Drive Another Day: 007 more of the best James Bond road trips

If it’s an on-screen smash hit then it’s shoe-in for a sequel. That’s certainly been the form for the James Bond franchise, so IT’s TIME TO ADD to our previously popular list of 007 drives.

001 No Time To Die

The most exciting chase scene in Daniel Craig’s 007 denouement takes place with him behind an old Toyota Landcruiser and it begins on the roller-coaster ride that is the Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway. Island hopping over the fjords between Averøy and Kristiansund it’s now the must-visit location for all Bond fans – just check Instagram for proof.

002 Quantum of Solace

Fast and frenetic, the opening chase of Craig’s Quantum of Solace is set on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. Beginning in the village of Malcesine it heads north on the SS249 through Navene and Tempesta, rounding the north of Garda at Riva del Garda. Bond and his pursuers then race south along the western shore to Salò on a route that you need a licence to drive, but not kill, to follow.

003 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

George Lazenby’s only appearance as 007 is most memorable for its spectacular Swiss scenes. Blofeld’s mountain lair is actually the revolving mountain restaurant Piz Gloria, which sits atop the Schilthorn peak, and offering incredible views of the alpine scenery. You’ll need to take a cable car from Mürren to reach the summit, and to get there the chances are you’ll pass along the road from Lauterbrunnen where Lazenby and Diana Rigg’s Tracy skidded round an ice track to evade evil Irma Blunt.

004 Octopussy

Although set in East Berlin, if you want to visit the actual location where much of the car chase in Octopussy was filmed then you should head to Cambridgeshire in the UK instead. The railway line where the action occurs is the Nene Valley Railway and Bond (Roger Moore) steers his stolen Mercedes on to the tracks at a level crossing on the Old Great North Road. The car subsequently plummets over the edge of the Nene Valley Bridge. It’s not the most exotic of Bond spots, but certainly accessible for British fans.

005 Goldeneye

Leaving Monte Carlo behind, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond heads up into the hills in his Aston Martin DB5 in the British brand’s welcome return to the 007 franchise. However, the chase that follows with Famke Janssen (Xenia Onatopp) and her Ferrari F355 was actually shot on the D2 Route de Gentelly some 50 miles to the east. Starting in Gréolières it’s a fabulously twisty route that takes you to the Thorenc ski resort. Just make sure you don’t make the same mistake that Dalton did: “We did about eight takes and they said, ‘What’s that smell?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know?’ I had been driving up the mountain with the handbrake on.”

006 A view to a kill

007’s pursuit through Paris in A View To A Kill takes in some of the best sights in the city. Starting in front of the Eiffel Tower, Roger Moore (Bond) pinches a Renault 11 taxi and sets off after May Day (Grace Jones) who’s in flight after leaping off the top of the tower. Bond bounces down the steps of the Pont d’Iéna then screeches along Quai Branly towards the Pont de l’Alma where the Renault is decapitated under a barrier. It’s then smashed in half in a collision, yet Bond continues in his now two-wheeled chase to the Pont Alexandre III where he leaps off the bridge and into a wedding on the boat below.

007 For Your Eyes Only

“I’m afraid we’re being out horse-powered,” says Bond (Roger Moore) as he and Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) escape Kristatos’ henchmen in the most unlikely getaway car ever – a Citröen 2CV. Filmed in the olive groves of Corfu, the slowest chase in a Bond movie features Agios Spyridon church, the Old Fortress and the Mandraki marina in Corfu Town, the Vlacherna monastery and Kanoni island, Danilia village, the Achilleion casino, and Agios Georgios beach ending up in the narrow streets of Pagoi. Their exploits are still celebrated at the Spiros Bond 007 Café Bar, which is packed with memorabilia from the movie.