By Alexander Clark, Agent 00208
My partner Michaela (Agent 0026) first set eyes on Piz Gloria as it appeared on her TV as a seven-year-old living in Bulgaria. She always wanted to visit it after seeing the immense Alps and the exciting rotating restaurant that sat on top of the Schilthorn summit.
Five years ago she met me – a crazed Bond fan. She had never seen a Bond film, so I introduced her to all of them, including On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. When Piz Gloria appeared in the film, she was startled and explained that she’d had this dream about visiting it, unknowing that it had appeared in a Bond film.
It was on my bucket list, too. So, for our birthdays this year, we set off on a Bond pilgrimage to Switzerland, with the memories of first seeing Piz Gloria – for her, on a TV in Bulgaria, and for me, watching On Her Majesty’s Secret Service on a VHS video as a twelve-year-old in Merseyside. Would it live up to all those expectations and years of anticipation?
The journey there was not quite the same as Bond’s – or rather Hilary Bray’s – but we did catch the train to Lauterbrunen, where Bond meets Fraulein Bunt for the first time. We had a look at the station, which has changed quite a bit since 1969. There was no snow for a horse-drawn sleighride, so we took the cable car and a further train to Mürren.
The next day we headed to the Schilthorn Gondola which took us to Birg and then Piz Gloria. We had discovered that, if you’re visiting on your birthday, the ride is free. Armed with our passports to prove this was a special day, we ascended the mountain.
The views were breathtaking under the clear sky and shining sun. The snow-covered peaks of the Alps were even more majestic than we had imagined. We marvelled at the skiers below us, but could not see Bond or Tracy on the slopes. Remarkably, one section has the steepest ski slope in the world – a nearly vertical drop at 88 degrees! Later we spoke to some Swiss families skiing the slopes, and this slant was nothing to them.
Piz Gloria came into view and it did not disappoint. Nestled neatly on top of Schilthorn, it looked exactly like it did in the film – dignified, yet secretive and alluring. Even the yellow cable car wheel still stuck out of the building. Sadly, George Lazenby did not sneak out of it in a cardigan with pocket mittens during our visit.
Our first stop was the viewing gallery, used in the film as the heliport and curling rink, which provided an excellent view of the Swiss Alps. I thought to myself, ‘tread carefully’, as Fraulein Bunt had warned Bond it was ‘not ground, [but] ice’! We were able to see Mont Blanc in the distance, due to the clear weather. We also spotted a noticeboard identifying the site nearby where the avalanche scene in the film took place. The fallen rocks were still visible fifty-five years after the avalanche was set off by the film crew, although they were covered by snow and difficult to distinguish.
Then we visited Spy World – an exhibition dedicated to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. What I enjoyed the most were the interactive pieces, such as the bobsleigh simulator. This allowed us to re-enact the chase between Blofeld and Bond. There was also a dismantled helicopter that we sat in and followed Bond’s journey up to Piz Gloria, stopping at different filming locations along the way and learning about them. An interesting fact was that during the filming of the avalanche scene, a cameraman had to wait in the freezing cold underneath a snowy outcrop, with his camera ready to capture the mass snowfall. There was no way of telling him when the avalanche would start, so he had to stay alert for over 6 hours. By the time the team managed to set the avalanche off, the cameraman had fallen asleep and missed the shot!
Finally, we had lunch at the 360° rotating restaurant (The Alpine Room in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). As we walked up the stairs, the lattice of copper-coloured bars and circles came into view. We were sat by the window and the staff made a great effort to spoil us on our shared birthday. Sipping a glass of Bollinger whilst gazing out at the Alps is certainly not a bad way to spend a birthday.
Piz Gloria surpassed our expectations. It truly felt as though the film never left this mountain top, with scenes playing throughout the building. Even the toilets were themed, with silhouettes and characters from the film whispering in your ear as you wash your hands. We spent the whole day at Piz Gloria and neither of us wanted to leave. It paid great respect to the film and I certainly recommend adding it to your bucket list. Just remember to catch the last cable car back, because you cannot ski down the black ski piste in the dark.
2026 Membership On Her Majesty's Secret Service Piz Gloria Sir Hilary Bray Switzerland travel
Last modified: 13 January 2026
