Fiction’s most famous spy returns to the Alps with the release of Spectre. Although he’s in Austria this time around, it’s in Switzerland that some of James Bond’s most memorable movie moments have been filmed over the course of his 53-year cinema history. Maybe that’s because he’s half Swiss (his mother hails from the canton of Vaud), or perhaps it’s just that the country’s forbidding peaks and treacherous roads photograph so well. Whatever the reason, we’re happy to help international (wo)men of mystery everywhere plan escapades and adventures. Without further verbiage, let’s cut to the chase.
Winter
Bond famously chopper-drops into Blofeld’s headquarters in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The building, whose construction atop the 2,970-metre Schilthorn was financed by the film’s producers, is now home to a revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, and a new museum, Bond World 007.
Getting there can be an adventure in itself. While you can find a helicopter to drop you at the nearby town of Mürren, which at 1,650 metres is inaccessible by road, or at the village of Grindelwald (1,034 metres), from there you’ll need to take a funicular and then two cable cars to the peak. Inside, it looks much as it does in George Lazenby’s greatest cinematic moment — all gilded interiors and alpine chic, and ordering the James Bond breakfast special, with scrambled egg and a glass of bubbly, completes the experience nicely. The museum features original props from the movie, including a green screen studio and the bob sled from the final scene, and there are plenty of photo moments out on the terraces — particularly in the summer.
On the way up, make sure to take a small detour to the Skyline Walk at Birg, the halfway point on the journey — taking a selfie on this transparent viewing platform sticking out over an endless abyss may be the closest you’ll come to being Bond.
The more adventurous, of course, will want to try skiing down the slopes of Saas-Fee as 007 does, the steep black run from Schilthorn to Engetal should suffice for most skiiers. However, you’d be well advised not to make the run on only one ski, or do so at night — as Bond does towards the end of the whiteknuckle scene.
Where to stay: The five-star chalet-style Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof in postcard-perfect Grindelwald ticks all the boxes. It’s charming but luxurious with a full spa, stunning views of the Eiger mountain and a restaurant that caters to halal diners, vegetarians and gluten-free faddists alike.
Summer
For something a little less strenuous, simply fast-forward to 1995, when Bond performed what has been ranked the best stunt in movie history. Tom Cruise might have something to say about that after abseiling down Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, but there’s no denying that bungee jumping off a 722-foot-tall bridge takes some guts.
The Contra Dam in Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton, has drawn movie fanatics for 20 years now, all eager to recreate the opening sequence from GoldenEye – but fortunately, it can only be attempted in the summer. Also known as the Verzasca or Locarno Dam, jumping is only permitted from Easter to the end of October and for anyone up to 115kg, even first-timers, can make the terrifying leap of faith. It’s easy enough to get to by postal bus or by car, and the area is considered one of Switzerland’s prettiest, with its chestnut forests, natural jacuzzis, vineyards, and jade-green river. This province, after all, combines the best of Switzerland and Italy — making for the perfect summer break.
Pierce Brosnan, who picked up the baton six years after Timothy Dalton, didn’t actually make the seven-and-a-half-second jump himself, leaving the hard work to stuntman Wayne Michaels in GoldenEye – but that shouldn’t stop you now, should it? If you do chicken out like Brosnan did, simply take a walk along the top of the dam for that unmissable sense of vertigo.
Where to stay: The four-star Hotel De la Paix is a short walk from Lake Lugano and the main sights of Ticino. It has recently been renovated and is suitable for large families, conferences and individual travellers alike — although it has only 131 rooms. Hotel staff here are used to dealing with special diets.
