THE NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam, Reguliersgracht // Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Apart from decent cheese the Netherlands are mostly famous for their diamond trade. And for their small houses, their teeny-tiny houses. Which can hardly host an elevator, can they?
Why Bond was here
James Bond (Sean Connery) traces a diamond smuggling ring, that also operates in Amsterdam. He poses as a professional smuggler to meet up with the Amsterdam contact Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). There is no safe house or public café – they simple meet at Tiffany Case’s House in the center of the city. She welcomes 007 with a “nice little nothing” she’s almost wearing.
Tiffany Case’s House in Amsterdam
How you gonna get there
Tiffany Case’s House is right in the heart of Amsterdams “Grachtengordel”, the canal belt in the old city center. The exact address is Reguliersgracht 36. In “Diamonds Are Forever” Bond drives his car along Reguliersgracht from the south and passes over the little bridge at Keizersgracht.
The house is the second at the corner, a tiny black one with white window frames and white embellishment at the gable. Closest tram stations are Keizersgracht or Rembrandtplein, both reachable with tram line 4.
Good to know
Right across Tiffany Case’s House and embedded in all those teeny-tiny homes is one of the most famous hotels in Amsterdam: “Seven Bridges“. The 300 years old hotel is part of the historic city centre of Amsterdam which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The canal along Reguliersgracht is famously known as “Seven Bridges Canal”, as it goes in a straight line from north to south with seven beautiful small brigdes running over it.
Heading up north the Reguliersgracht you arrive at the Rembrandtsplein with many – unfortunately very touristic – bars, pubs and restaurants. Next to the Red Light District it is very popular for its buzzing nightlife. We suggest a different place: Going south you will arrive in the neighborhood De Pijp which is mostly famous for the Albert Cuypmarkt, Europe’s largest daily street market, but the quirky vicinity is perfect for a pub crawl and offers a culinary adventure from real Indian cuisine to juicy burgers and Vietnamese Tapas.
Just five minutes walking from the street market is the Museumsplein, home of the art lovers. The Rijksmuseum, hosting Rembrandts famous painting “The Night Watch” from 1642, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum for modern art and design are just the largest ones. Consider buying the Amsterdam City Card which offers free entry to all of them – perfect for bad weather – and, along with other discounts, the unlimited use of the public transports for up to 96 hours.
An absolute must when visiting the Museumsplein is the Diamond Museum that leads through 400 years of history and shows some of the most breathtaking pieces. Right next to the Museum is the famous cutting factory Coster Diamonds founded in 1840. They are responsible for the reshaping of the Koh-i-noor, the mountain of light, which is part of the English crown jewels. A free tour through their factory is offered every day where visitors can observe the craftsmen at work and read about the tiniest diamond ever cut.
As we stood in front of Tiffany Case’s House we could immediately see why the interior scenes were filmed off-location. the house is just to small! It barely has the width of an elevator, even less when a staircase is leading around. But the front door staircase is perfect to reenact the kissing. Just in case you find a rare diamond to hold onto.
© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1971 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation (2)