As Disney unveils plans for two huge Star Wars theme parks alongside its existing sites in Florida and California, we take a look at other travel options for those who want to follow in the footsteps of the Skywalkers.
Tunisia The North African nation provided the sandy backdrop for much of the scenes set on Tattoine. At Sidi Bouhlel, east of Tozeur, you can visit the gully where R2D2 was captured by the Jawas. So many scenes were shot around this area that it's known locally as Star Wars Canyon.
The Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata, Tunisia. Photo / 123RF
fans can not only visit Luke's homestead from the original movie - you can stay there. Crawl into your
Star Wars
pyjamas and curl up with your favourite Ewok teddy for a stay at the Sidi Driss Hotel - a converted underground Beber home.
When Obi Wan Kenobi said of Mos Eisley Spaceport "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy", he reckoned without Kuta Beach in Bali. Nonetheless, you can't call yourself a real Star Wars fan until you've been to Ajim, a sponge fishing town in Tunisia that played the role of Mos Eisley.
fans with half a brain cell, we've pretty much blocked out
Episodes I, II
and
III
, but the exterior of Queen Amidala's Palace from
Episode II
is a seriously beautiful piece of architecture in a city worth visiting in its own right. The Plaza da Espana, in Seville, Spain features almost 2km of tiled fountains, walls, pavilions, ponds and Seville's famous orange trees.
The moon of Yavin was nearly destroyed by the first Death Star. You can visit the jungle form which the X-Wings were launched at Tikal, in Guatemala. It's home to one of the largest complexes of Mayan civilisation and the towers that featured in the movie are for real.
Tikal Temple in Guatemala. Photo / 123RF
Norway
The ice planet Hoth, scene of perhaps the series' most epic land battle, is actually a secluded spot in Norway called Finse. Accessible only by train, bike or foot, it's a spot so grim and desolate, Captain Scott chose it as a training base for his Antarctic expedition. The cross-country skiing is reportedly excellent, but don't get lost - last Christmas the temperature get down to -30C and there are no Tauntauns to cut open and crawl inside.
Finse, Hordaland, Norway. Photo / 123RF
California
Yes, the Ewoks tipped the whole series too far towards childish cutesiness, but few modes of transport in cinematic history are as cool as the Imperial 74-Z speeder bike. At Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, in California, you can admire the giant trees through which the speeder bikes raced. With around 30km of trails to be explored on foot or by mountain bike, there's heaps to do. Just keep in mind that if you see something it's more likely to be a black bear than a cuddly Ewok.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. Photo / 123RF
Switzerland
Alderaan, the most boring place in the
Star Wars
galaxy, was - fittingly - filmed in Switzerland. Grindelwald, where Princess Leia's hometown was set, is an ideal hub for a European ski vacation, with tracks suited to all experience levels. Scenes from
