--- --- # _Star Wars_ Planets and Places You Can Actually Visit by [Diana Pearl / PEOPLE](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Diana Pearl / PEOPLE Jan 23, 2017 10:11 PM UTC by [Diana Pearl / PEOPLE](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Diana Pearl / PEOPLE Jan 23, 2017 10:11 PM UTC ### Skellig Michael, Ireland  Birds on Skellig Michael island as Star Wars Episode VII directed by JJ Abrams begins filming, July 28, 2014 in Skellig island, Ireland. Charles McQuillan—GC Images/Getty Images The force awakened on [Skellig Michael](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction%5FReview-g186610-d618321-Reviews-Skellig%5FMichael-County%5FKerry.html), the teeny-tiny island off the coast of [Ireland](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g186591-Ireland-Vacations.html) where part of [Episode VII](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019EG1TC8/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B019EG1TC8&linkId=6fea690f43e8f64aa4d6cbfbdef9a6e4) was shot here in 2014\. From the water, the island looks like a mountain gutting out of the Atlantic, with a spiraling staircase trailing down from the top. ### Tikal, Guatemala  The Temple I, Tikal (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1979), Guatemala. Mayan Civilization, 8th-9th century. Dea / A Vergani—De Agostini/Getty Images _Star Wars_ is all about the future, but in Episode IV, [_A New Hope_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF06OBS/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF06OBS&linkId=0f59ac18847cbc5a4c071ee325b8f9e2), ancient Mayan ruins in [Tikal, Guatemala](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g292015-Tikal%5FNational%5FPark%5FPeten%5FDepartment-Vacations.html), were used —as a landing site for Han Solo’s spacecraft, the _Millennium Falcon_. ### La Grande Dune, Nefta, Tunisia  A picture taken on May 2, 2014 shows, amidst desert sand, a film set where numerous Star Wars scenes were filmed in Ong Jmel, in southern Tunisia. Fethi Belaid— AFP/Getty Images [Nefta](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g297951-Nefta%5FTozeur%5FGovernorate-Vacations.html)‘s sparse, sandy desert in the African nation of [Tunisia](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g293753-Tunisia-Vacations.html) was used for multiple scenes in the [_Star Wars_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF06OBS/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF06OBS&linkId=cfd1925fd38b00c8df487f360d5c25a1) saga, as the Dune Sea and the Krayt Dragon Ridge. Nearby is the [Chott el Djerid](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction%5FReview-g293753-d477272-Reviews-Chott%5FEl%5FDjerid-Tunisia.html), a dry salt lake whose salt flats were used to shoot the exterior shots of the Lars family home. ### Phang Nga Bay, Thailand  Ko Tapu rock of James Bond Island in Phang Nga National Park on January 09, 2015 in Ao Phang Nga National Park, Thailand. Isa Foltin—Getty Images The eerily beautiful [Phang Nga Bay](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction%5FReview-g1152716-d317707-Reviews-Phang%5FNga%5FBay-Ao%5FPhang%5FNga%5FNational%5FPark%5FPhang%5FNga%5FProvince.html) in Southern Thailand served as the Wookiee homeland of Kashyyk in Episode III, [_Revenge of the Sith_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF0MTDK/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF0MTDK&linkId=bf7c2fc6cef134fa972147b7145cce45). The lush greens and endless blue water make a perfect setting for a planet that only sees one season. ### Hardangerjokulen Glacier & Finse, Norway  Norway. Svalbard Islands. Spitsbergen Island. Glacier. AGF/UIG via Getty Images Where better to re-create a remote, ice-covered planet than Scandinavia? Finse, [Norway](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g190455-Norway-Vacations.html), was an obvious choice to serve as the snowy Hoth, the onetime HQ of the Alliance to Restore the Republic’s Echo Base, in Episode V, [_The Empire Strikes Back_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF0MTDK/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF0MTDK&linkId=bf7c2fc6cef134fa972147b7145cce45). ### Caserta, Italy  The Grand staircase, architect Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773), Royal Palace of Caserta (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1997), Campania. Italy, 18th century. Dea / Archivo J. Lange—De Agostini/Getty Images The historical [Palace of Caserta](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction%5FReview-g194713-d1391264-Reviews-La%5FReggia%5Fdi%5FCaserta-Caserta%5FProvince%5Fof%5FCaserta%5FCampania.html), originally built for the Bourbon kings of [Naples](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g2467724-Province%5Fof%5FNaples%5FCampania-Vacations.html), is the largest royal residence in the _entire_ world – so it was appropriate for it to act as the interior for the Royal Palace of Naboo, the one-time home to Queen Amidala, in Episode I, [_The Phantom Menace_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF18WWG/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF18WWG&linkId=4af7af6596e2f8afeefee822a306d1ec). ### Lake Como, Italy  View at the waterfront of Lenno at Lake Como. Olaf Protze—LightRocket via Getty Images Perhaps you can find some seriously great pasta on Naboo – [Italy](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187768-Italy-Vacations.html)‘s stood in for the planet in Episode II, [_Attack of the Clones_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF19KTA/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF19KTA&linkId=0d640fd606b1b74397d821a89edab4b4), and [Lake Como](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TM%20starwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187833-Lake%5FComo%5FLombardy-Vacations.html) was featured as the island of Varykino, a retreat house for Padme’s family, the Naberries. ### Whippendell Wood, Watford, UK  Belgium, Flanders, West Flanders, Brugge, Sunbeam lighting a patch of underbrush in forest MathijsDelva—Getty Images/RooM RF Viewers saw Whippendell Wood, located outside [Watford](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TM%20starwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187058-Watford%5FHertfordshire%5FEngland-Vacations.html), England, as the Sacred Forest on Naboo where Jar Jar Binks meets Obi-Wan Kenobi in [_Phantom Menace_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF18WWG/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF18WWG&linkId=c741bcf72b32fc2f84522e2efe12ecf2). ### Redwood National and State Parks, California  Old-growth coast redwood forest, Sequoia sempervirens, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, USA Wild Horizon—UIG via Getty Images California’s famous [Redwood National and State Parks](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g2193168-Redwood%5FNational%5FPark%5FCalifornia-Vacations.html) served as the setting for Endor, a forest-covered moon that is the native home of the Ewoks in Episode VI, [_Return of the Jedi_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF0M7QE/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF0M7QE&linkId=006ced1af59e2a040d668de7b4137f0c). ### Yuma Desert, USA  A section of the controversial US-Mexico border fence expansion project crosses previously pristine desert sands at sunrise on May 24, 2014 between Yuma, Arizona and Calexico, California. Charles Ommanney—Getty Images Scenes at the Great Pit of Carkoon on Tatooine, made famous as the site of Jabba the Hutt’s execution in [_Return of the Jedi_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF0M7QE/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF0M7QE&linkId=006ced1af59e2a040d668de7b4137f0c), were shot at the Yuma Desert, which spreads throughout southern [Arizona](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g28924-Arizona-Vacations.html) and [California](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g28926-California-Vacations.html) as well as [Mexico](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g150768-Mexico-Vacations.html). ### Death Valley, California  Badland formations, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, United States of America. Dea / C. Dani I. Jeske—De Agostini/Getty Images On the eastern edge of California is [Death Valley](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g143021-Death%5FValley%5FNational%5FPark%5FCalifornia-Vacations.html), which gets its name for its hot and dry climate – the most severe of its kind in America. It featured prominently in [_A New Hope_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF06OBS/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF06OBS&linkId=9346aea49e797f688d98839c6897bd21) (where Obi-Wan meets Luke) as well as _Return of the Jedi_ (where C-3PO and R2-D2 make their way to Jabba’s palace). ### Matmata, Tunisia  Oasis near Matmata, Sahara Desert, Tunisia. Dea / G. Barone—De Agostini/Getty Images The small Tunisian city of [Matmata](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/TMstarwarssyndML/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293756-Matmata%5FGabes%5FGovernorate-Vacations.html) is seen in [_A New Hope_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF06OBS/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF06OBS&linkId=9346aea49e797f688d98839c6897bd21)as the Tatooine home of Luke Skywalker, and again in [_Attack of the Clones_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VF19KTA/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VF19KTA&linkId=f862ef99373dcd96b6d7b784e998db68). And get this: You can actually stay at Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen’s house while visiting! In real life, it’s the [Hotel Sidi Driss.](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7876402/type/dlg/sid/TLFASsheG1CS11/https://www.hotels.com/) _We’ve included affiliate links in this article._ [_Click here_](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) _to learn what those are._ _This_ [_article_](http://people.com/travel/star-wars-shooting-locations-you-can-visit) _originally appeared on_ [_PEOPLE.com_](http://PEOPLE.com) 'Star Wars' Planets and Places You Can Actually Visit ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4643230/star-wars-planets-places-travel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4643230/star-wars-planets-places-travel/"},"headline":"Star Wars Planets and Places You Can Actually Visit","datePublished":"2017-01-23T22:11:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:31.503Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/4643230/star-wars-planets-places-travel/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","Star Wars topic","Travel"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Diana Pearl / PEOPLE"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4643230/star-wars-planets-places-travel/","name":"Star Wars Planets and Places You Can Actually Visit"}}]}] ```