Shot in Switzerland

If you’re a James Bond fan (and who isn’t) or an adventure junkie (okay, this one’s optional), surely you remember the spectacular jump off that massive dam in GoldenEye? That was all of 220 metres traversed in 7.5 whooshing seconds from what’s said to be the world’s highest stationary bungee station — nothing less would do for Bond, right?

That jump made the Verzasca — or Contra — dam one of the hottest adventure attractions in Switzerland, with thousands of tourists going where Bond had gone (the jump was actually performed by a stuntman, but who cares, that’s the movies for you). So if you want to go the Bond way, just ask for what is now known as the GoldenEye Jump or the 007 Jump and you could be whooshing down that wall yourself.

Setting the scene

If you’re looking for a slice of urban delight, you can head for Locarno on the placid Lake Maggiore. If you’re a film buff, you might even want to head there for the Locarno Film Festival, held every August.

That’s the thing about Switzerland: it’s got something for every mood and person — including film-makers ever on the lookout for that perfectly framed landscape. And here, the James Bond franchise leads the Hollywood pack. Probably because Ian Fleming, Bond’s creator, had a soft corner for Switzerland; he even gave Bond a half-Swiss mother who was born in the canton of Vaud.

Incidentally, Piz Gloria was actually the name of the villain’s laboratory. Since the movie was shot while the hotel was under construction, the restaurant was named after the movie. You can drop in for a gourmet meal, overlooking the breathtaking Schilthorn summit (2,970 metres) and Jungfraujoch mountain pass (3,471 metres).

Then there was the other ski chase in The Spy Who Loved Me, which concluded with Roger Moore spectacularly jumping off a cliff. Most of it was shot at St Moritz, though that particular jump was filmed in Canada.

St Moritz, the world’s most famous (and expensive) winter resort, also featured in Goldfinger and For Your Eyes Only — given Bond’s expensive tastes and love of the good life, are you surprised?

Yes, not all of us are as well heeled or adventurous as Bond. But don’t let that keep you from St Moritz, which offers a number of budget hotels, hostels and restaurants. There are even discounted ski packages to be found, if you look around hard enough. If you can afford it, there are many more pleasures — besides designer shopping of course.

Quite literally high up on the list is the funicular railway up to the Muottas Muragl mountain (2,456 metres), which is a popular take-off point for hikes and tobogganing. Many of the hotels here offer packages that include rides on the mountain railways and cableways. If you prefer to simply relax, book yourself a table at the mountain-top restaurant, where you can spend hours gazing at magical views of the peaks and valleys.

Pride in precision

You can also take a cruise round the lake or see Geneva’s other big attraction: the much-photographed flower clock in the Jardin Anglais. It has over 6,000 flowers and plants, and their colours and patterns change with the season. Since we’re talking about a country that prides itself on its watches and punctuality, the flower clock tells the time with Swiss precision. And its seconds hand is said to be the world’s longest, at 2.5 metres.

If you like walkabouts, stroll through the old town for a slice of history (including philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau’s house). Picnic in one of the many beautiful parks or buy some art in Carouge, the artistic and bohemian quarter. Buy a Swiss watch if you’ve got the francs left.

Band of Brothers, the TV drama, was filmed extensively in Swiss locations, especially the Interlaken area. Many of the scenes purportedly in Austria and the baseball game near the end were shot in Interlaken.

These are not only warm gestures, but savvy ones too, as Indian visitors generate a sizeable chunk of Switzerland’s tourism revenues. Indeed, many tour operators make sure to include Bollywood locations on Swiss tour packages. Most of them centre around the quaint village of Montbovon in the canton of Fribourg, where key scenes from the classic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) were shot. Much of the film was shot throughout Switzerland: a song in Gstaad, bits in Saanen, with additional filming on Swiss trains and platforms.