James Bond has travelled the world over and has visited just about every country, but one place that always features heavily in the film franchise is our very own London. This is because the majority of Bond’s missions begin with a briefing given to him by his boss, M, in the city. Here in this article, explore some of the top James Bond locations in London you can visit!

When it comes to London landmarks, you can’t get much more iconic than Westminster Bridge, even more so because it was used in the dramatic final scenes of Spectre, as well as featuring in Die Another Day which were huge moments in history for entertainment in the Bond franchise. In the film Die Another Day, James Bond is given a key by M that allows him to enter a hidden section of MI6 that is located within an abandoned tube station known as Vauxhall Cross. The entrance to the hidden door may be found at the opposite end of Westminster Bridge. In a later film, Spectre, the climactic scene takes place at night in the middle of the bridge. Bond goes on the search for his archenemy Blofeld and manages to take out his chopper, injuring Blofeld.

In the movie Goldeneye, the organisation known as Janus uses a stolen weapon to threaten the entire planet. Bond makes his way to St. Petersburg, which is widely believed to be the location of Janus’s headquarters. He has a meeting with a local CIA contact at the central plaza, which is located in front of the Hermitage and the General Staff Building. In actuality, the sequences were recorded in London, most specifically at Somerset House. Somerset House is at the Strand in the very centre of London, near Trafalgar Square and is now known as an iconic spot that many Bond movie fans love to visit!

After faking his death in Skyfall, James Bond rejoins the ranks of M16 and is sent to Shanghai. But before he can go, he has to pick up his travel paperwork and equipment from the new petty officer. The appointment takes place at the National Gallery, in front of the well-known artwork ‘The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up’ by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). This is where Bond meets Q for the first time. As well as being an iconic spot in the Bond films, there is a wealth of paintings and artwork in the National Gallery, and best of all? It is completely free to visit! When he’s not waiting around in art galleries, Bond can also be seen frequenting casinos around the world and sitting at various poker tables. Fans can immerse themselves in the lifestyle and luxury that is James Bond by playing poker and other table games from a UK-based video slots provider.

The River Thames, which snakes its way through London, is a regular feature in Bond movies, as are some of the attractions and locations that dot its banks. Visit North Greenwich and The O2 in order to uncover spectacular views of London from one of the primary settings featured in Pierce Brosnan’s The World Is Not Enough. You can also speed along the river itself on an exhilarating boat ride, taking the same route that the secret agent himself took in Spectre.

Whitehall is a pretty significant landmark as it is – after all, it’s home to the British government in real life! It also plays a big part in several James Bond movies. During the production of Skyfall, the main street in this location was closed up, and James Bond was given a briefing “inside” these buildings. Bond not only sprints down the road past the government buildings in this sequence, but he also climbs to the top of one of the buildings and stands there at the conclusion of the movie, gazing out over the Whitehall neighbourhood where he meets Mrs Moneypenny.

The building at Vauxhall Cross, which really serves as the headquarters of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, is known all over the globe for its portrayal as the headquarters of MI6 in the James Bond film series. In spite of the fact that it was decimated in Skyfall, tourists will still be able to see it standing intact and secure on the riverbanks of the Thames.