Happy “May the Fourth!”
While you might be taken into a fantasy world today, watching your favorite “Star Wars” movie, there’s also a chance to live in reality by visiting some of the places where various scenes in the movies were shot.
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Whether it’s desert locations, forests or places on the water, the possibilities are endless to be in person at a site in which a famous scene in a “Star Wars” movie was filmed.
Here are examples of 15 such locations, according to The Real Word.
The locations are listed in alphabetical order.
Death Valley National Park, California
Movies: “A New Hope” and “Return of the Jedi”
Overview: George Lucas used the location to shoot scenes of the desert planet Tatooine in “A New Hope,” using the area between the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert to film the part where Obi-Wan Kenobi met Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3PO for the first time.
Twenty Mule Team Canyon was used to film the scene in which R2-D2 and C-3PO went to Jabba’s place in “Return of the Jedi.”
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Movie: “The Last Jedi”
Overview: Remember that scene in “The Last Jedi,” in which Finn, Rose and BB-8 head to a casino in a gorgeous waterfront town to find a codebreaker that can disable a hyperspace tracker weapon used by the First Order? That town in real life is Dubrovnik, used as the planet Canto Bight in the movie.
Grindenwald, Switzerland
Movies: “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith”
Overview: The mountains in this town were used as background in various scenes in the aforementioned two movies, most notably as Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan. The town is a paradise for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.
Laamu Atoll, Maldives
Movie: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
Overview: This was the location of the scene where the Rebel Alliance breaks into an imperial base on the tropical planet Scarif to steal Death Star blueprints in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” In real life, it’s a tropical paradise with islands, turquoise waters and coral reefs.
Lenno, Italy
Movie: “Attack of the Clones”
Overview: The Villa del Balbainello overlooking Lake Como was used to shoot the scenes in “Attack of the Clones” where Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala hid from enemies. It was also where their wedding scene was filmed.
Mount Etna, Italy
Movie: “Revenge of the Sith”
Overview: An active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, George Lucas sent a team to shoot the explosion after the mountain was seen erupting during filming. The flowing lava was used for the lightsaber scene between Anakin Skywalker (who had turned to the dark side) and Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Revenge of the Sith.”
Phang Nga Bay, Thailand
Movie: “Revenge of the Sith”
Overview: Not only is this stunning place full of forestry, cliffs and islands as part of “Revenge of the Sith,” it also is depicted as Chewbacca’s birthplace, Kashyyyk.
Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain
Movie: “Attack of the Clones”
Overview: This plaza serves as the exterior for Theed on Naboo, and Anaki and Padme walk through the brilliant architecture during one scene in “Attack of the Clones.”
Redwood National Park
Movie: “Return of the Jedi”
Overview: How can anyone forget the Ewoks? The cuddly, but brave creatures helped the Rebel Alliance thwart the Empire in “Return of the Jedi.” The scenes involving the Ewoks were primarily shot in this California paradise of tall redwoods, nature trails and forestry.
Royal Palace of Casterta, Italy
Movies: “Attack of the Clones” and “Phantom Menace”
Overview: One of the largest royal residences in the world located in southern Italy, this stunning space was used for the Theed Royal Palace in “Attack of the Clones” and “The Phantom Menace.”
Rub’ al Khali, Abu Dhabi
Movie where scenes were shot: “The Force Awakens.”
Overview: One of the more popular filming spots, a crew filmed at this desert landscape for six months. It was used to depict Rey’s home planet and used for Finn and Poe Dameron’s crash landing in “The Force Awakens.”
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Movie: “The Last Jedi”
Overview: The largest salt flat on the planet that stretches over 10,000 square kilometers, this was the filming location of the First Order’s fight against the Resistance on the planet Crait in the “The Last Jedi.”
Skellig Michael, Ireland
Movies: “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi”
Overview: Not many people likely knew about this place before it was used to film Luke Skywalker’s spot of exile. But after being featured prominently in “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” including where Rey first met Skywalker and received her Jedi training, it became a must-see for tourists. It’s located off the southwest coast of Ireland and is home to a Gaelic monastery built between the 6th and 8th centuries.
Tikal, Guatemala
Movie: “A New Hope”
Overview: The ruins of Tikal, an ancient city in Guatemala’s Tikal National Park, were used as the exterior of the Rebel Alliance’s headquarters in “A New Hope.” Tikal is one of the largest archaeological centers of the Maya civilization.
Tunisia
Movies: “A New Hope” and “Attack of the Clones”
Overview: The Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmatat-Al-Quadimal was used as Luke Skywalker’s childhood home in “A New Hope.” For “Attack of the Clones,” various locations in the country were used to film scenes of the desert planet Tatooine, including Obi-Wan Kenobi’s home and the Mos Eisley Spaceport.
This story was first published in 2021. It has since been updated.