Thanks to its beautiful 19th-century architecture, the spa town of Karlovy Vary has served as a filming location for many Czech and international movies, most famously for 2006’s Casino Royale, the first Bond film starring Daniel Craig.

In the movie, Bond travels to Montenegro to take part in a high-stakes Poker tournament, but in reality the scenes surrounding the casino have been filmed in Karlovy Vary. On our recent weekend trip to town, we checked out the various locations. Here’s where you have to go to follow in the footsteps of 007.

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The Filming Locations of Casino Royale

All of the filming locations can be found in the Spa Quarter of the city, in a 1km stretch along the Teplá River. It’s best to start at the Mill Colonnade and then make your way south past Grand Hotel Pupp to the Imperial Baths.

The stroll along the river shouldn’t take longer than half an hour, while you should add another hour if you want to visit the inside of the Imperial bath, where some interior scenes were filmed.

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Mill Colonnade

Bond and Vesper Lynd arrive in ‘Montenegro’ via the Mill Colonnade, which stands in as a train station. The neo-renaissance building is the grandest of the city’s five famous colonnades, which are built around Karlovy Vary’s hot springs and definite must-see sights.

Lázeňská and Tržiště Street

If you turn around, you’ll face the northern end of Lázeňská Street, where Bond and Vesper enter a limousine to the Casino. Just follow this road for a few minutes to the next intersection.

Bond’s and Vesper’s car proceeds to drive into the southern end of the same road (here called Tržiště), past the Holy Trinity column. In the background, you can prominently see the castle tower, the only remainder of the original 14th-century castle that once stood here.

Grand Hotel Pupp

The car eventually arrives at Grand Hotel Pupp, which stands in for Hotel Splendide in the film. You’ll arrive there, too, after following the river south for about 5 more minutes.

Just a little bit farther along, you’ll get to the hotel’s parking lot, where Bond picks up his Aston Martin.

Imperial Baths

The Casino Scenes were filmed in and around the Imperial Baths, a little further east and on the other side of the river. The square in front of the baths served as the backdrop for one of the most dramatic scenes of the movie. It’s where Bond tries to get the defibrillator in his car working after he was poisoned inside the Casino.

The interior of the 19th-century bath house has been converted to a cultural centre and museum and filming location or not, I can highly recommend a visit of the beautiful building. One of the scenes was filmed in the stairwell right after the ticket booth. This is where Bond meets Felix Leiter for the first time.

Zander Hall, which is arguably the most impressive room of the complex, was the backdrop for the main Casino scenes. It’s the biggest room on the first floor of the building and can be reached through the small women’s dressing room.

Map of the Casino Royale Locations in Karlovy Vary

All of the filming locations that I described above can be found in this map of Karlovy Vary. The pins mark the approximate spots from where the respective scenes were filmed.

Other Things to Do in Karlovy Vary

There are enough sights, interesting museums and hiking opportunities in town to keep you occupied for at least a couple of days. Check out my two-day itinerary to Karlovy Vary here.