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Star Wars Film Locations You Can Visit IRL
Star Wars Film Locations You Can Visit IRL
We've rounded up a list of ten Star Wars filming locations you can actually visit in real life. For all of the die-hard SW fans, these film locations can be found all around the world and might be worth a pit-stop during your next vacation!
Details
1. Sahara Desert, Tunisia
The Sahara Desert has appeared in five Star Wars films and it's not hard to see why! Tunisia became the main film location of the original movie due to its vast, remote landscapes that look like something from another planet. A city in Tunisia’s southern desert region is even called Tataouine, similar to Luke Skywalker’s home planet, Tattoine.
2. Death Valley National Park, California
Paralleling Tunisia's extraterrestrial appearance, Death Valley National Park was used for pick-up shots closer to home after filming A New Hope and Return of the Jedi in the Sahara Desert. The area between Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert aided in the creation of bringing Tatooine to life. A flight to McCarran International Airport and a quick two hour drive will bring you right to the park entrance.
3. Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Norway
The opening scene of The Empire Strikes Back which took place on the ice planet, Hoth, was filmed on this snowy glacier. To reach Norway's sixth largest glacier, you can fly into Oslo or Bergen and take the Bergensbanen railway.
4. Tikal National Park, Guatemala
These historical Mayan pyramids played home to the hidden rebel base in two films, A New Hope and Rogue One. Beyond the Star Wars filming location aspect, these ruins are also worth exploring on their own and can be reached by flying in to the La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City and taking a bus to the Tikal National Park.
5. Yuma Desert, Arizona
The Star Wars gallaxy's Buttercup Valley was largely filmed in Arizona's Yuma Desert. Jabba's Sail Barge and the Sarlacc Pit took more than five months to build and lodged over 5,000 cast and crew members during the 1982 filming. To reach Yuma, you can fly into the Phoenix or San Diego airport and drive under three hours east or west.
6. Grindelwald, Switzerland
One of the most breathtaking Star Wars film locations ever used was Grindelwald, Switzerland. Not surprisingly, the beautiful Swiss mountain range became the backdrop for Princess Leia's home, the Alderaan planet. To reach Grindelwald, you can fly into Zurich and take a train ride under two hours.
7. Skellig Michael, Ireland
Fans may remember this mystical, isolated rock as the site of Luke Skywalker’s refuge in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. In addition to Star Wars related fame, this island off the coast of Ireland holds the ruins of a real-life ancient monastery and can be visited from the end of May to the end of September. Skellig Michael can only be accessed via boat, but ferry rides from Portmagee, Ireland can be booked in advance.
8. Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia
One of the most jaw-dropping locations of recent Star Wars films is the mineral planet of Crait. Famous for it's shiny, mirage-looking surface, Salar de Uyuni is a 4,000 square mile salt flat in Bolivia that is easily one of the most surreal and film-worthy places on Earth. To get to the salt flats, you can fly to the Uyuni airport and book a tour of the flats, starting from 10am.
9. Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik became an important film location in the The Last Jedi. To amp up the Star Wars aesthetic, the set designers decked out the cobblestoned streets in futuristic doors and lights for exterior shots around the city of Canto Bight.
10. Laamu Atoll, Maldives
Rogue One’s emotional climax was filmed in Laamu Atoll; the chain of 82 out of the 1,200 islands that make up the Maldives. To reach Laamu Atoll, you can take a short, 35 minute connecting flight from Male to the Laamu airport.