By Alaric 
Calling all Witcher 3 fans, did you know that you can visit the Free City of Novigrad from the game in real life?
Much of the inspiration for this RPG city was taken from the medieval port of Gdańsk in Poland.
So, you’ll find many buildings from there that feature in the game and what’s amazing is that you can visit these yourself.
I’m a huge fan of The Witcherverse and I’ve read the books, seen all the TV series and visited many of the filming locations.
I’m also a completionist player of The Witcher 3 racking up hundreds of hours of game time. I love the game with all my heart. It’s the music, characters, stories, magic, Geralt – just everything!
I knew I had to visit a part of The Continent when I was in Poland and it felt like a dream come true.
Here is a guide to Gdańsk in The Witcher and all the places you can visit.
Introducing Novigrad in The Witcher
If you’ve read the books or played the games, then Novigrad will need no introduction.
But, if you’ve watched The Witcher series and are curious to learn more about this magical world then keep reading.
Novigrad is the largest city on The Continent and lies in the wealthy realm of Redania.
It’s a Free City so it’s not subject to the rules of any kingdom. But, it’s a war-torn metropolis that is fought over by the Northern Realms as the territory is a major political chess piece in securing ‘The North’.
The Kingdoms of Redania, Nilfgaard and Temeria all make strategic plans to secure the city on the surface and the criminal underworld is rife with gangs who take advantage of a leader’s absence in the shadows.
All the while, the cult of the Eternal Fire burns brightly, spreading religious propaganda with Witch Hunters burning mages and nonhumans at the stake.
It’s a cocktail of catastrophe but it means lots of quests, contracts and coin for our favourite Witcher, Geralt of River.
Novigrad is mentioned several times in The Witcher books and features heavily in Curse of Crows.
It is also one of the three main regions you play quests in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
From bathhouses to brothels, temples to taverns, dungeons and drowner-filled sewers. There’s a lot to explore in these shady streets by the Pontar.
It’s one of the largest game cities that has ever been created by developers and is frequently voted by players as one of the best of all time.
Is Novigrad a real place?
No, Novigrad is very much a fictional city in The Witcherverse. Saying this, there is a large town called Novigrad of Istria County in Western Croatia.
Many Witcher fans believe that this may have inspired the name of the city from The Witcher books. But, there is no connection to Croatia at all.
Andrzej Sapkowski is a Polish native from the Tri-City area and so it’s assumed that Novigrad and other cities in The Witcher world were based on medieval settlements in Poland.
There are lots of Slavic places named Novigrad or Novograd. It was quite common throughout history to call new settlements ‘New Town’.
This could have been the inspiration for the name. But Sapkowski has never commented on what truly inspired the moniker.
Gdansk in The Witcher – Visit the Free City of Novigrad!
In The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, CD PROJEKT RED and concept artist Andrzej Dybowski based the architecture of Novigrad on the medieval city of Gdańsk in Poland.
Gdańsk was also a port city that was known as the Free City of Danzig once upon a time. Sound familiar?
In years gone by, Gdansk was a settlement dominated by the Kingdom of Prussia in the German Empire. People believe that this was a direct inspiration for the Nilfgaardian Empire.
Like Novigrad, Gdansk had many people fighting over the territory such as Poland and freedom fighters.
In theory, this could have inspired the Guerrilla fighters of Temeria like Vernon Roche.
Also, Redania is thought to have been inspired by Russian forces. At one point, Poland was split between Russian and German authorities.
I guess we’ll never really know all the ins and outs of what inspired each kingdom on The Continent.
It’s Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy world and we just love to speculate on it.
But, what is certain is that you can find buildings in Gdańsk that feature in the game city of Novigrad and visit them for yourself.
The Witcher locations you can visit in Gdańsk
Now, you may not be able to have a chat with Dandelion in The Chameleon or get a terrible haircut from a drunken barber in The Bits.
But, there are lots of buildings in Gdansk that will make you feel like you’ve stepped straight into Novigrad from the game!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably poured your heart out and spent hundreds of hours on The Witcher 3 already.
Well, I can guarantee that visiting this city will be like meeting an old friend.
Here are all the places to experience The Witcher in Gdańsk.
1. Crane on Gdansk Waterfront / Novigrad Docks
The most obvious building in Gdansk which looks like a part of Novigrad is the giant Crane on the Long Waterfront.
It’s a symbol of the city and was first mentioned in records as far back as 1367. Today, it’s home to part of the Polish Maritime Museum.
This crane and the buildings on the waterfront can be seen in The Witcher 3 by heading to Novigrad Docks.
Although you won’t find Crippled Kate’s or The Golden Sturgeon, there are a plethora of restaurants and bars nearby to enjoy a drink on the waterfront.
I also recommend heading to the Hilton Gdansk which has H5 Bar with a rooftop overlooking the docks! They serve the best cocktails.
2. Granary Island
Granary Island can be found by taking a stroll along the Gdansk Waterfront next to the Motława River.
For years, it was the centre of trade and wealth for the city with a large ship harbour, medieval houses, warehouses and workshops.
Like most of the city during WWII, the buildings here were completely levelled and so they were rebuilt in a massive reconstruction project.
Today, It’s lined with timber-framed buildings and houses that look similar to the buildings on the Pontar Delta of Novigrad.
3. Hierarch Square / Prussian Architecture
According to the The Witcher 3 concept art, Andrzej Dybowski wanted a Prussian influence in Novigrad.
A prime example of this would be in Hierarch Square, a main thoroughfare in the game that has a plethora of merchants, Vivaldi Bank, and The Kingfisher Inn.
You can find elements of this Prussian look all over the old city of Gdansk.
Most notably, you can visit Long Market, Mariacka Street and Artus Square with the Neptune Statue.
4. Lover’s Bridge
Another place I recommend visiting in Gdank to feel like you’re in Novigrad is the Lover’s Bridge near The Great Mill.
This area has some beautiful timber-framed buildings which look straight from the medieval era.
My favourite is the House of the Miller’s Guild which sits on the Radunia Canal. Doesn’t that sound so familiar to Redania?
This adorable house with a Prussian Façade was built in 1894 by the Church of St. Catherine.
You can’t go inside but it makes an incredible photo opportunity, so have your camera ready.
5. Danzig/Gdansk Coat of Arms
You’ll see the Coat of Arms of Danzig/Gdańsk scattered around the city including some of the old city gates.
This red coat of arms with two crosses and a gold crown on top has a striking resemblance to the coat of arms for the Free City of Novigrad.
Although they slightly differ in design, the colours and heraldic details on both are too familiar to ignore the connection!
Will Novigrad feature in The Witcher 4?
I was ecstatic to finally watch the new CDPR trailer for The Witcher 4!
Although I am happy to know that Geralt will stay happily retired in Corvo Bianco with Yennefer (in my game anyway), I am sad to see him go.
It looks like it’s going to be a game based on Ciri as a Witcher for the main character.
She’s a monster slayer in an unknown world we’re not sure of yet.
One thing is for certain though, there are still going to be lots of ghouls, hags and wraiths to fight!
As a child of the Elder Blood, Ciri can transport things between realms.
So, is she still working on The Continent or not? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
I do hope that the Free City of Novigrad will feature again in The Witcher 4. It’s one of the best game cities ever created and I love it dearly!
The Witcher 3 came out over a decade ago and is still voted as one of the best open-world RPGs of all time.
Progress with game development has skyrocketed since then. I can’t imagine how amazing Novigrad would look with updated graphics.
Other incredible reasons to visit Gdańsk
Apart from The Witcher connection, Gdańsk is a seriously underrated city to visit in Northern Poland.
It has some of the most gorgeous architecture you can find in the country and there are plenty of things to do on a visit.
You must go to the Town Hall Museum as you can climb its clock tower for romantic views over the city.
You can also visit St Mary’s Church for the astronomical clock show and another tower viewpoint. Just outside is the colourful Royal Chapel.
A popular thing to do is take a boat trip to see the sights from the water.
I loved the Pirate Ship you can take over to Westerplatte where WWII started.
There’s a trail you can follow to learn about the German Invasion of Poland which leads you to the Westerplatte Monument.
If this era of history is something that interests you, make sure to visit the Museum of the Second World War.
I wouldn’t skip a visit to the coast to visit both Sopot and Gdynia! Or, you can take a day trip to Malbork Castle, the largest castle in Poland.
How to visit Gdańsk in Poland
Gdansk is located in the far north of Poland and it’s very easy to arrive there by plane or by train.
I flew into Gdansk with Ryanair from Stockholm but you can also get direct flights to the Tri-City from nearly all British and European airports as well.
If you’re travelling internally, there are high-speed trains that take you straight to Gdansk Glowny from Warsaw and Krakow. You can book tickets on the PKP Intercity Website.
I recommend spending at least a few days there to make the most of a visit as there is lots to see and do.
Are you looking for more of The Witcher in Poland?
Now Gdańsk is just the start of your Witcher adventures that you can have around Poland.
There are lots of other amazing places that have inspired storylines in the books and architecture in the games.
There are even some filming locations and taverns you can visit too.
If you want to see more game inspiration, I would head to the town of Kruszwica which has a medieval castle.
This was the inspiration for Fyke Isle Tower when you helped Keira Metz in the quest A Tower Full of Mice.
Lucian’s Windmill near Farcorners was inspired by the windmill in the Maurzyce Open-Air Museum.
Also, the colourful painted village of Zalipie inspired lots of the painted houses in Velen.
If you want to see some filming locations from The Witcher series I would visit Ogrodzieniec Castle.
This medieval keep featured in the Battle of Sodden Hill at the end of series 1.
One of the best immersive experiences for fans is a Witcher restaurant in Krakow called The Wolf Pit Tavern.
It looks like a tavern from the Witcher games where you can have food over the fire, pay in ducats, practice archery and play a round of Gwent.
Speaking of Krakow, the Wawel Dragon is a popular legend here which inspired a short tale in The Witcher.
You can visit the famous statue that breathes fire and even a dragon’s den where the ferocious monster lived once upon a time.
A golden dragon is mentioned inThe Bounds of Reason, features in the recent TV series, and there’s a reference to this tale in the ‘Contract: Dragon’ quest on Skellige.
Lastly, if you’re heading to Warsaw, you can visit the CDPR Headquarters.
You can only visit the entrance but it does look amazing and has a statue of Geralt fighting a Noon Wraith.
Read more of my The Witcher guides
8 The Witcher Filming Locations you can visit in Wales
How to Visit Plumpton Rocks from The Witcher
Fountains Abbey – Where Yen Saves Cahir
The Witcher filming locations in Gordale Scar
Epic Witcher filming locations in the Lake District
Hodge Close Quarry – Visit Kaer Morhen in the UK
How to find Rydal Cave – The Witcher filming location
How to visit Blea Tarn from The Witcher
Low Force Waterfall – Witcher series 2 filming location
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