Chasing James Bond to the Alps

Let’s continue to chase James Bond to the Alps! If you love the combination of movie and travel, especially with James Bond, this post is for you! To visit 007 Elements, cinematic exhibition of James Bond films, you’ll go deep into the Alps. And it’s one of the most beautiful James Bond filming locations out there!

Following from my last post, where we visited the epic operatic stage where James Bond & Mr. White meet in Quantum of Solace, let’s continue to chase 007 in and around Austria.  This next location brings us to Sölden – located in the Otzal Valley of the Austrian state of Tirol, high in the Austrian Alps. It apperas that James Bond loves Austria. We must share that in common.

During the winter months, Sölden is known for it’s skiing – and in the summer, mountain biking and hiking trails.  Everyone walking around town in the summer is carrying a bike or hiking sticks, and I presume ski poles replace those when it turns cold.

For the duration of this post, although Sölden is spelled with an umlaut over the o, I will refer to it as either Soelden or Solden.  All three are commonly used.  I am doing it because my keyboard does not have such a key and constantly copying and pasting one ö is silly…  Thank you for understanding!

1. James Bond filming location: 007 Elements in Spectre

Now.  Back to James. James Bond. 

In 2015’s Spectre, James travels to a health clinic in the Austrian Alps, to look for Mr. White’s daughter – Dr. Madeleine Swann.  She gets kidnapped and Bond pursues them in a prop plane that bursts through a farmhouse.

It is there that Q analyzes Mr. White’s ring, and they first realize the existence of Spectre.

The location of Dr. Swann’s clinic is actually ice Q, a restaurant located around 3,000 meters up in the Alps.

Gaislachkogl, the peak where ice Q and 007 Elements is located, is reachable by cable car or on foot from Solden.  ice Q’s modular, modernist design stands out from the alpine peaks surrounding it.

2. Visit 007 Elements

In July 2018, 007 Elements was unveiled in the building adjacent to ice Q, as a “cinematic installation” dedicated to the James Bond films.  I visited 007 Elements in the first few days after it opened. Being in July, you’d probably forget that it is actually really cold that high up. Most of the 007 Elements staff were wearing large winter parkas inside the exhibition.

Honestly, I would have appreciated if someone offered or warned me about how cold it would be inside the exhibit.  But, besides that, it was a fun exhibit, moving through various aspects of the films or the character.

Admission to 007 Elements is 22 EUR | $24 USD for adults, which does not include the cable car / gondola ticket.  With the round-trip gondola included, that increases to 49 EUR | $54 USD.  Of course, you can always hike from town up to Gaislachkogl – I know that people definitely do.  From my calculations, it should be about a 1,700 meter ascent…. So, either way, it will take money or effort to get to the top.

However, I think the price tag is a little steep for what it actually was.  For example, in the early movies, there was a ski pole gun that James used while skiing away from bad guys.  The ski pole gun is in the exhibit, but it’s not like you can play with it.  So looking at it from afar, while watching a clip of the scene where he uses the gun, is not super exciting.  It’s not 007 Elements’ fault – it’s just not that exciting to see it up close.

While you’re at the top, and since you’re spending boatloads of money anyway, you might as well stop in ice Q for a coffee and an apple strudel, with a view.

3. Parting Thoughts on this James Bond filming location

Part of what makes the James Bond movies so fun is the exotic filming locations. Imagining James Bond in the Alps and other far flung places gives your trip an exciting flair.

Visit 007 Elements if you’re a die hard James Bond fan.  For mediocre fans, it was fun, but was it worth chasing James Bond to the Alps? The scenery was stunning and makes it worthwhile!

If you’re thinking to visit Solden, you absolutely should! Solden is beautiful, and there’s lots to do in the vicinity besides 007 Elements. 

If you’re in the area, which I was, it’s worth it to stop by 007 Elements. However, it’s definitely not the main attraction of your stay in and around Otztal Valley.

For another James Bond filming location in Austria, check out my post on the Bregenz Festival!

4. Information to Visit 007 Elements

007 ELEMENTS | map
Otzal Valley, Austria
Daily 9:00 am to 3:30 pm

Phone: +43 (0) 5254 508 0
Email: [email protected]

Online Tickets
Adult admission 22 EUR | $24 USD
Adult admission + gondola 49 EUR | $54 USD
Prices updated 22 December 2019

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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