10 Real-World Filming Locations You Really Need To Visit

5. Kristatos' Base From For Your Eyes Only (Peneas Valley, Greece)

Unbelievably this is a Bond villain base that you can actually visit and it looks no different than it does in the film. The monastery appears in the 1981 Bond film For Your Eyes Only, which featured Roger Moore as Bond trying to stop a missile guidance system from falling into the wrong hands. In the film it's the main base of the villain Kristatos and features heavily-armed goons with AK-47s, but in real life the truth is much more mundane - it's a monastery. It's close to the large town of Kalabaka and regular trips run from there all through the summer. It's not for the faint of heart though, as the only method of getting to the monastery is via 130 stone steps or, if you're a little more adventurous, a 1300ft ladder, as appears in the film. The history behind the monastery is really interesting and it was originally built that way during the 14th and 15th century so that any time there was much political or religious upheaval, the monks could retreat to a safe haven in the cliffs that any dissidents wouldn't be able to get to. For many years around 50 monks lived there in relative solitude, but by the 20th century only five remained and as of 2014 there is only one who also acts as the groundskeeper, rector and tour guide around the monastery. It's free to visit but a donation to the monks is suggested and welcome. Really, for the views it offers, it's well worth it.