Star Wars Location: Imperial Base, Scarif
Real Life Location: Canary Wharf Station, London
Appears In: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The shadowy underground and cold curved steel made for the perfect setting as the Imperial Base on the planet Scarif. In real life, the Canary Wharf Station is part of the London underground that connects Canada Water and North Greenwich.
Star Wars Location: Theed Royal Palace, Naboo
Real Life Location: Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
The majestic backdrop of Padme and Anakin’s stroll featuring creepy amounts of eye contact was in fact built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition. Located in Parque de María Luisa, you too can take this stroll in Spain.
Star Wars Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
Real Life Location: Oung Jmel, Tunisia
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Near the Tunisian town of Nefta, the set that once was the spaceport of Mos Espa is still intact. The location of Anakin and Luke Skywalker’s home planet has become a prominent tourist attraction.
Star Wars Location: Moon of Jedha
Real Life Location: Wadi Rum, Jordan
Appears In: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
If this terrain looks familiar, it was also used as the martian backdrop in… well, ‘The Martian.’ The desert moon of Jedha may have been the target of the First Order in Rogue One, but it is actually the target of adventure in the desert of Jordan.
Star Wars Location: Luke Skywalker’s Igloo
Real Life Location: Chott El Jerid, Nefta, Tunisia
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Also in Tunisia, the exterior of Luke’s home was built in a remote part of the desert. After years of weathering the elements, the igloo was rebuilt by fans and later used in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Star Wars Location: Planet Scarif
Real Life Location: Laamu Atoll, Maldives
Appears In: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The beautiful turquoise blue water and white sand beaches were torn by battle in Rogue One, but in real life they are a highly sought-after destination of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
Star Wars Location: Planet Crait
Real Life Location: Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia
Appears In: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Without giving away too much, the stunning salt flats that have a red undertone to them during a battle between the Resistance and the First Order can be found in South America. The Salar De Uyuni flats of Bolivia provided the backdrop of a planet known as ‘Crait.’
Star Wars Location: Luke Skywalker’s Home, Tatooine
Real Life Location: Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata, Tunisia
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
While many of the sets in Tunisia were built specifically for Star Wars, these subterranean cave homes were actually built centuries ago by indigenous Berbers. They were later converted into a hotel which George Lucas repurposed as the set for Luke’s childhood home on Tatooine.
Star Wars Location: Massassi Outpost, Yavin 4
Real Life Location: Tikal National Park, Guatemala
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Long before the Massassi outpost was nearly destroyed by the Death Star, the Mayans had constructed these temples deep in the jungles of Guatemala near the border of Belize.
Star Wars Location: Planet Hoth
Real Life Location: Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Norway
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
The iconic frozen world of Hoth put the rebels on thin ice. But in reality, Hardangerjøkulen is Norway’s sixth largest glacier.
Star Wars Location: Lake Retreat, Varykino
Real Life Location: Villa del Balbianello, Lenno, Italy
Appears In: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
When Anakin and Padme went to make out city at the lake house, the serene setting was actually a villa overlooking Lake Como in Italy. This also served as the cliffhanger location at the end of James Bond ‘Casino Royale.’
Star Wars Location: Planet Endor
Real Life Location: Redwood National Parks, California
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi
Not much had to be done to create the mystic world home to the fuzzy little Ewoks. The Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California are just as picturesque as Endor. Too bad they don’t offer Speeder bike tours.
Star Wars Location: Forests of Naboo
Real Life Location: Whippendell Woods, Watford, UK
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
The serene setting of the Naboo Forest was where we were introduced to everyone’s favorite character, Jar Jar Binks. If you want to spend time in the tranquil gardens without being annoyed, you can have a real-life experience in the Whippendell Woods just North of London.
Star Wars Location: Canto Bight, Cantonica
Real Life Location: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Appears In: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The portside of the Mediterranean city Dubrovnik served as the gambling mecca in ‘The Last Jedi.’ That’s about all I can say.
Star Wars Location: Planet Mustafar, Outer Rim
Real Life Location: Mount Etna, Italy
Appears In: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
In the iconic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin, the high ground actually belongs to the active volcano of Mount Etna. Actual footage of the volcano was imposed into the backdrop of the fight scenes.
Star Wars Location: Jedi Temple
Real Life Location: Skelling Michael, Ireland
Appears In: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
After taking a few decades to himself, Luke found the perfect retirement island to chillax and get horizontal with some cool Jimmy Buffet tunes.
It’s easy to assume the sets were constructed on the remote island, but the rock domes were actually a Gaelic Christian monastery. Built on the island at some point between the 6th and 8th century, they remained continuously occupied until it was abandoned in the late 12th century.
