16 Jan 2016

Monte Carlo Harbour - Port Hercule

The warship is located along Quai des Etas-Unis in Port Hercule

In GoldenEye, James Bond goes to Monte Carlo for the first time in the official series. Bond had actually visited Monaco and the French Riviera already in 1983 in the unofficial Never Say Never Again, more on that visit here. The Yacht Manticore is anchored close to the pier of what was then the Monte Carlo Yacht Club, YCM. The warship with the Tiger Helicopter is moored along Quai des Etas-Unis on the other side of the harbour.


In the film, Bond is following Xenia from the casino and finds out that she is spending the night at the yacht Manticore which is anchored in Monte Carlo Harbour called Port Hercule. Bond is watching the yacht from Fort Antoine in the evening and in the morning after, we get a nice panoramic view over the entire harbour. It becomes obvious that there were considerably less boats in Port Hercule in 1995 when you compare it to the harbour 20 years later (see the two pictures above).


You have the best view, and the same view as in the film from the Rampe de la Major, a walking path that leads up to the Prince's Palace which is the home of the Grimaldi family. Originally built as a fortification, the Palace is located on the big rock in the middle of Monaco which offers stunning views from three sides over the principality.


Notice that the right pier in Port Hercule has been expanded since 1995 in order to accommodate larger cruise ships. This construction and the large expansion of the port took place in 2001. As of 2014, the Monaco Yacht Club is no longer located in the old location on the south side of the harbour along Quai Antoine 1er. Instead the new Yacht Club has been relocated across the harbour to the north side. Thus, the original location where Xenia parks the Ferrari does not belong to the Yacht Club anymore.

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