10 Real-World Filming Locations You Really Need To Visit

4. Hoth From Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Finse, Norway)

Hoth is - in reality - probably not a place you'd want to visit. It's freezing, full of Yeti-like creatures and is occupied by the scourge of the universe; the Galactic Empire. However, in real life Hoth is actually Finse in Norway, a lovely little town that apparently has the highest railway station in Europe at 1,222m. Finse also has some of the best skiing in the world, especially alpine and cross country, and is regularly used by athletes training for the Winter Olympics. It was chosen because although it looks like a frozen wasteland, it's close to the town of Finse and is accessible to the rest of Norway via the country's brilliant railway lines. There's a large hotel and walking just a few hundred metres from the hotel would provide you with the chilling and icy landscape you see in the film. Unfortunately, you won't see any AT-ATs or Darth Vader or even the Echo Base, but you can see some remnants of the filming at the hotel, including signed photos and a prop or two that was left behind. Norway itself is worth visiting just for the sheer amount of differing climates and landscapes it offers, with places like Finse and more warmer climates being within easy train distance of each other. We'd recommend visiting Finse in the summer when the windchill isn't quite as strong as it might be in the Winter.