Celebrate May the 4th at These 'Star Wars' Planets and Places You Can Actually Visit

Tattooine, Naboo and Endor aren't as far, far away as you think. Dream about visiting them soon as we celebrate May the 4th

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SKELLIG MICHAEL, IRELAND

SKELLIG MICHAEL
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The force awakened on Skellig Michael, the teeny-tiny island off the coast of Ireland where part of Episode VII was shot in 2014. From the water, the island looks like a mountain gutting out of the Atlantic, with a spiraling staircase trailing down from the top.

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TIKAL, GUATEMALA

TIKAL, GUATEMALA
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Star Wars is all about the future, but in Episode IV, A New Hope, ancient Mayan ruins in Tikal, Guatemala, were used as a landing site for Han Solo's spacecraft, the Millennium Falcon.

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LA GRANDE DUNE, NEFTA, TUNISIA

LA GRANDE DUNE, NEFTAH, TUNISIA
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Nefta's sparse, sandy desert in the African nation of Tunisia was used for multiple scenes in the Star Wars saga, as the Dune Sea and the Krayt Dragon Ridge. Nearby is the Chott el Djerid, a dry salt lake whose salt flats were used to shoot the exterior shots of the Lars family home.

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PHANG NGA BAY, THAILAND

PHANG NGA BAY, THAILAND
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The eerily beautiful Phang Nga Bay in Southern Thailand served as the Wookiee homeland of Kashyyk in Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. The lush greens and endless blue water make a perfect setting for a planet that only sees one season.

05 of 12

HARDANGERJOKULEN GLACIER & FINSE, NORWAY

HARDANGERJOKULEN GLACIER, FINSE, NORWAY
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Where better to re-create a remote, ice-covered planet than Scandinavia? Finse, Norway, was an obvious choice to serve as the snowy Hoth, the onetime HQ of the Alliance to Restore the Republic's Echo Base, in Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back.

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CASERTA, ITALY

CASERTA, ITALY
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The historical Palace of Caserta, originally built for the Bourbon kings of Naples, is the largest royal residence in the entire world — so it was appropriate for it to act as the interior for the Royal Palace of Naboo, the one-time home to Queen Amidala, in Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

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LAKE COMO, ITALY

LAKE COMO, ITALY
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Perhaps you can find some seriously great pasta on Naboo — Italy stood in for the planet in Episode II, Attack of the Clones, and Lake Como was featured as the island of Varykino, a retreat house for Padme's family, the Naberries.

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WHIPPENDELL WOOD, WATFORD, UK

WHIPPENDALE WOODS, UNITED KINGDOM
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Viewers saw Whippendell Wood, located outside Watford, England, as the Sacred Forest on Naboo where Jar Jar Binks meets Obi-Wan Kenobi in Phantom Menace.

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REDWOOD NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS, CALIFORNIA

REDWOOD NATIONAL PARKS, USA
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California's famous Redwood National and State Parks served as the setting for Endor, a forest-covered moon that is the native home of the Ewoks in Episode VI, Return of the Jedi.

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YUMA DESERT, USA

YUMA DESERT, USA
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Scenes at the Great Pit of Carkoon on Tatooine, made famous as the site of Jabba the Hutt's execution in Return of the Jedi, were shot at the Yuma Desert, which spreads throughout southern Arizona and California as well as Mexico.

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DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

DEATH VALLEY, USA
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On the eastern edge of California is Death Valley, which gets its name for its hot and dry climate — the most severe of its kind in America. It featured prominently in A New Hope (where Obi-Wan meets Luke) as well as Return of the Jedi (where C-3PO and R2-D2 make their way to Jabba's palace).

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MATMATA, TUNISIA

MATMATA, TUNISIA
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The small Tunisian city of Matmata is seen in A New Hope as the Tatooine home of Luke Skywalker, and again in Attack of the Clones. And get this: You can actually stay at Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen's house while visiting! In real life, it's the Hotel Sidi Driss.

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