How to Find Whiterun in Skyrim

Last Updated: November 5, 2020

After you’ve managed to fight your way out of Helgen, the entire world of Skyrim is opened up. This can be a bit daunting for new players, as it’s quite an open world with nearly endless paths to tread. You can reach Whiterun at the beginning of the game, as it is the first major city the player is prompted to visit. However, getting there will differ a bit depending on who you decided to follow during your escape from Helgen.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Finding Whiterun by Following Hadvar

1
Make sure to keep following Hadvar. It may be tempting to sprint away from your guide the moment you’re free, just be a bit more patient.
2
Be careful. There are plenty of dangerous creatures and bandits lurking along the forests and roads of Skyrim. At such a low level, you have a very slim chance of being able to defeat these foes

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3
Open the Quests menu. If you somehow lose track of Hadvar, you can use the game’s compass to find Riverwood. Open the Journal by pressing Start (on PS3 or Xbox 360), or the ESC key if you’re playing on a PC/Mac. This should bring up a list of your current quests.
4
Activate “Before the Storm.” Select the quest “Before the Storm” by hitting either the X/A button, or by simply clicking it. This will make it an active quest, spawning a white map marker in the location you need to go.
- It is possible to have multiple quests active at once.
5
Locate the white arrow. Exit the Journal, and look around using the Right Toggle Stick/Mouse, keeping an eye on the black compass bar at the top of the screen as you do so. Find the white arrow indicated on the compass.
6
Head to Riverwood. Once you spot the white arrow, head in that direction, and you will eventually arrive at Riverwood.
7
Speak with Alvor. Once you’ve successfully arrived in Riverwood, you will be prompted to speak to the local blacksmith, Alvor.
- Hadvar will lead you to him, so don’t worry about trying to find him.
- At first Alvor will be suspicious, as Riverwood doesn’t get many visitors.
8
Know where Whiterun is. Tell Alvor that you helped Hadvar. He should direct you to inform the Jarl of Whiterun about the dragon attack. This conversation will update your quest Journal and, if you’ve activated it, will move the quest marker to Whiterun.
9
Follow the quest marker on your compass. Luckily, the trek from Riverwood to Whiterun isn’t terribly far. Simply head North out of town, and cross a few bridges. There’s even a stone path to help guide the way. If you get lost, follow the map marker/quest marker on your compass.
- The trip will go more quickly if you sprint, which can be done by holding down the L2/LB button or the ALT key.
- It should be noted that sprinting uses up stamina (the green bar in the lower left-hand corner). If you still have a torch from Helgen, you can hold it while running, which will allow you to continue sprinting even if your stamina runs out.
- You may encounter some wolves, but there are no powerful enemies to worry about.
10
Locate the city’s gate. After a few minutes of sprinting, you should see a large wall with several buildings inside on the horizon; that’s Whiterun. Traipse through the Whiterun stables, approaching the large stone gate guarding the town, and follow the winding road up to the open drawbridge.
11
Enter Whiterun. Once you reach the wooden gates, a guard will stop you in your path, and inform you that the city is closed. Simply tell him that you have news of the dragon, and he will let you enter.
- Now whenever you wish to travel to Whiterun, simply open the map, select the city, and fast travel there. You will no longer need to answer to the guards.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Finding Whiterun by Following Ralof

1
Make sure to keep following Ralof. It may be tempting to sprint away from your guide the moment you’re free, just be a bit more patient.
2
Be careful. There are plenty of dangerous creatures and bandits lurking along the forests and roads of Skyrim. At such a low level, you have a very slim chance of being able to defeat these foes.
3
Open the Quests menu. If you somehow lose track of Ralof, you can use the game’s compass to find Riverwood. Open the Journal by pressing Start (on PS3 or Xbox 360), or the ESC key if you’re playing on a PC/Mac. This should bring up a list of your current quests.
4
Activate “Before the Storm.” Select the quest “Before the Storm” by hitting either the X/A button, or by simply clicking it. This will make it an active quest, spawning a white map marker in the location you need to go.
- It is possible to have multiple quests active at once.
5
Locate the white arrow. Exit the Journal, and look around using the Right Toggle Stick/Mouse, keeping an eye on the black compass bar at the top of the screen as you do so. Find the white arrow indicated on the compass.
6
Head to Riverwood. Once you spot the white arrow, head in that direction, and you will eventually arrive at Riverwood.
7
Speak with Gerdur. Once you’ve arrived in Riverwood, you will be prompted to speak with the lumberjack, Gerdur. Ralof will lead you to her.
- At first she will be suspicious of you; make sure to inform her of the dragon attack on Helgen. She will warm up to you once you reveal that you and Ralof escaped together, and insist that you go inform the Jarl of Whiterun.
8
Know where Whiterun is. After your conversation , Gerdur will offer you items from her inventory. This conversation will update your quest journal, and move your quest marker to Whiterun.
9
Follow the quest marker on your compass. Luckily, the trek from Riverwood to Whiterun isn’t terribly far. Simply head North out of town, and cross a few bridges. There’s even a stone path to help guide the way. If you get lost, follow the map marker/quest marker on your compass.
- The trip will go more quickly if you sprint, which can be done by holding down the L2/LB button or the ALT key.
- It should be noted that sprinting uses up stamina (the green bar in the lower left-hand corner) If you still have a torch from Helgen, you can hold it while running, which will allow you to continue sprinting even if your stamina runs out.
- You may encounter some wolves, but there are no powerful enemies to worry about.
10
Locate the city’s gate. After a few minutes of sprinting, you should see a large wall with several buildings inside on the horizon; that’s Whiterun. Traipse through the Whiterun stables, approaching the large stone gate guarding the town, and follow the winding road up to the open drawbridge.
11
Enter Whiterun. Once you reach the wooden gates, a guard will stop you in your path, and inform you that the city is closed. Simply tell him that you have news of the dragon, and he will let you enter.
- Now whenever you wish to travel to Whiterun, simply open the map, select the city, and fast travel there. You will no longer need to answer to the guards.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Placing a Map Marker over Whiterun

Map markers are incredibly helpful for finding new areas, or for finding specific, smaller locations. If you did not activate the quest, you can mark Whiterun on your map instead.

1
Open the menu. You can open the menu with the O button/B button/Tab key.
2
Go to Map. From the options in the menu, select “Map.”
3
Locate Whiterun. If you scroll upwards (using your mouse of Right Toggle Stick), you should see a large icon that somewhat resembles a lion. This is Whiterun.
4
Mark Whiterun. Hit the appropriate button to move the map marker here (X/A button, or simply click it).
5
Proceed to Whiterun. Once you’ve marked the location on your map, head in the direction of the marker.
- If you spin your camera around using the Toggle sticks/Mouse you should notice the icons on the black bar at the top of the screen change. This is your compass. Once the light blue arrow comes into view, head in that direction (this should be north).