20 Star Wars locations you can visit in real life

Finse, Norway

Get your tauntauns ready and beware of the wampas . We’re going to Hoth.

We’re not sure this one would be super high up on your list, given the temperatures thatcan dip to around -14 degrees in winter months, but for those dedicated space travelers, the mountain village of Finse is worth adding to your bucket list.

The snow-covered town doubles up as the planet Hoth, the location of the Rebel base at the start of Empire Strikes Back. It is relatively isolated, with the community living in Finse small and tourism relatively low due the fact that there is no road that leads to the village. Instead, it’s only accessible by train. The trip takes 2.5 hours from Bergen and 4.5 hours from the Norwegian capital Oslo.

Its seclusion, no doubt, is part of what makes it so wonderful to visit, and so perfect for filming another world far, far away. However, the logistics were not all that easy, with temperamental weather and subzero conditions. Mark Hamill never actually ended up filming his scenes on the Hardangerjøkulen glacier and instead did so in the shadow of the village’s hotel, Finse 1222, being watched by other holiday makers sipping hot chocolate.

Overlooking the glacier, the hotel has been in Finse since its opening in 1909, when the Bergen Railway was completed. You need to make sure you get your timings right though, as the hotel is closed between May and July. Ultimately it’s best to go between December and May, when there’s proper snow to maximize that Hoth experience.

But the hotel itself has its history; if you’re lucky, you may even get the room Mark Hamill stayed in during the movie’s shoot.

If Hoth is on your travel list, then fear not the weather or terrain. As National Geographic points out, Finse actually steers into the Star Wars lane so hard, it runs tours called Visit Hoth annually.

“We´ve found Han Solo Rock for you,” reads the website. “We have dogs that´ll take you there. You can ski out to location. You can don snow-shoes and pick up a couple of poles – and trek into your wilderness. It´s a moment you will never forget.”