travel

Feel the power of the Force at Star Wars pilgrimage sites around the world

October 23, 2015

The 'Lego Star Wars X-Wing' attraction at Legoland in Guenzburg, Germany. Star Wars fans can now visit more than 30 tourist sites around the world. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, October 23, 2015.As December approaches, and with it, the premiere of the seventh chapter of the Star Wars saga, the GoEuro travel site has partnered with GetYourGuide.com to give you a list of the must-see tourist sites for fans of the epic space franchise.

The aim of the list was to identify 31 sites around the world where one can truly "feel the Force". To compile the vast catalogue of sites, the study took into account accessibility, accommodation, and infrastructure and in particular, sites where the power of the Force is decidedly present, in other words, spots where visitors can truly get a sense of the spirit of George Lucas's films.

Located in various places from California to Malaysia and Dubai, the Legoland parks top the list with a score of 94. The park's Star Wars attractions are considered some of the very best. Different Legoland sites have recreated scenes from the saga.

Locations from film shoots accessible to fans

The listing also contains filming locations including the Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata in Tunisia. The Berber establishment was portrayed as the Lars homestead on the planet of Tatooine and visitors can still stay at the hotel. Diners are even organised in the same spot that George Lucas's cameras were posed. This legendary site stands in second place.

Another film destination (fourth on the list) recommended to Star Wars enthusiasts is located in the plains of the salt lake of Chott el Djerid, where artificial craters were traced when Luke Skywalker appeared for the first time in Episode IV. For hardcore fans, a ticket to Guatemala is necessary to visit the Mayan Tikal ruins that served as the backdrop for the rebel base on planet Yavin 4 in "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope".

Below is the full list of the essential pilgrimage sites for Star Wars fans (including film locations, other destinations and tourist attractions).

1. LegoLand, six parks worldwide

2. The Lars farm and homestead and desert scenes on Taooine in Matmata, Tunisia

3. Rancho Obi-Wan in Petaluma, California, US

4. The exterior environment of the Lars homestead in Chott el Djerid, Tunisia

5. Star Wars exhibit at Madame Tussaud's in London, UK and Berlin, Germany

6. Star Tours - The Adventures Continue, Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, US and Tokyo, Japan

7. Skellig Michael in Skellig Mickael, Ireland

8. Yavin 4 in Tikal, Guatemala

9. The slave quarters in Mos Espa on Tatooine in Ksar Hadada, Tunisia

10. Theed city, Naboo in Spain Square, Seville, Spain

11. The slave quarters in Mos Espa on Tatooine in Ksar Medenine, Tunisia

12. Astroport of Mos Eisley, home of Obi Wan on Tatooine in Djerba, Tunisia

13. The slave quarters in Mos Espa on Tatooine in Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tunisia

14. Naboo, Lake Como, Italy

15. Greenham Common in Greenham Common, UK

16. The Tatooine desert, road to Jabba's palace in Death Valley, US

17. Royal Palace of Naboo in Caserta, Italy

18. Tatooine Canyon, in the Shubiel Gorge in Sidi Bouhlel, Tunisia

19. The Force Awakens, Hang En Cave, Vietnam

20. Alderaan in Grindelwald, Switzerland

21. The Great Pit of Carkoon in the Yuma Desert, US

22. Endor in Redwood National Park, US

23. The Sacred Forest of Naboo in Whippendell Woods, UK

24. The Force Awakens in Puzzlewood, UK

25. The Force Awakens, in the Abu Dhabi Desert, UAE

26. Mustafar on Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

27. The Tatooine Desert in La Grande Dune, Tunisia

28. Kashyyyk in Guilin, China

29. Hoth at the Hardangerjokulen Glacier in Finse, Norway

30. The Force Awakens at the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, Iceland

31. Kashyyyk in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. – AFP/Relaxnews, October 23, 2015.