A Visit to Bond World 007

Last updated: 27 June 2023

If you’re a James Bond fan, especially of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, then a visit to Schilthorn and Bond World 007 is going be like a vist to the Promised Land. You’ll be able to live out your 007 fantasies and immerse yourself in everything Bond. James Bond.

Schilthorn, Piz Gloria, and Murren all hold a special place in James Bond film history as they were the filming locations for the sixth Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

The Schilthorn region owes a debt of gratitude to James Bond and the filming of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service because not only did it introduce the spectacular beauty of the Swiss Alps to international audiences but also stimulated the local economy resulting completed building projects and employment for the entire town of Murren.

So let’s get the uncomfortable bit out of the way first, I’m not a James Bond fan. I’ve only seen a couple of the Daniel Craig films and even then I wouldn’t describe myself as a real fan but the reason I’m telling you this is because even though I’m not a fan I thoroughly enjoyed learning why Schilthorn is in love with 007. Let’s start off with the Piz Gloria.

Piz Gloria

You know it as Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s hideout, the clinical allergy-research institute hidden away in the Swiss Alps, the location of several big action scenes, but outside the world of Bond it’s actually a wonderful revolving restaurant overlooking the mountain ranges with spectacular views of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.

The history of Piz Gloria is pretty interesting because it always intended to be a restaurant with amazing views but halfway through construction the developers ran out of money and its selection as a key filming location for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service afforded the developers the ability to finish construction.

It’s also not a coincidence the the interior of the restaurant bears a strong resemblance to the design of Blofield’s hideout.

Now Piz Gloria wouldn’t be a James Bond-inspired restaurant without a signature dish and if you love burgers then there’s no going past the 007 burger, which has 007 seal of approval branded into the bun.

Now a visit to Piz Gloria isn’t complete without stepping out onto the Viewing Platform.

Viewing platform / Bond silhouettes

The moment you step foot onto the viewing platform of Schilthorn your breath leaves you and your jaw remains agape. The beauty and sheer scale of the Swiss Skyline, which includes the famous mountains of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, is enough to leave you in silence as you soak up the stunning views.

Once you’ve spent a good deal of time taking in the views and you’re ready to head to the next platform to get a different perspective, you’ll pass by a couple of James Bond cutout figures which provides the perfect opportunity for a photo with everyone’s favourite Australian James Bond.

The Bond Walk of Fame

There is a second viewing platform that is accessible from Piz Gloria which allows you to walk out onto the rock face (all enclosed and safe, thankfully!) and experience the mountains from another perspective and right down the end of the walk there is an elevated platform where you can take a selfie with Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau in the background.

Now the reason this viewing platform is called The Bond Walk is because there are several encased displays of each of the film’s stars attached to the rock face containing the handprints, autograph, and brief description of their filming experience.

I hope you’re ready for the number 1 James Bond attraction in Schilthorn, let me introduce you to Bond World!

Bond World 007

Disney has Disneyland, Harry Potter has Harry Potter World, and James Bond has Bond World 007!

In its own dedicated section of Schilthorn you will find an interactive museum that covers every aspect of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service! And when I mean, every part, I mean every part of the filming! You will walk out of your visit to Bond World an absolute guru when it comes to the sixth James Bond film!

As I mentioned before I’m not really a James Bond fan but I had a great time visiting the museum and learning more than I ever thought possible about the film.

Bond World 007 is split into a couple of seconds, there is the 007 cinema which shows 2 short films; the first is the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service scenes filmed at Schilthorn which was really cool considering that you’ve just spent most of the visit taking in the sights and the second film is a series of scenes filmed on the mountain.

If you’re visiting with the family who may not have seen the film, there’s plenty of information they can learn through interactive ways and you may even spark an interest in the Bond franchise by the time you get home.

Interactive? Oh yes, plenty of interactive exhibits… the one I waited patiently in line for was the helicopter. I mean, who wouldn’t want to pilot their own helicopter, right? This exhibit allows you to climb inside a full size replica helicopter and use the controls to navigate the flight over the Schilthorn mountain and pressing the control stick trigger in response to the instructions on the video screen which then plays a short video on certain elements of filming.

I found this really interesting but Roma was more interested in the place-yourself-in-the-scene exhibit which allowed her to place her face into certain Bond scene. I suspect that her favourite was being Diana Rigg and being able to kiss 007…

Bobsled Getaway

The final interactive exhibit before heading back into the main area is a bobsled which you can sit in and film your very own version of the bobsled getaway scene! The best part is that the person in the bobsled has no idea what the final video will look like because it’s competed after the ride is over and then displayed on a screen on the side so you can all enjoy it together! There’s even an option to keep the video on a souvenir USB stick. This is a must do!

So as you can see, a visit to Schilthorn is amazing for most visitors but if you’re a James Bond can then you’ll be in heaven!

This message was sent with high importance for those agents On Her Majesty’s Secret Service only.

The Essentials

Location: Schilthorn summit, Piz Gloria

Price: Included in admission

Must do: Practice your best pose for the bobsled camera!

Disclaimer

In the interest of full disclosure, Roaming Required were guests of Basel Tourism Council. All views and opinions expressed in this post are strictly our own.