The year 2021 in which a lot of people will be vaccinated and we can (hopefully) travel again, will represent the start of a new cycle in tourism. There will be less travel, vacations will be different, many things will change, but the desire to visit famous movie locations will remain.

Eadu & Lah’mu – Iceland

Lah’mu was an inaccessible planet located in the Raioballo sector of the galaxy’s Outer Rim Territories, far from major hyperspace routes. It appeared in the opening scenes of Rogue One. I have visited the filming locations during my trip to Iceland. They can be found a few miles east of Vik where you’ll see Hjörleifshöfði, a mountain located on the Mýrdalssandur outwash plain. Some local news website reported that the crew has been on Mýrdalssandur beach and shooting by the mountains Hjörleifshöfði and Hafursey.

Hjorleifshofdi (photo by Erik R.)
Hjorleifshofdi from Rogue One (2016, Lucasfilm, screen capture)

Just a 20-minute drive from Vik in Southern Iceland, this black sand beach of Reynisfjara was the setting for Rogue One’s planet Eadu – a rocky, mountainous planet beset by constant severe storms. It is home to an Imperial weapons research facility. Several scenes of the planet were also shot at the Krafla’s volcanic crater and at nearby’s Lake Mývatn’s rock formations.

Reynisfjara beach (photo by Erik R.)

Ahch-To – Skellig Michael & Malin Head (Ireland)

Ahch-To was a planet mostly covered in water, with numerous rocky islands blanketed with green trees located in the Unknown Regions. It was the birthplace of the Jedi Order and held the ancient Jedi texts. It appeared in The Force Awakens.

In real-life Ahch-To is set in the 6th-century monastic settlement of UNESCO World Heritage Site Skellig Michael, an island located off the southern coast of Ireland.

Skelling Michael

Another Irish coastal spot had the honor to be part of the Star Wars universe. Malin Head, found on Ireland’s north coast, was also used for the scenes between Rey and Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi.

Malin Head

Cantonica – Dubrovnik (Croatia)

Cantonica is a desert planet in the Cantonica system within the Corporate Sector of the galaxy’s Outer Rim Territories that was home to the casino city Canto Bight.

Canto Bight played a small, but crucial role in The Last Jedi when Resistance members Finn, Rose, and BB-8 travel there to recruit a code breaker to help them disable the First Order’s hyperspace tracker.

Dubrovnik
Cantonica

The main chase sequence was filmed on Stradun, the main street of the Dubrovnik Old Town. Dubrovnik is the most popular Croatian tourist attraction that was heavily included in Game of Thrones as Kings’ Landing. Check my blog post for details about my own tour of Kings Landing.

Tattoine – Tunisia

Tatooine is probably the most famous Star Wars planet. It is a beige-colored, desolate world orbiting a pair of binary stars, and inhabited by human settlers and a variety of other life forms. In an interview with Betway Casino, Star Wars expert Matt Hudson, described life on Tatooine “being hard, but immensely satisfying. It’s almost like a farmer’s life. At the end of it you reap what you sow, and if you really work hard you can make a decent life there.” The planet was first seen in the original 1977 film Star Wars, and has to date featured in a total of six Star Wars theatrical films.

Scenes from Tattoine were mostly filmed in Tunisia and StarWars.com has a highly informative article Galactic Backpacking, part 4: Visiting Real-World Tatooine where you can learn more about filming locations.

Naboo – Spain and Italy

Naboo is an idyllic world close to the border of the Outer Rim Territories, Naboo is inhabited by peaceful humans known as the Naboo, and an indigenous species of intelligent amphibians called the Gungans.

You can find filming locations in Italy and Spain.

The scenes where Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala hid in Attack of the Clones were filmed at the Villa del Balbainello in Lenno, Italy, overlooking the Lake Como. It was also the location for Anakin and Padme’s wedding.

Plaza de España in Seville was used as the exterior for Theed on Naboo. You’ll recognize the beautiful architecture from the scene where Anaki and Padme walk through the plaza in Attack of the Clones.

The Theed Royal Palace on Naboo was filmed in the Royal Palace in Caserta, in southern Italy. It is one of the largest royal residences in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Royal Palace of Caserta

Happy travelling and may the force be with you!

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