The Assignment:
Europe

Overview
London
Paris
Monaco
Lake Como
Venice
Hotels
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Bond’s world. Your adventure.

The first in our series of curated journeys into the world of 007

Europe stands before you – a vast continent whose chateaux, cities, mountains and villas have – for six decades and counting – set the stage for many of 007’s most memorable exploits. Over twelve adventurous nights, you’ll embark on an exhilarating journey into its beating heart – between bright lights and dark avenues. As Bond might put it, this is “a pressing engagement” indeed (Goldfinger, 1964).

Your Assignment is Europe. Prepare to enter the world of James Bond.

When

March – October

Duration

12 nights

Price

$74,500pp based on two people traveling

First act: days 1-3

London

Welcome to the ‘the old smoke’ – where cinema audiences first met 007 in Dr. No (1962). In London, his first introduction would become legendary: “Bond. James Bond”. Like him, this is where your Assignment begins.

First act: days 1-3

Day 1

The intrigue begins

Your arrival into London is the beginning of an intrigue, a rendezvous – where you’ll be transported, by private Range Rover, to your base of operations: the magnificent Corinthia London hotel. From here, you’ll embark on your first assignment – an exhilarating pursuit down the “golden thread” of the river Thames; boarding the very same Superhawk 34 piloted by Cigar Girl in The World Is Not Enough (1999) – sailing past the sights that have played a role in so many Bond films (from MI6 to Greenwich). Your crew includes Ali James – one of 007’s key location managers. Once the waves have settled, you’ll toast your arrival with a glass of Bollinger (Bond’s champagne of choice). By night, study the intel in the opulent surroundings of your hotel. With a martini, or two, for company.

A guided sartorial tour of 007's London, Black Tomato x 007

Shake things up with one of Bond’s exclusive bartenders, Black Tomato x 007

Day 2

Equip yourself for the journey ahead

With all of London spread before you, this day is about equipping yourself to play your part in the world of James Bond. The morning will see you collected by your chauffeur, taking in the sights that have punctuated sixty years of 007 on film. Your next appointment will be taken at Rules – London’s oldest restaurant and a favoured haunt of Q, Moneypenny and M. Its interiors featured prominently in Spectre (2015). Ask for M’s table, on arrival. The afternoon will see you embarking on a sartorial tour of St James – perusing the Bond-inspired collections at a coterie of illustrious establishments. Suitably attired, you’ll settle down for a martini masterclass with a leading mixologist who consulted on many of the recent Bond films.

Day 3

Of dens and their denizens

Having found your bearings, today we’ll put you through your paces – undertaking a hands-on stunt-training masterclass from Lee Morrison – the accomplished stunt coordinator who has worked on the past five Bond films. Together, you’ll master the pugilistic arts of fighting and falling – the necessary refresher to set you up for the assignments ahead. Dusting yourself off, you’ll set out on an elegant, sunset tour of London’s imperial centre as it appeared in Skyfall (2012) – Whitehall, Embankment, Green Park, Hyde Park Corner; ferried in an Aston Martin DB5 or Range Rover (depending on group size). By night, you’ll be our guest of honour at Les Ambassadeurs – the private Mayfair gambling club that inspired the setting where the world first met Bond in Dr. No (1962). Cocktails, canapés, and a baccarat masterclass. Then, dinner – at No. 6 Hamilton Place, the club’s restaurant.

Take part in an an exhilarating pursuit down the River Thames in the very same Superhawk 34 that chased 007 in The World Is Not Enough (1999)

You'll stay at the renowned Corinthia London, a hotel befitting of the adventure ahead

Lock & Co, Hatters was founded in 1676 and was the hatter of choice for James Bond in Dr. No (1962) and From Russia With Love (1963). The original hat is still available today

Floris, a British perfumery established in 1730, produced a No. 007 fragrance in celebration of six decades of James Bond

Rules: the oldest restaurant in London and a regular haunt of Q, M and Moneypenny

Turnbull & Asser

Receive a baccarat masterclass at the legendary Les Ambassadeurs

Second act: days 4-5

Paris

Where graceful elegance meets bohemian cool. The ‘city of love’ played a dramatic role in A View To A Kill (1985). We’ll show you both the glittering highlights and the secretive shadows of the world’s most alluring capital.

Second act: days 4-5

Bollinger 1829 Reserve – a rarely-seen home to 3,000 magnums

Day 4

An elegant encounter

In London, you got the measure of 007 and his inimitable world. Dashing to Paris by Eurostar, your ‘safehouse’ – in the ‘city of light’ – will be the opulent Hôtel de Crillon. Location secured, you’ll set off – by private car – to the illustrious Bollinger Estate, where we’ve arranged ultra-exclusive access to a site that is all but closed to the general public. You’ll tour their vineyards and descend into the fabled 1829 Reserve – a rarely-seen home to 3,000 magnums. Your cover as a bon vivant means that a guided tasting is most certainly on the cards. Returning to Paris by night, you’ll dine at Le Jules Verne – the same restaurant at which Bond dined in A View To A Kill (1985). To add to the sense of occasion, you can be joined for drinks and dinner (and 007 anecdotes) by Carole Ashby, who played Dominique – the ‘butterfly whistling girl’- in that same scene.

Day 5

A day at Chantilly

Bond’s arrival at the sprawling Château de Chantilly was under the identity of wealthy dilettante James St. John Smythe in A View To A Kill (1985). His purpose? To infiltrate the criminal network of the nefarious Max Zorin. You’ll make similar entry to the home of France’s most exclusive horse-training centre – where some of the world’s most expensive thoroughbreds are trained. Where 007 raced through woodland, you’ll explore these inimitable grounds by horseback or carriage, dine at Auberge du Jeu de Paume, and explore the inner workings of the Great Stables, meeting former jockeys and trainers who’ll share their insight from inside the stables and the Chateau itself. By night, you’ll return to your base in the dazzling heart of Paris.

Hôtel de Crillon – your 'safehouse' in the 'city of light'

Agents provocateurs will be at home at the elegant Hôtel de Crillon – your stay for two nights

Le Jules Verne – an exclusive restaurant at the Eiffel Tower, Black Tomato x 007

Dine at Le Jules Verne – an exclusive restaurant at the Eiffel Tower

Hôtel de Crillon

Enjoy ultra-exclusive access to the Bollinger estate – all but closed to the general public

Step through Madame Bollinger's house during your exclusive tour of the estate

The entrance to the Bollinger Mansion, and the start of your exclusive tour of the estate

Driving through the gates of Château de Chantilly will transport you back to A View To A Kill (1985)

The château's intricate beauty will be on full view

Third act: days 6-7

Monaco

The stakes are high in this captivating city at the edge of the life-giving Mediterranean – a location where Bond has loved, lost and won on countless occasions: most famously, in GoldenEye (1995).

Third act: days 6-7

Day 6

A glamorous trajectory

On the next leg of your Assignment, speed is of the essence. And when the slow roads won’t suffice, there are the skies above. Fittingly, we’ll fly you to Nice, where – upon your arrival – you’ll rendezvous with your private helicopter captain. After a briefing, strap in and take to the skies once more, setting up an exhilarating, enviable entrance to the glorious Côte d’Azur and the shimmering principality of Monaco that sits at its heart. You’ll settle for the night at the magnificent Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo – short paces from the Casino de Monte-Carlo, with which you will soon become intimately familiar.

Day 7

Ante up – the stakes are high

Many years ago, Bond earned his spurs as a naval officer. In appropriate fashion, you’ll celebrate Bond’s maritime legend with a private yacht charter along the resplendent Côte d’Azur – in what 007 himself might refer to as a “bloody big ship” in Skyfall (2012). Drop anchor, soak up the surroundings, and dine at the exquisite La Réserve de la Mala. Returning to land, you’ll spend a high-stakes evening at the renowned Casino de Monte-Carlo, which made an appearance in GoldenEye (1995). Greeted with champagne – or martini – the tables will be yours (with €400 worth of chips to get you started). Throughout, you can choose to be joined by Andreas Daniel, who consulted on Texas Hold’em for Casino Royale (2006) and played the role of the dealer – providing the exacting authenticity that brought Bond and Le Chiffre’s tournament to such unforgettable tension.

The terrasse suite of Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo offers unmatched views across the principality

Odyssey, Hotel Metropole's lounge

Ample swimming – and seabob – opportunities can be arranged as you hit the water in style

Port Hercules

The opulent entrance to Casino de Monte-Carlo

Cosy up with a martini in a corner of Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo

Fourth act: days 8-9

Lake Como

Your next destination – 380 stirring km away – will be the golden shores of Lake Como, the opulent location of Mr White’s castle-like villa in Casino Royale (2006).

Fourth act: days 8-9

Day 8

Make a spirited escape to Italy

All northern Italy stands between you and your destination – the shores of historic Lake Como – the one-time lands of the Medicis and their warring princes. You’ll travel here in style – driving in your own full-throttled Aston Martin V8 Vantage. By the day’s end, you’ll arrive at the sumptuous embrace of Europe’s most storied lake – a place intimately associated with Bond’s recuperation in Casino Royale (2006). A fitting place for Bond – and you – to go to ground. Your base of operations? None other than the magnificent Passalaqua – a renovated, 18th century former abode of the Italian aristocracy. Bond – no stranger to the finer things – would feel right at home.

Day 9

An adventure upon gentle waters

Today, your assignment shifts into a more kinetic gear, where we’ll turn these glamorous waters into your private playground. Where Bond recovered from his wounds in Casino Royale, (2006), you’ll embark on an exhilarating, full-bore journey across (and above) this most sublime of lakes. First, climb aboard a seaplane that will arc and yaw high above the lake. Landing upon the waters with an elegant glide, you’ll take a private water-ski lesson – not that Bond needed one in Licence To Kill (1989). From here, you’ll swim out to the lido and a waiting Riva Super Florida for a scenic, soul-enriching tour across the span of Lake Como. At its end, you’ll take a gourmet lunch in the laid-back manner we so closely associate with Bond. Pride of place will be given to a ‘drive-by’ of the Villa la Gaeta and Villa del Balbianello, where 007 recuperated – and of which you’ll step inside.