in the world. Although this part of Casino Royale is set in Montenegro, the filmmakers shot the casino scenes here instead, using the town’s hotels, colonnades and spa buildings to give Bond’s arrival with Vesper its old-world glamour.
After Bond and Vesper arrive in Montenegro the station from which they are collected is in fact Mill Colonnade (Mlýnské nábř 360), within which are five of Karlovy Vary’s thirteen springs. From there they set off along the now pedestrianised Tržiště and begin to discuss their cover story.
Hotel Splendide, where Bond and Vesper stay, is in reality Grandhotel Pupp (Mírové námesti 2) while the nearby Kaiserbad Spa (Mariánskolázeňská 2) stood in for the actual casino.
Loket
Another Czech location was the medieval town of Loket, used in the scene in which Bond and Vesper meet Mathis for the first time. These scenes were filmed in the picturesque marketplace.
Loket Marketplace. Photo by Franzfoto
Arriving in Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 the car swings into a parking space outside a rather grand looking building. They drink at an outdoor cafe near Hotel Goethe, although the name was changed for filming. While they chat Michael G Wilson can be seen at a table behind. Until he is arrested that is.
The Bahamas
The Bahamas have a long association with 007 with both Thunderball and Never Say Never Again filming there. After Thunderball both Sean Connery and Kevin McClory bought property there.
New Providence
New Providence is the most populated island in the Bahamas and where the capital Nassau is located.
Some early location work took place here on Casino Royale. Filming locations include Coral Harbour in the south, which doubled as a construction site in Madagascar. A shanty town was constructed close to the shell of an unfinished hotel used in the parkour scenes. It is located within the perimeter of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force base and so generally off limits.
The scenes for the Nambutu Embassy were shot at the site of the abandoned Buena Vista Hotel on Delancy Street in Nassau. Today the building is used by John Watling’s Distillery and is considerably more colourful than it was during filming.
Another site used for filming was Albany House, now owned Ernie Els and Tiger Woods as part of Albany Golf and Beach Club. It was used as home of Dimitrios and where 007 emerges from the sea in those skimpy swimming trunks.
Paradise Island
Around 500 metres north of Nassau is Paradise Island, reached by road bridge or ferry. Here you’ll find the Ocean Club, where Bond has a villa.
Bond walks up some steps at night on his way to encounter Dimitrios. This scene was shot in the Versailles Gardens with a swimming pool just behind the French Cloisters in the distance. At the Ocean Club’s Library Bar he bar he orders his first drink of the film.
He then wins an Aston Martin DB5 off Dimitrios in a game of poker before seducing his wife, Solange.
United Kingdom
The film did also return to Pinewood where an elaborate set was constructed on the enormous 007 stage. However, a week after filming had wrapped the famous sound stage burned to the ground for the second time in its life. Luckily there were no casualties and the film’s schedule was unaffected.
While filming for the pre-title sequence took place at the cricket pavilion at Eton College, the footage was never used. However, scenes shot at a number of other sites across the UK were used.
Dunsfold Aerodrome
The scenes in Miami with Bond out on the airport tarmac were filmed at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. The Skyfleet S570 that Bond is trying to stop being bombed by terrorists is in fact a Boeing 747 altered through CGI.
As well as appearing in Casino Royale, Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey is home to the Top Gear test track. Constructed in 1942, the airbase was used by the Royal Canadian Air Force and later the RAF. The airfield was also to be used during the Berlin Airlift in 1948.
Millbrook Vehicle Proving Ground
Millbrook Vehicle Proving Ground in Bedfordshire was originally constructed by General Motors. It consists of several circuits including a picturesque hill route complete with gradients and tight bends; a banked high speed circular test track; and handling test circuits. The first track is constructed like a winding mountain road and was used for the stunt in which Aston Martin was rolled. The tarmac was damaged by the car flipping and the point on the track where the stunt took place is easily visible.
Italy
While the most obvious location used in Casino Royale is Venice, where Bond arrives with Vesper about a yacht, it is also where he recuperates after being rescued from Le Chiffre and provides the backdrop to Bond’s showdown with Mr White.
The lakeside sanatorium where Bond recovers is Villa del Balbianello (Via Guido Monzino, 1 near Lenno) at the tip of a small peninsular on Lake Como. It is a museum but check opening hours on the website. And Bond tracks down Mr White to Villa Gaeta (SS340dir, 12). It’s also on Lake Como, near the town of Menaggio.
Venice
In Venice you’ll find more Bond-related sites than just the Casino Royale filming locations. From Daniel Craig’s first Bond you’ll recognise a number of places near the tourist Mecca of St Mark’s Square and near the Rialto Bridge in particular, but also on the island of Giudecca that lies just south of Venice.
Bond and Vesper arrive in Venice aboard a Spirit 46 yacht, with some great views of the architecture in the distance. While their hotel appears to be in St Mark’s Square it turns out to be fictitious and the interiors filmed in Prague (see above).
But if you follow Vesper’s path through the city you’ll walk along narrow passageways and cross canals on dainty bridges in the maze of old Venice.
Can you visit the Casino Royale filming locations?
Yes. Several of the main Casino Royale locations can be visited, including Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, the Ocean Club on Paradise Island and Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como. Venice is the easiest to explore on foot, with several recognisable streets, bridges and canals appearing in the film.
Not every location is accessible, though. Coral Harbour in the Bahamas, used for the Madagascar construction site, is within the perimeter of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force base and is generally off limits.
Frequently asked questions about Casino Royale’s filming locations
Where was Casino Royale filmed?
Casino Royale was filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom and Italy. Principal photography ran from 31st January to 21st July 2006, with Prague serving as the main production base and standing in for several locations seen in the film.
Was Casino Royale actually filmed in Montenegro?
No. Although much of the story takes place in Montenegro, the filmmakers used Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic as a stand-in. The Grandhotel Pupp became Hotel Splendide, while the nearby Kaiserbad Spa doubled as the Casino Royale.
Where was the casino in Casino Royale?
The casino scenes were filmed at Kaiserbad Spa in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. In the film it appears as the Casino Royale in Montenegro, where Bond faces Le Chiffre in the high-stakes poker game.
Where was the hotel in Casino Royale in the Bahamas?
Bond’s villa in the Bahamas was filmed at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island, near Nassau. The luxury resort also appears in scenes where Bond meets Dimitrios and Solange and famously orders his first drink of the film at the Library Bar.
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