Morocco
Morocco offers a desert, a medina and a kasbah within a day of each other. Its crossroads cities and film studios have been used by Hollywood for decades, and Bond has been a regular visitor.
Fly into Marrakech or Casablanca and drive south for the desert.
Places
Where Bond filmed
Drâa-Tafilalet
1Erfoud and Gara Medouar
Drâa-Tafilalet region
Original uploader was Joaoleitao at Wikitravel (Joaoleitao at en.wikipedia) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Spectre’s desert headquarters was shot at Gara Medouar, a crater-like erosion formation in southeast Morocco, and the film’s huge desert explosion was filmed in Morocco. The pin is set at Erfoud as a base; Gara Medouar lies a short drive away.
- Scenes
- The desert headquarters and the explosion.
- Today
- A remote natural site, also used in other films.
- Visiting
- Visit on a guided 4×4 tour from Erfoud or Rissani; take water and sun protection.
Tangier
2Hotel Continental
Tangier
Spectre shot in Tangier, Morocco, in June 2015. The historic Hotel Continental overlooking the port is often named in fan guides as a related location, but the exact scenes should be treated as unconfirmed.
- Scenes
- Tangier sequences in the medina and port area (hotel link fan-sourced).
- Today
- A historic hotel overlooking the port.
- Visiting
- On the edge of the medina; check current opening status before planning a stay.
3Palais Mendoub / former Forbes Museum (Whitaker’s villa)
Marshan, Tangier
The exterior of arms dealer Brad Whitaker’s military-themed villa was the Forbes Museum (now Palais Mendoub / Dar al-Mandub) on Rue Shakespeare in Tangier’s Marshan area, while interiors were recreated at Pinewood. The museum was known for Malcolm Forbes’s collection of toy soldiers.
- Scenes
- Whitaker’s villa exterior, pool and garden scenes, final confrontation setting
- Today
- The building is a former residence of the Mendoub, later the Forbes Museum, and is now reported to be a residence for guests of the Moroccan monarchy.
- Visiting
- Public access is unlikely, so expect to see it only from the street. Verify the current status locally.
4Tangier Kasbah and old town
Medina and Kasbah, Tangier
Tangier scenes used the Kasbah area, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Kasbah grounds as the venue where Bond watches the North African trade conference, plus narrow streets such as Rue Riad Sultan for the Pushkin tailing. Reelstreets identifies the Hotel Ile de France as actually the French consulate at Place de France, and the rooftop escape was filmed in the old town. Some of these street-level identifications come from fan research.
- Scenes
- Pushkin conference, tailing through the streets, Hotel Ile de France, rooftop escape
- Today
- The Kasbah is a hilltop fortified quarter overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, with a museum in the old Sultan’s palace.
- Visiting
- The Kasbah and medina are open to visitors, and the museum has regular opening hours (check locally). Consider a local guide.
Ouarzazate
5Kasbah Tamdaght (Mujahideen stronghold)
Ounila Valley, High Atlas
Reelstreets identifies the Mujahideen hideout where Kamran Shah takes Bond and Kara as the Kasbah du Glaoui at Tamdaght, in the Ounila valley about five kilometres from Aït Benhaddou. The well in the courtyard was a prop. The battle sequences were staged nearby.
- Scenes
- Resistance hideout, courtyard scenes, horseback attack on the air base
- Today
- Tamdaght is a Glaoui-era kasbah in the High Atlas foothills, near a more famous ksar.
- Visiting
- It is a village kasbah that is easy to visit as part of a trip around Aït Benhaddou. Coordinates are approximate, so confirm access locally.
6Ouarzazate (Soviet air base, Afghanistan)
Ouarzazate Province
The film’s Afghan desert scenes were shot in Morocco around Ouarzazate, including at the airfield used for the Soviet air base. MI6-HQ reports the crew arriving in mid-October 1986. The Harrier crash into the Atlas Mountains was achieved with foreground miniatures.
- Scenes
- Soviet air base, desert airfield, cargo-plane sequences
- Today
- Ouarzazate is a desert gateway town and film-industry hub, with several studios nearby.
- Visiting
- Ouarzazate is reachable by air or by road over the High Atlas. The airfield is a working airport, and film studios in town offer visits.
Oriental
7Oujda
Oriental region
Oujda, near the Algerian border, was a filming location in Morocco in June 2015, and the departure of the desert train is reported to have been staged here.
- Scenes
- The train departure towards the desert.
- Today
- A university city and regional capital with a walled medina.
- Visiting
- Reached by air or rail; allow time to explore the medina.
Positions marked approximate are matched from stills and published location guides. Opening arrangements, fees and access change often. Confirm locally before you travel.