GREECE – Corfu, Platia Leonida Vlachou // For Your Eyes Only (1981)

James Bond and Melina came here for a sunset stroll – and so should you. Platia Leonida Vlachou is where Kerkyra comes together in the evenings.

Why Bond was here
James Bond (Roger Moore) has to deal with Greek smugglers, who had stolen an important British military device. The trail leads to the Greek island Corfu and young Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet). Her parents were archaeologists in aide to the British government and got killed. Bond and Melina join forces – and sure fall in love. In one scene at For Your Eyes Only, Melina shows Bond the beauty of Kerkyra, Corfu’s main town – including a stroll along Platia Leonida Vlachou.

Bond and Melina walk the Platia Leonida

How you gonna get there
Corfu’s Kerkyra is an enchanted Mediterranean mix of Venetian, Roman and Greek architecture. The town nestles at the islands eastern shore, an old fortress – also Bond location material – guarding its harbor.
The small park Platia Leonida Vlachou is right between the fortress and the old city center in walking distance to almost every Kerkyra hotel. Horse carriages circle the square, people are playing cricket in the shades of the trees. The entire area is known as the Spiniada, from the Spanish word for “Esplanade”.

Good to know
At the southern end of Platia Leonida Vlachou is a small round peristyle monument. It’s the one seen briefly in For Your Eyes Only, before Bond and Melina end up at a balustrade overlooking the town. The view on the park was probably filmed from the roof top of Cavalieri Hotel. The hotel is situated at the southwest corner of Platia Leonida Vlachou and offers a nice view at Kerkyra during sunset. The food is not the best, but the atmosphere is great for a sundowner.
Now, as the balustrade in the movie looks like it is just next to Platia Leonida Vlachou, that only seems that way. In reality Bond and Melina finish their walk at the Achillion palace – some seven kilometers south of Kerkyra. And that movie location is even more beautiful than Kerkyra itself.

While the Cavalieri Hotel is a great address for a sundowner, the real action is down at the park. After sunset, young couples from Kerkyra come to drink, talk and hang out. Small cafés put their chairs out and turn the night into a grand get-together. If you want to indulge into Kerkyra and connect – this is your place!

© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1981 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation (2)