By Adam Bloodworth
WHAT IS IT: Your mission, 007, is for your next holiday to be to one of the iconic James Bond filming locations in Europe. Black Tomato has launched the ultimate trips of a lifetime for James Bond fans, a new range of excursions to destinations famous from the films, and depending on the trip, a stunt person or even star from the films will join you. They are on sale now and locations include Lake Como in Italy.
WHERE? Go for dinner in Paris with a former Bond girl, take a fall with an official James Bond stuntman, drive an Aston Martin like they do in Casino Royale, visit Ice Q in Austria to discuss how Spectre was shot with an special effects advisor and go yachting along the coastline from Monaco with Bond girls from the Roger Moore era. If that’s not enough, ski Austria’s three highest peaks over 3,000 metres, with lift access, all in one day, in the region where The Spy Who Loved Me and The World Is Not Enough were filmed. Black Tomato say: “Together with guidance from EON Productions, we have gained access to incredible brands, remarkable people and rare experiences that anyone from an appreciator of the film and the locations, to a Bond superfan, will relish.” Ali James, Bond location manager, adds: “This creative collaboration allows us to get travellers into Bond’s world and offering truly extraordinary experiences, some of which are only accessible with these trips.”
HOW DOES IT WORK: Trips are designed bespoke, taking in as many of the 007 experiences as you’d like. You can book to experience the destinations whenever you like throughout the year. There is one way to take in plenty of the activities in one trip, though, with the 12-day ‘The Assignment’ experience by Black Tomato, which runs March through to October annually.
THE ASSIGNMENT: Here are a few of our favourite bits from The Assignment twelve-day trip: you’ll speed along the Thames in the same boat used by the Cigar Girl in The World Is Not Enough, and in the company of Ali James, a Bond location manager. You’ll take in a stunt masterclass with Lee Morrison, stunt coordinator on the past five Bond films, before taking the Eurostar to Paris where you’ll visit the Bollinger Estate, typically closed to the public. You can also be joined for dinner by Carole Ashby, who played Dominique in A View To A Kill, when back in Paris that night. Visit the horsetraining centre in the French countryside that featured in A View To A Kill, before arriving in Monaco and experiencing a private yacht charter along the Côte d’Azur as featured in Skyfall.
Drop into the casino used in Goldeneye, and even choose to be joined by the gambling consultant from Casino Royale, Andreas Daniel, for advice on how to play your hand. Next you’ll arrive in Lake Como, as featured in Casino Royale, driving yourself in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Take a private seaplane over the lake before heading to Venice. Visit the blue tower from Moonraker before visiting iconic filming locations, like where Bond pursued Vesper in Casino Royale. Take a night time gondola ride like they did in From Russia With Love, and explore the Venetian lagoon on a private yacht.
Book a James Bond experience yourself
Book one of the James Bond experiences on the Black Tomato website. Visit blacktomato.com for more information
