The 328-page book, with many photographs from the Bond films themselves or behind the scenes, takes us on a journey through six decades and from Jamaica to Japan by way of London, Scotland, Venice, Egypt, India, Rio and of course Monaco, to name just a few.

Daniel Pembrey, a fiction writer and journalist who has contributed to Condé Nast Traveller, among others, is a self-confessed die-hard 007 fan and frequent editorial collaborator at EON, the production company behind the James Bond film franchise. When he was approached to write a book about combining travel and Bond, he jumped at the chance. 

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We asked him about his love of all things Bond, and more specifically about the – ahem – bond between 007 and Monaco, the subject of a chapter in the richly illustrated book.

“People travelled through Bond”

MT : How did the idea of a book about Bond’s destinations come about. Who is it aimed at?  Or is it the coffee table book you couldn’t find so you decided to write your own? 

Daniel Pembrey: The idea for the book came from EON and the publisher, Assouline. I immediately saw the appeal. Travel is such an intrinsic part of the Bond formula, from the first scenes of Dr. No (1962) onwards. As late as the mid-1970s, only one in 16 British adults had been on a plane. That ratio would have been far higher in Monaco, but, for the first ten to twenty years of the Bond franchise, exotic travel was rare, globally. People travelled through Bond. He also led the leisure industry by travelling with individual purpose, which we take for granted now, but in the earlier era of package travel, it was unusual. 

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For Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, 007 producers, “These destinations are not just backgrounds. In our movies, they are characters.”  Ultimately, the idea was to create a book that spoke to both Bond fans and anyone interested in travel and beautiful locations – which, in 2024 seems to be most people. 

“Monaco is inherently cinematic”

All the successive Bond actors, from Sean Connery through to Daniel Craig, are seen in casinos and Monte-Carlo Casino features strongly in GoldenEye in particular. Also, Monaco is often chosen for pre-release screenings along with the UK. Why the particular attraction, the special relationship, do you think?

Monte-Carlo Casino features very prominently in GoldenEye (1995) this is true, but before the films came along, Fleming wrote about Monte-Carlo, for example in his travelogue ‘Thrilling Cities’. Fleming gave Bond his predilection for the tables.

Concerning the attraction, as 007 Producer Barbara Broccoli put it, “Bond must always have glamour.” Glamorous casinos are Bond’s natural habitat and Monte-Carlo Casino is their ne plus ultra, so Monaco was an inevitability. It’s surprising the films didn’t shoot here earlier!

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As I mention in the book, other parts of Monaco also feature beautifully in GoldenEye. There is the open-air Fort Antoine Theatre, from which Bond surveils villainess Xenia Onatopp boarding a superyacht at night. There is also the instantly recognisable waterfront, over which Onatopp flies the stolen Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter. Monaco is inherently cinematic.

You mention the late Sir Roger Moore, a former Monaco resident, and Prince Albert II in the book. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Prince Albert II, the late Princess Grace and their charitable causes were very close to Sir Roger Moore’s heart. The impression I get is one of great yesteryear civility and warmth; the Principality paid a special honour to Moore by arranging a film grant in his name. Prince Albert II told me, in a lovely letter from the Palace, “Sir Roger Moore was a dear friend to my mother, and we remain grateful for his guidance in establishing the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.” I get the sense that relations between them were very, very warm. 

From Grace Kelly to James Bond: the most famous films shot in Monaco

Let’s end with a quick-fire quiz. Your favourite Bond…:

• Film?
  I like GoldenEye very much, especially those scenes shot in Monaco. If you break down the one in which Bond arrives in his classic Aston Martin at the casino––the way it is lit at night, the scoring, the mood; the way he is greeted in French by the valet and then the repartee over the baccarat table with Famke Janssen; the attire, beautiful interiors and overall sense of style: it’s pure Bond.
• Actor?
  Impossible to choose between them! 
• “Girl”?
  Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) is beautiful, wilful and an intellectual match for Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). This marked a change: Lois Chiles, playing Dr Holly Goodhead, then became Bond’s equal in Moonraker (1979). These foreshadowed the powerful, complex female leads in the Daniel Craig era.
• Villain?
  Javier Bardem, from Skyfall (2012), is terrific–especially in the scene where he makes advances towards Bond on the Japanese island. It’s so funny yet subtle and expertly acted and produced. 
• Song?
  Billie Eilish knocked it out of the park with her song for No Time To Die. The songs are becoming more complex, like the female leads.

Speaking of songs, did you know…
Dame Shirley Bassey, who owns a home in Monaco and who was awarded the Order of Saint-Charles (Chevalier rank) by the Sovereign on National Day last year, is the only singer to have performed Bond songs on more than one occasion – in chronological order, Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979)?

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James Bond Destinations is published in hardcover by Assouline and priced at $120, €120 or £100.