From the nine holds introduced in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Haafingar is undoubtedly the one that's least talked about — and for good reason. There isn't much to see here, due to it being geographically the smallest hold. That being said, its main city, Solitude, is the biggest in all of Skyrim, which compensates for the lack of land the hold actually owns.
Haafingar covers the northwestern end of the province, a snowy and somewhat mountainous area that's hard to get to. Some areas of interests include the Solitude lighthouse, as well as the Thalmor Embassy. However, players wanting to become Skyrim tourists should consider checking out some of its lesser-known sights and locations.
10 Pinemoon Bear Lair
Located northwest of Dragon's Bridge up on the mountains, a small alcove is hidden in the side of the rocky hillside, covered partially by trees. There's nothing immensely special about this place, but it's a nice location for any hunters wanting to get their hands on bear pelt.
A bear is guarding this nest, and once killed, the player can also loot the bear's previous victim, a dead bandit. In terms of loot it's not a spectacular area, but it's certainly a spot where players can expect to encounter a bear.
9 Reeking Cave
This cave is most likely not going to be accessed by players until they actually arrive to the Thalmor Embassy and complete the Diplomatic Immunity quest. During this quest, they'll end up escaping the embassy by taking the cave through a trapdoor.
The cave isn't marked, but it can be found northwest of the embassy itself. Keep in mind that a Frost Troll will be waiting anyone unfortunate enough to wander inside unprepared. There's an Illusion skill book here, as well as a Stone of Barenziah for the No Stone Unturned quest as notable items.
8 Fool's Gold Island
In the sea north of the hold, directly west of Broken Oar Grotto, players will come across a lone island with a tattered flag as a marking and a skeleton clutching onto it. This little island has gained its own little name, namely due to the gold ore veins that litter the area and make it a great location to visit for any Smithing experts.
There are a few mudcrabs waiting for the player as soon as they approach the island, as well as a bunch of alchemy ingredients scattered around. In terms of loot, it's not the best spot, but it's still a great location for mining gold ore.
7 Haafingar Sabre Cat Lair
Close to the Reeking Cave is another alcove occupied with some highly dangerous local fauna. Two sabre cats will be guarding the area, which might prove a challenge for beginners or players who are extremely low level and happen to stumble across this spot.
Once the sabre cats are defeated, the player can loot an Argonian corpse, as well as grab a coin purse from the ground. There's also a skill book for any aspiring thieves, titled Guide to Better Thieving, which will boost Pickpocket skill.
6 Forsworn Ambush Camp
From Volskygge, head southwest to come across a camp of Forsworn. Be careful not to enter through a passageway, as the way in is riddled with a bunch of bear traps, and even has the body of a dead Nord lying near them.
There's only one tent, but it's still a decent place to loot after killing the local Forsworn people. There's a chest with some random goods, as well as a coin purse. The Forsworn themselves shouldn't be too much of a problem to defeat, even at lower levels.
5 Couldn't Be Bothered Cave
There are many things in Skyrim that were cut or never properly deleted, either due to lack of time or because they weren't noticed before release. The famous Couldn't Be Bothered Cave is one of them, and has puzzled fans for years.
Head west from Pinefrost Tower. There will be a straight path that can be followed towards the west end of the entire province. On the way, players will be able to spot the entrance of a cave with wind blowing from the inside, but with no real way to enter. It seems the developers never deleted this entrance, but simply made it lead nowhere. It's a cool Easter egg to go and visit.
4 Clam Digger's Camp
Players looking to get their hands on clams only need to walk north from Northwatch Keep until they come across a small encampment with a single tent and a fire next to a set of rocks. On these rocks, a bunch of clams can be found and harvested.
A few Nirnroot and Mora Tapinella mushroom can be discovered around here as well, and by the cooking area the player can find even more clam meat. This is a great place for some ingredients above all, but nothing extremely valuable in terms of loot.
3 Haafingar Nordic Burial Ruins
Northwest of Solitude, up in the mountains is a small hidden area with nothing special about it, but still a cool sight to see. It can be discovered by taking the road to the Thalmor embassy and then turning east from the embassy itself.
It's possible these sets of rocks are indicating that some sort of a burial or temple ground were meant to be used in a dungeon by the developers, but just like the Couldn't Be Bothered Cave were left untouched and unused instead, resulting in this impressive sight.
2 Pincushion Peter
Between the embassy and the Sabre Cat Lair is a pretty gruesome sight that players can find buried halfway into the snow. The ground is colored red underneath a skeleton, which looks to have been stabbed multiple times by various weapons.
A bunch of cool loot can be found here, including a Staff of Fireballs, a knapsack with random items, and of course the various weapons attached to the skeleton. The enchanted Iron Battleaxe of Dismay can be found here, as well as a Light Armor book titled The Rear Guard.
1 Howling Wolf's Folly
Located almost next to Steepfall Burrow on the northern shore of Haafingar is a broken down tower and a stone path leading up to it. Tread carefully, however, because as indicated by the splattered blood on the snow, there's a deadly enemy lurking around.
A Frost Troll is guarding this small den, in which two dead deer and a Stormcloak warrior can be found. Once the troll is down, they can all be looted, on top of grabbing the Lockpicking book lying around, titled Proper Lock Design.