Casino Royale kicks off a new chapter in the James Bond series.
With a fantastic showing from the endlessly scene-stealing Mads Mikkelsen and a breakout performance from Eva Green, Casino Royale’s cast is as stunning as its filming locations in Italy and Czechia.
Image Credit: MGM Studios
The Blonde Bond: James Bond in Casino Royale
What to know about the beginning of Daniel Craig’s 007 era.
What is Casino Royale about?
In Casino Royale, James Bond becomes 007 and embarks on his first mission: defeat a devilish banker who funds terrorists. Despite his license to kill, Bond must venture to Montenegro’s Casino Royale and defeat the villain at his own game: poker.
Who is in Casino Royale?
Daniel Craig begins his five-film series as the seventh iteration of James Bond in Casino Royale. The film also features Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Caterina Murino, and Giancarlo Giannini.
Image Credit: MGM Studios
Where was Casino Royale filmed?
James Bond certainly got around in Daniel Craig’s first outing. Casino Royale was filmed in the Bahamas, Czech Republic, Italy, and England. Despite the eponymous Casino Royale being located in Montenegro in the script, no filming took place in Montenegro.
Where is James Bond filmed in Italy?
James Bond must have quite the souvenir collection of Italian shot glasses, magnets, key chains, and other bric-a-brac. In Casino Royale alone, James Bond visits Lake Como and Venice. In other 007 entries, Italian filming locations included Sardinia, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Lake Garda, Tuscany, Rome, Matera, and Puglia.
How many James Bond movies were filmed in Italy?
Out of the 25-film series, 8 James Bond movies were filmed in Italy: From Russia With Love (1963), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).
Image Credit: MGM Studios
Which James Bond movie was filmed in Lake Como, Italy?
Casino Royale was filmed in Lake Como, Italy. Though the next 007 film, Quantum of Solace, picks up where Casino Royale left off, the Lake Como locale was traded for Lake Garda.
Where is the James Bond house on Lake Como?
Not one, but two lavish lakeside houses make an appearance in Casino Royale. One is Villa del Balbianello in Lenno, where Bond goes to recuperate after some lengthy torture. The other is Villa La Gaeta, just north of Menaggio, seen at the end of Casino Royale.
Related: Your guide to celebrity spotting in Lake Como
Why was Vesper Lynd buried in Italy?
According to the director, the choice for Vesper Lynd being buried in Matera, Italy, was to give her final resting place a haunted, mysterious quality that contrasted the more mainstream locations like Venice and Italy that had already been shown in the series.
Image Credit: Getty Images, MariaUspenskaya. Image Location: Lake Como, Italy
James Bond Casino Royale filming locations
Where to find Casino Royale’s filming locations in Italy and the Czech Republic.
Villa del Balbianello, Italy
Closest train station: Como S. Giovanni
When Bond needs time to heal, he does so at the swanky Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como’s western shores.
Image Credit: MGM Studios. Image Location: Strahov Library, Prague, Czech Republic
Strahov Library, Czechia
Closest train station: Praha-Dejvice
There are surprisingly few filming locations for Casino Royale in the UK. Even the Palace of Westminster’s interior wasn’t filmed in London. Instead, Strahov Monastery’s library was used.
Benedetto Marcello Conservatory of Music, Italy
Closest train station: Venezia Santa Lucia
Venice does get plenty of attention on its real-life landmarks, though there’s one scene in which Vesper and Mr. Gettler supposedly met in the court of a building off of St. Mark’s Square. This scene is actually filmed in the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory of Music.
Národní Muzeum, Czechia
Closest train station: Praha Masarykovo nádraží
Prague’s National Museum is quite a way’s away from the Venetian hotel lobby that James Bond strolls through.
Image Credit: MGM Studios. Image Location: Lake Como, Italy
Villa La Gaeta, Italy
Closest train station: Como S. Giovanni
As Casino Royale comes to a close, we leave James Bond at the gorgeous Villa La Gaeta on the shores of Lake Como.
Danube House, Czechia
Closest train station: Praha Masarykovo nádraží
At the start of Casino Royale, James Bond earns his 00 status in stylish black and white at the British Embassy in Prague. It was filmed in the Danube House.
Image Credit and Location: Grandhotel Pupp
Grandhotel Pupp & Kaiserbad Spa, Czech Republic
Closest train station: Karlovy Vary Dolní Nádraží
The Casino Royale hotel, Hotel Spendide, in Montenegro was actually filmed in the Czech Republic at the Grandhotel Pupp and Kaiserbad Spa. Both are located in Karlovy Vary, across the river from one another.
Black Park Country Park, England
Closest train station: Slough
Black Park Country Park was one of the few UK filming locations for Casino Royale. It stood in as the Ugandan rebel camp and its location was no random choice: Black Park Country Park is adjacent to Pinewood Studios where the crew filmed on sound stages.
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Header Image Credit: MGM Studios
