MONACO – Casino de Monte-Carlo // Goldeneye (1995)
You don’t have to be an admiral to have a great time at the Casino de Monte-Carlo. You don’t even have to bring a lot of money. Awe alone is enough for this “Goldeneye” location.
Why Bond was here
After passing a secret service test with his usual charme, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is on his way to the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco. At first he wins a game of baccarat against Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen). Shortly after he looses a game of pulling rank. Onatopp, part of the Janus crime syndicate, flirts her way into the flight crew of a new stealth helicopter. Bond, only commander, not admiral, leaves the casino empty-handed.
How you gonna get there
Monaco is a microstate at the Côte d’Azur and neatly connected with neighboring French cities like Nice and Villefrance-sur-Mer via the local TER train system. Trains run daily on a half-hour schedule, you can easily buy TER tickets online.
The Casino de Monte-Carlo is one of the main attractions in Monaco, thus signs lead the way to the casino from numerous places in the city. The casino resides on a little cliff north of Port Hercule. Unquestionably you’ll get the perfect view when you walk down to the casino from the gardens starting at Avenue de la Costa.
Good to know
The Casino de Monte-Carlo is one of the most famous casinos in the world. The beaux-arts building hosts the casino itself, secondly Monaco’s opera and the ballet. Many might loose their money here, but not the Monegasques, the citizens of Monaco. The residends are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms of the casino by law. Why? The royal family fears that a suffering Monegasque might stake his home, thus giving away Monaco’s precious living space to foreigners.
Still the Casino de Monte-Carlo is worth a visit, even without a great gamble. The entry hall is free to the public after a little security check. You might recognize the atrium from an unofficial Bond movie: In “Never Say Never Again”, Sean Connery’s second take on “Thunderball” from 1983, Bond and Domino share an intimate dance at the place.
Monaco can be ugly and doesn’t have much space. Being that, many concrete highrises “embellish” the view. However, the city has some hidden charme. Especially in front of the Casino de Monte-Carlo on a sunny spring day. During our visit, an art exhibition showcased late Hollywood stars that have a connection to the French Riviera. One of the actors: Roger Moore. His image was embedded between crane flowers, fountains and the casino in the back. We are sure he would have loved it.
© 2024 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1995 Danjaq, LLC & United Artists Corporation (2)