Explore James Bond London

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“Oh, I travel … kind of a licensed problem solver.”

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-James Bond, Thunderball (1965)

It’s hard to imagine a more anticipated movie than James Bond’s 25th installment, No Time to Die, which opens in Canada on October 8 (as of press time).

Bond, as we know, is a traveler, but he will always report to work in London. Here’s how to follow in the footsteps of everyone’s favorite undercover agent.

First, a drink. After all, Bond throws a bevvie on average every 10 minutes and 53 seconds in the movie, and its creator, Ian Fleming, was certainly not a teetotaler. Featured in the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, the Vesper Martini has many versions, but no one does it better than Dukes London.

See Queen and the country as you sip the world-famous cocktail inside the Dukes Bar, one of Fleming’s favorite watering holes.

This is cocktail theater at its finest, with a spirits-laden drinks cart rolled into its luxurious seat by a smartly dressed bartender, who will then proceed to prepare and shake, but certainly not stir, your martini with poise.

For something more substantial, book the James Bond Experience at The Distillery in Notting Hill, where we learned on Specter that Bond’s apartment is located, but only a few blocks away.

The smooth-running secret agent inherited many of Fleming’s predilections for the finer things in life, and this carefully selected multi-course dinner features the food and drink they both preferred. In classic cinema style, expect lots of twists and turns throughout the immersive experience.

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License to thrill

When 007 isn’t seducing women or returning large amounts of alcohol, he’s obviously saving the world from destruction. Re-create your own action sequence down the Thames to Pierce Brosnan in The World Is Not Enough in the Thames RIB experience, a fast-paced speedboat adventure that’s sure to scare you.

The franchise’s theme songs play from London’s fastest speedboat, as you ride through real-life MI6, which exploded spectacularly in Skyfall. You will continue past London’s top sites, spying on Westminster Bridge and the 02 Arena, all previous filming locations.

Take a break by playing the golf courses at Stoke Park, where the most famous game of golf in movie history was played. Fleming, who loved the game, staged a showdown between Bond and Goldfinger in the 1964 film. Although the scene took place in a fictional club, it was shot here, specifically on holes 16, 17 and 18.

In addition to Goldfinger, the great hall in Stoke Park was turned into a Hamburg hotel, opulent enough for 007 to seduce Teri Hatcher in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Located about an hour from London, Stoke Park is the UK’s first country club, but visitors only need to pay informal green fees to feel like an evil mastermind. Moviegoers may want to linger on the lower level of the hotel to see their collection of Bond memorabilia.

A two-hour drive from London takes you to the Aston Martin headquarters and factory. As we all know, the superspy’s only true love is not Vesper, but his Aston Martin DB5, which first appeared in Goldfinger and many subsequent films, including No Time to Die. Yes, Bond was a Bentley man in the books, but apparently they didn’t want to partner for the movie. Aston Martin, however, showed remarkable product placement foresight.

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Gain insight into the craftsmanship involved in creating Bond’s beloved sports car with a tour of the production facilities, previously reserved for customers only. Here, you’ll witness first-hand the meticulous process that goes into building a luxury sports car from start to finish. The tours culminate with a tour of its latest models and those of historical importance.

Sleeper agents

Superfans know that 007’s adventures were influenced by Fleming’s own experiences as an intelligence officer during WWII. However, many are unaware of the Winston Churchill connection.

In 1940, Churchill assembled an elite group at London’s St. Ermin’s Hotel and they became the founding members of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). This clandestine organization carried out covert operations from its headquarters in this same hotel where Fleming had an office.

The hotel’s spy legacy continued through the 1950s with Cold War agents broadcasting intelligence at Caxton Bar. Sip a whiskey (Bond’s first drink in the books) at the bar, before discovering hidden weapons, plus escape and evasion materials, in St. Ermin’s permanent display of the original WWII secret agent kit.

Ghosts must be well refreshed before they are ready to kill. For that, look for the Hotel Corinthia, the former heart of British espionage. Located on the corner of Whitehall Place and across the street from the Old War office building, it originally opened as a hotel in 1885, but was seized by the Ministry of Defense during WWII.

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The hidden tunnels under the road led from the hotel to the Whitehall government offices and remain top secret today. A nod to this legacy, the Skyfall press conference was held at Corinthia in 2011.

Whitehall is a classic Bond retreat. From the hotel’s attractive location, it’s a short walk to the Old Admiralty Building, another place where Fleming worked during the war. A few steps away are the current buildings of the Ministry of Defense.

Also nearby is the National Gallery, where Bond first introduced himself to the new Q in Skyfall. Relive the scene where they met by preening, as they do, in Turner’s famous painting, The Fighting Temeraire. Rich in symbolism, the painting depicts one of the last warships of the Battle of Trafalgar towed by a modern steam engine. But unlike those naval relics, we know that Bond will survive the test of time.

– Jody Robbins