The Witcher season 3’s filming locations continue to expand Netflix’s version of the Continent, first described in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher books. In addition to Geralt of Rivia and all the beloved The Witcher characters, part of what makes The Witcher’s world so rich is its setting. Geralt’s journey involves several different parts of The Witcher’s fictional Continent, allowing the Netflix series to explore different sets and shooting locations at each season.
The Witcher season 2 begin filming shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic started and had to be paused. As a result, when filming resumed, The Witcher season 2 was shot in the UK only at oppose to season 1’s global scale. Likewise, most scenes were shot inside the Arborfield Film Studios rather than on location. This changed for The Witcher season 3, which was closer to season 1 in terms of the scale. Here are all known The Witcher season 3 shooting locations.
Ice Lake - Laghi di Fusine, Tarvisio, Italy
On April 4, 2022, The Witcher season 3 officially started filming, as revealed by the show’s Twitter account with a behind-the-scenes image of Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.
The picture was taken in the Laghi di Fusi in Tarvision, Italy. The Witcher season 2 ended with Geralt and Yennefer putting their problems aside to focus on training and protecting Ciri, which is why The Witcher’s trio is presumably together when The Witcher season 3 begins. The Witcher season 3’s trailers confirm that Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri will move from one location to another to protect Ciri, and the Ice Lake must be part of their journey.
Emperor Emhyr’s Nilfgaard Palace - Guildford Cathedral, Guildford, Surrey, England
The Witcher season 2’s ending revealed that Emperor Emhyr var Emreis of Nilfgaard, the White Flame, is Ciri’s father. This set up a larger role for Emhyr in The Witcher season 3 The Guildford Cathedral in Surrey, England, became Emperor Emhyr’s palace for The Witcher season 3, presumably for both exterior and interior shots. The Guildford Cathedral was recently used in Netflix’s The Sandman to create the Dream Palace. An exterior shot of Emhyr’s palace appears in The Witcher season 3’s trailer. The interior of Emhyr’s palace briefly appeared in The Witcher season 2’s finale, yet it was shot inside a studio.
Thanedd Island - Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Swansea, Wales
The Thanedd Island, where the Aretuza academy is located, is set to be one of the main The Witcher season 3 locations. The Witcher season 3 is adapting Time of Contempt, which focuses quite a lot on the mages. Unlike The Witcher novels, which only really visited Aretuza in Time of Contempt, Netflix’s The Witcher has been featuring the Thanedd Island since season 1. However, both in season 1 and season 2, Aretuza was portrayed through an exterior CG shot as well as scenes filmed inside a studio.
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The Witcher season 3 is using the Three Cliffs Bay in Swansea, Wales, to portray Thanedd Island more tangibly. Considering how important Thanedd is for the book The Witcher season 3 covers, it makes sense for the areas outside of Aretuza to be expanded into an actual location. The Witcher season 3 trailer reveals a few scenes in Aretuza and the Thanedd Island, where presumably a significant portion of the season will take place, according to the events of Time of Contempt.
Belleteyn Festival - Strawberry Hill Ponds, London, England
The Belleteyn is a festival within The Witcher’s universe that appeared for the first time in Sword of Destiny. The Witcher season 3 will have a live-action version of the Belleteyn, as revealed through official behind-the-scenes images and the trailers. The set for the Belleteyn festival, which was expected to appear much earlier in the series considering Geralt and Yennefer's story in the books, was built on the Strawberry Hill Ponds in London, England. The Witcher producer Steve Gaub (@stevegaub) shared a behind-the-scenes look at the location, which can be seen in The Witcher season 3’s trailers.
House By The Lake - Stara Baska, Krk Island, Croatia
The Witcher season 3’s trailer sees Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri getting ready to move from one place to another after what appears to be their house was burned. This segment was filmed in Stara Baska, located on Krk Island, Croatia. Pretty much every faction of the Continent – as well as the Wild Hunt – is looking for Cirila of Cintra. Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are now massive targets for bounty hunters, Northern Kingdom soldiers, and Nilfgaard loyalists. Therefore, this house seen in the trailer, as well as their family bonding moments, will likely not last long.
Seaport - Nash Point Lighthouse, Glamorgan Heritage Coast, South Wales
The Witcher season 3 will see Geralt, Ciri, and Jaskier fighting a new monster inside a ship. This scene was revealed by the trailer, followed by another sequence that shows Geralt, Ciri, and Jaskier heading toward a seaport before getting into the ship. This seaport was filmed around the Nash Point Lighthouse in Glamorgan Heritage Coast, South Wales.
Longcross Studios, Surrey, England
While The Witcher season 3 was filmed on location a lot more than the previous season, some scenes were still shot inside a studio. More specifically, Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, was the center of The Witcher season 3’s production. Therefore, any interior scenes from The Witcher season 3 were likely filmed at Longcross Studios. This includes moments revealed by the trailers, such as Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer passing by The Rose of Shaerrawaedd statue; Gerald and Ciri fighting on a boat; and the interior of the Aretuza academy. Aretuza will play a significant role in The Witcher season 3’s adaptation of Time of Contempt.
Sources: The Witcher (@witchernetflix), Steve Gaub (@stevegaub)
