"Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...", or maybe not so far away after all? You will be surprised which places were used as a backdrop for the famous Star Wars saga and are very popular destinations not only for Star Wars fans! We will guide you on a world trip through the Star Wars galaxies!

Tunisia

Anakin and Luke Skywalker's home country. Tunisia is probably not only one of the most famous filming locations of the movie saga, but also one of the oldest. As early as 1967, the Tataouine region of Tunisia served as the setting for Anakin and Luke Skywalker's home planet of "Tatooine." Hotel Sidi Driss also known as Luke Sykwalkers house is a very popular destination for many fans. Dive into the Star Wars world with an overnight stay at the hotel and experience the desert up close!

Just east of Tunisia is another filming location, the island of Djerba. It represents the city of "Mos Eisley" where Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Druids first meet.

Italy

Even if the wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Princess Amidala in "Episode II - Attack of the Clones" was secret, the place isn't. At Lake Como, north of Milan, you can visit the wedding venue, Villa del Balbianello, with its dreamlike gardens. Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, the trip to the Lombardy region is definitely worth it! Not too far away, you can find a film location of "Episode III - Revenge of the Sith", Sicily. Here, the eruption of Etna was used as a background for the famous battle scene.

Also, some scenes were shot in the Palace of Carsta and the Dolomites!

Ireland

Skellig Michael or "Ahch-To", an island southeast of the Irish mainland. The island is famous not only for its appearance in Star Wars, but primarily for its monastery, which dates back to the 7th century. Inspired by the ascetic monks, who were difficult to reach due to their location, the island was chosen as a hiding place for Luke Skywalker.

Great Britain

An important location for filming "Episode I - The Dark Menace" was Cassiobury Park in Watford. You can recognize the park in the scene with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Jar Jar Binks in the woods of "Naboo". In addition, Scotland has a variety of beautiful landscapes and mountains that also served as a backdrop for the new trilogy. Among them are the Rest and be Thankful mountain pass, as well as the Ivinghoe Beacon hill, that have beautiful views and thus are perfect for hiking.

In the spin-off "Rogue-One" and in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope", the former Cardington Airship Sheds were used as a rebel base on the moon "Yavin IV" as a backdrop.

PS. Pinewood Studios near London is an important filming location for several parts of the movies.

Southeast Asia

The Star Wars journey continues towards Asia. The planet of the "Wookies", "Kashyyk", is a forest paradise. What better place to shoot there than the tropical rainforest regions of Thailand and China? The exact locations are Phuket Island in Thailand, and Guilin in Guangxi, China.

Guatemala

Tikal is an ancient Mayan city in the middle of Guatemala's jungle. Surrounded by the extraordinary flora and fauna of Central America, the numerous Mayan temples play an important role in Central American culture and history and are a UNESO World Heritage Site for a reason!

In Episode IV, the Tikal National Park represents the planet "Yavin IV" and can be seen just before the final scene!

USA

Several important scenes in the Star Wars saga were filmed in the USA. Probably one of the most significant ones was in Buttercup Valley near Yuma, Arizona, for the scene in "Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Knights" where Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were to be sacrificed. Besides, the encounter with the "Ewoks" on the forest moon "Endor" was also filmed in the USA. The setting for this was the Redwood National Park in California.

Other film locations were in Dubrovnik in Croatia, the Hardangerjøkulen glaciers in Norway, which scene the ice planet "Hoth" from "Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back," and Wadi Rum in Jordan, which depicts the desert moon "Jedha."