Multiple global locations served as filming sites for Star Wars movies, allowing fans to visit iconic places where scenes from the saga took place. Among the most notable are Dubrovnik in Croatia, various locations in Tunisia, Phang Nga Bay in Thailand, Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Villa del Balbianello in Italy, and Death Valley National Park in the United States.
Deserts and coastlines that became alien worlds
Dubrovnik, Croatia, represented the planet Canto Bight in The Last Jedi. Its ancient city walls and coastal views provided a distinctive backdrop. Tunisia played a crucial role in creating the desert planet Tatooine, featuring locations such as the Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, which stood in for Luke Skywalker’s home. Fans can visit several of these sites, including Mos Espa and Mos Eisley, with specialized tours that explore the history and filming spots linked to Episodes I through IV.
Phang Nga Bay’s limestone karsts in Thailand stood as the location for the planet Kashyyyk, the Wookiees’ homeworld, during filming of Revenge of the Sith. Similarly, the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia represented the planet Crait in The Last Jedi, with its vast, white landscape used for dramatic battle sequences.
From Lake Como to the California desert
Villa del Balbianello, perched on Lake Como in Italy, featured as the setting for the planet Naboo in Attack of the Clones. In the United States, Death Valley National Park in California supplied the desert environment for scenes on Tatooine in the original trilogy, with Artists Drive, Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Dante’s View, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Golden Canyon, and Desolation Canyon all part of the filming locales.
Beyond the original landscapes, theme parks like Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World and Disneyland offer immersive experiences built from the franchise’s universe, including the Star Tours simulated hyperspace ride. Dedicated fan museums such as Rancho Obi-Wan in Petaluma, California, also preserve Star Wars memorabilia and history, giving fans destinations to explore even outside the film locations themselves.
