London: James Bond, Ian Fleming, and Real Spies Walking Tour





Description
This Fictional and Film Spy tour of London is 00-heaven. Whilst visiting locations across central London, you will discover how these places have been used in some of the most famous Spy books, films, and TV shows Starting at Somerset House, this tour shows you some of the best bits of Bond, the books of Ian Fleming, and John LeCarrie, and explains how real-life events inspired some of the greatest fictional British spies of all time. During the journey across London, you will discover some of the behind-the-scenes secrets of the filming, what it takes to be a real-life spy, and some of the inspiration for some of the most famous spy stories around. Finishing opposite Mi6 headquarters in London, your guide will reveal the secrets of how a very famous film series managed to convince the UK government to let their movies include the actual Mi6 building, and how the building was shockingly damaged and then destroyed without ever really being touched!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit Russia without ever leaving this beautiful Georgian building, which was originally built for the Admiralty. Find out why EON productions chose to stay in London rather than visit the Russian Federation, and discover some of the huge numbers of films that have also filmed in this amazing location.
Rules Restaurant is the oldest eatery in London. Founded in 1798 Rules has been the restaurant of choice for the great and good of London for over 220 years; including Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Mallory.
Used as part of the chase sequence on the London Underground between 007 and Raoul Silva at Charing Cross you will learn how EON worked with Transport for London to create not only an amazing chase sequence, but also the most dangerous stunt in Skyfall.
We will briefly stop in Trafalgar Square before heading into the National Gallery.
The National Gallery is where we meet the new 'Q' (played by Ben Whishaw) for the first time. What follows is, arguably, one of the best scenes in Skyfall where Bond and 'Q' bond over the need for a trigger to be pulled. But how on earth did they film this sequence in a gallery that is visited by over 6 million people every year? Find out on this 00-heavenly tour!
The Reform Club on Pall Mall has an illustrious history and involvement with the British film industry. Seen in films such as Paddington, Sherlock, and of course the James Bond franchise, the restrictions about filming in this amazing gentlemen's club may leave you shaken and sturred.
This is where everything gets real! Outside the London home of the British Foreign Secretary learn how the real Mi6 operates under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom's Foreign Office.
The Mall gives us impressive views of Buckingham Palace, home to His Majesty King Charles III. Son of the oldest 'Bond girl', King Charles' mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II shocked the world when she appeared alongside James Bond as part of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Find out how Danny Boyle persuaded the late Queen to take part and how she has been name-checked throughout the Bond franchise.
Admiralty House was where Ian Fleming spent much of the Second World War, working firstly for Admiral Sir John Godfrey the Director of Naval Intelligence before taking on various intelligence roles throughout the war including travelling to America to help establish, what has become, the CIA! It was Flemings experience as part of the Intelligence community that gave him all the necessary tools and experience to create the greatest spy who never lived, and Admiralty House is the perfect place to tell you how Fleming's real work inspired and informed the fictional world of James Bond.
The Royal Horseguards Hotel is where Mi6 started. Home to Sir Mansfield Cumming, the first chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) at this location your guide will explain what it takes to be a spy for the British government, how British intelligence has been the best (and worst) intelligence service, and how the real world of spying has informed the stories of James Bond.
Whitehall is the home to the British Government and is supposedly where the gun battle at the Intelligence and Security Committee meeting takes place..... but is all as it seems???
Whilst at Westminster Bridge, your guide will explain how the action-packed ending to SPECTRE was filmed in a high-security area. They will also reveal some behind-the-scenes secrets about the filming here, which may surprise you!
From Vauxhall Bridge, you will be able to see the real Mi6 HeadQuarters building. It is here you will learn all about how the real building that houses some of Britain's real spies came to be used in one of the most popular film franchises of all time. Whilst here your guide will also explain how sequences from 'The World Is Not Enough', 'Skyfall', and 'SPECTRE' were all filmed here, and how some things are not as they seem when it comes to MI6's spy headquarters.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(9)
We had a great time on our tour with Tom as our guide! We had so many great discussions about different Bond movies as we went through the tour to the many different sites. It was a really well-organized tour- easy to get to all the different locations and we appreciated that, during the tour, we could watch clips of the scenes that featured the locations where we were. Whether you're a diehard Bond fan or have just heard a few things about the franchise, I think you'd enjoy this tour equally as much- my husband is the bigger fan but I learned a lot and still really enjoyed the experience! Highly recommend for
Thank you for your amazing review, We are so pleased to hear you and your Husband had a great time on the Spy Tour, and that you had a brilliant time with Tom. We hope you consider us when booking tours within the UK in future. All the Best, Alyson
Such a fun and informative walking tour. Visited many sites used in the movies and Tom was very knowledgeable and very easy to get along with. Great sense of humor and fun to tour with.
Thank you for your brilliant review. We are so pleased to hear that you had a great tour and that Tom made your experience even more enjoyable! We hope you consider booking with us in future, when looking for tours within the UK. Best Wishes, Alyson
Tom was an awesome tour guide - very knowledgeable and entertaining! Only negative was his tablet screen wasn’t bright enough to see with the daylight.
As a non-tourist tourist, I learnt so much about London and not just about 007. Neil is incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and has a great sense of humour… Can’t recommend him highly enough.
Tom is a fantastic guide. We enjoyed the afternoon. This is a great way to discover or rediscover London. 100% recommended
Michael was very knowledgeable about all things Bond (and a bit about the Beatles too!!) Very engaging !! Would recommend to Bond fans everywhere. We had a great time!!
It sounds like you had an incredible time with Michael, your knowledgeable guide who made your Bond experience engaging and enjoyable! I'm glad to hear that you had such a great time and that Michael's expertise added to the excitement. Your recommendation to fellow Bond fans is much appreciated. Should you ever want to delve into more exciting adventures, feel free to reach out to us again.
Did this tour with my Dad as a Christmas present for him. He's a massive James Bond fan and he loved every second of it. Our guide Henry was great, really informative made both me and my dad laugh quite a lot which was brilliant. Henry even let us run into one of the pubs for a pint and told us a load of history and a couple of stories that weren't usually part of the tour.
Hi Jack, Thanks for your review of our James Bond Tour. We're really glad that Henry made your tour such a special occasion, and we are always happy to personalise a tour for our clients even on the day of the tour. All the best Eric.
All of it but especially Dewi! He was an amazing guide and had so much information not just about all things James Bond but also about the secret service and London in general. He really made the tour and we would love to do another one with him.
Hi Jayne. Thanks for your review of our James Bond Walking Tour. Dewi will be really pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the tour. If you book another tour with us, I'll gaurentee that you get Dewi. All the best, and we look forward to welcoming you on another tour sometime in the future. Henry
We did the tour on October 31st in 2021. The first hour we had bad luck - it was was raining during one hour. But our guide, his name was Dewi, showed us special Bond places where we got the chance to keep dry a little bit.Arrived at the MI6 building I didnt´realize that 3 hours are over and the tour ends. It was so interesting and the deep knowledge of our guide was amazing. Dewi knew almost everthing about Bond and London. He told us the story behind the scene and gave us insides we never had a chance to find out. Maybe important to know, Dewi speaks a perfekt English which was easy to listen and to understand for Germans. So I really recommand a private Bond tour with Dewi. You will never forget.
Thanks for your glowing review of our James Bond Tour and our guide Dewi. We're really pleased to hear that the time flew by and that you enjoyed the tour. We'll hopefully see you on another one of our tours soon. All the best Eric



