Star Wars Filming Locations

Scenes for 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story were filmed in London’s Canary Wharf underground tube station. “My first job ever in television was just round the corner… [I thought:] This is something from the future. This is like a sci-fi movie. If I ever get to do a sci-fi film in my life I’m gonna film it here.” – Rogue One Director Gareth Edwards The station’s dark and metallic tones set the perfect mood as the interior of an Imperial Base. Unfortunately, these scenes never made the final cut of the film but they do appear in the official teaser trailer (at the 1:12 mark). Address: Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY, United Kingdom Visitor Information: Transport for London

Named for its location 1,222 meters above sea level, the Finse 1222 is a full service hotel in the remote and tiny village of Finse, Norway. The town, only reachable by train or on foot, is the gateway to the spectacular Hardangerjøkulen glacier, known to locals as Hoth as it was the primary filming location for the 1980 classic, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. In 1979, cast and crew stayed at this hotel while filming scenes on the glacier, in the nearby valley, and in the immediate area on the back side of the hotel when snowfall was too intense to shoot further away. “If you turn the cameras around from that scene, there’s people out on their balcony sipping cocoa watching us” – Mark Hamill The hotel’s lobby has a display of Star Wars related memorabilia including a screen-used Rebel Trooper hat and a copy of The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. A room on the second floor houses a small museum displaying production photos and local news-clippings related to the filming of The Empire Strikes Back in Finse. A full-sized replica Snowtrooper costume is also on display and makes for a great […]

In March 1979, the cast and crew of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) traveled to Finse, Norway to film scenes in and around the Hardangerjøkulen (Hardanger Glacier). These scenes were for the battle on ice planet Hoth, with a majority of the on-the-ground battle footage being filmed on the glacier itself. The cast and crew stayed at the nearby Finse 1222 hotel, which currently has a small museum devoted to the production and hosts an annual fan event. An area near the south edge of Finsevatnet lake was where filming took place for the scene where Luke grapples to an AT-AT in order to drop a thermal detonator inside. A stuntman hung from a helicopter in order to get the footage. Heading further south, near a ridge, is the probot droid landing site and the landscape for a scene where the Imperial AT-AT Walkers first approach the Rebels. Heading a bit more east, is the area where a matte painting of the Rebel’s Echo Base entrance was superimposed on top of footage that was filmed here. Near this area is the location where Han destroys the probot from behind a rock. Although due to erosion, the whereabouts of […]

Hôtel Sidi Driss was a filming location in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) starring as Luke’s sunken home (the Lars family homestead) on Tatooine. It was again a filming location in 2002’s Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The interior courtyards of this traditional Berber style home still feature some remnants from filming including murals and set dressing as it seems the current owners embrace the Star Wars lore. While interiors were filmed here, the exterior shots of the home took place about 150 miles away at an unnamed structure on the Chott el Jerid salt flats. This location made our list of the 10 Most Unique And Coolest Disney Related Locations Where You Can Spend The Night Address: Matmatat-Al-Qadimal, Tunisia Visitor Information: Hôtel Sidi Driss (only available in French)

Part of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) takes place on Scarif, where the Empire has established a security complex. The pristine beaches of Scarif, along with some CGI enhancement, were filmed on the real beaches and in the crystal clear water of the island of Gan in the Maldives. Address: Gan, Laamu Atoll, Maldives Visitor Information: Maldives Ministry of Tourism

This abandoned film set in the Tunisian desert was built in 1997 for the filming of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). The sandstone facades formed the village of Mos Espa on Tatooine. The set was used again in Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and still stands today, open to the public. Address: Naftah, Tunisia Visitor Information: Atlas Obscura

The Palace of Fine Arts is a landmark series of structures in San Francisco originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition to house works for art. The main building is the iconic 135-foot domed rotunda, designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and now used for special events such as weddings. This structure was replicated in Disney California Adventure as a scale version, originally serving as the entrance to the now-defunct attraction, Golden Dreams. Today, the Disney version of the rotunda still stands, though repainted, as the entrance to The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Though it wasn’t actually filmed here, the Palace of Fine Art’s infamous domed building was no doubt an inspiration for similar structures seen in Theed, the capital city of Naboo in the Star Wars franchise. The grounds of the Palace of Fine Arts, including the rotunda (assuming no events are taking place), are open to the public daily. Check their event page for access to other buildings in the complex. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Photo Tour of Lucasfilm’s San Francisco Headquarters Address: 3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123 Visitor Information: Palace of Fine Arts

Plaza de España is a public square and garden in Seville. It’s long stretches of columned walkways and semi-circular lake was the inspiration for and filming location of Queen Amidala’s Theed Palace on Naboo, as seen during Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002). Address: Av de Isabel la Católica, 41004 Sevilla, Spain Visitor Information: Andalusia Tourist Community

Greenham Common’s GLCM (Ground Launched Cruise Missile) Alert and Maintenance Area was used as a filming location for 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The grass-covered bunkers stood in as the Resistance’s above-ground base on the fictional planet D’Qar. This historic area was used by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and again in the Cold War, as a base for nuclear weapons. The base was closed in 1992 but still exists today. While the bunkers are closed off to the public, you can scope them out from the perimeter or get a view from above by visiting the nearby Greenham Control Tower. Address: Greenham, Thatcham RG19 6HN, UK Visitor Information: Greenham Control Tower

This black sand beach on the southern edge of Iceland was the filming location for 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The beach transformed into planet Eadu, where the Empire sent assassins to search for Jyn’s father, Galen Erso. Address: Reynisfjara Beach, Reynisfjara, Iceland Visitor Information: Inspired by Iceland (Official Tourism Information)

Known locally as Star Wars Canyon, Sidi Bouhlel is a desert ravine which was the filming location for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). This is the gorge where R2-D2 is captured by the Jawas. Lucas used this area again for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) in the scene when Indiana Jones threatens the Nazis with a bazooka. Address: Bouhlel Sdada, Tunisia Visitor Information: Atlas Obscura

Skellig Michael is an island off the coast of Ireland. Named after the biblical archangel Michael and the Gaelic word sceilig, meaning a splinter of stone, this UNESCO World Heritage Site contains an ancient monastery and graveyard. Star Wars fans may recognize the island as Ahch-To, the place where the Jedi Order was founded and contains the site of the first Jedi Temple. It’s seen briefely as Luke Skywalker’s secluded hideaway in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and again, full of porgs, in The Last Jedi (2017). Address: Skellig Michael, Skellig Rock Great, County Kerry, Ireland Visitor Information: Discover Ireland