SARDINIA – Palau // The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Palau is a beautiful small city in the north of Sardinia. More importantly are the islands just ashore: Maddalena and Caprera are two magnificent hideouts with golden beaches!

Why Bond was here
James Bond (Roger Moore) and his Russian counterpart Triple X (Barbara Bach) head from Egypt to Sardinia on the trails of Karl Stromberg (Kurt Jürgens). The villain had stolen nuclear submarines to threaten the world. When in Sardinia, Bond is equipped with a waterproof Lotus Esprit – delivered via ferry at the port of Palau.

The Lotus arrives at the Palau harbour

How you gonna get there
Palau is a city in the north of Sardinia and a tourist hub. Busses come from Tempio Pausano, Sassaria and Olbia. By car it can also easily be reached from those major cities. The harbour – and thus the ferry port – are the main center of Palau. All roads lead to it. Filming took place at the big pier directly next to the ticket office.

Good to know
Palau itself is not that charming, some stores and cafes line up along the main road. The better attraction is Isola la Maddalena and Isola Caprera – the two big islands north of the harbour. These islands are a natural reserve and offer beautiful white beaches in almost every bay.
Ferries leave the harbour almost every half hour, the passage takes just some minutes. A return ticket is 6 Euros per person, and around 18 Euros for a small car.
Having a car on La Maddalena is a good idea: The best beaches are in the northern part of the island or to the far east of neighboring Caprera island. Both are connected with a bridge.

When we visited the Palau harbour, we headed right to the ferry and crossed over to Isola la Maddalena. Then we found a beautiful small beach at Caprera. The drive is just some minutes – but then you enter a real tranquil and beautiful area. On the way back we scrolled through Palau as the sunset turned the city into an orange glow.

© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1977 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation (2)