The hard part of a hen weekend is not finding something to do. It is that the group usually contains four sets of people who have never met, school friends, university friends, work colleagues, family, and expecting them to bond over a long dinner is optimistic.
A city game solves that specific problem. Small mixed teams, a phone each, a couple of hours walking around a city solving puzzles, and by the time you sit down to eat everyone has something to talk about.
Why it works for this particular group
Nobody has to make conversation from a standing start. There is a task, a route, and a shared reason to talk, which is far easier than being introduced at a bar and trying to find common ground with the bride's cousin.
It also puts the bride at the centre without putting her on the spot. She is not made to perform, wear anything humiliating or ask strangers for things, which is the part of traditional hen games that most brides quietly dread and most guests find uncomfortable to watch.
And it is daylight. Two hours in the afternoon, ending at a bar or a restaurant, gives the weekend a shape rather than a long gap between lunch and going out.
When to schedule it
Mid to late afternoon on the first full day. People have arrived, nobody is tired yet, and it feeds naturally into drinks and dinner. Booking it for the morning after a heavy night is a mistake that organisers only make once.
Most routes take between ninety minutes and two and a half hours, and there is no fixed start time, you begin when everyone has actually turned up, which for a hen party is a considerable advantage. The how it works page explains the format.
Teams: mix them deliberately
Do not let people pick their own teams. Put one person from each friendship group in each team, and give the bride a team that does not include her closest friend. That is the entire trick, and it is the difference between a group that gels and four groups standing near each other.
Teams of four or five work best. Fewer than three feels thin; more than six and someone drifts.
Drinking, honestly
A city game works perfectly well with a drink in hand, and it works better with the drinking after rather than during. Puzzles get harder, walking gets slower, and the whole thing takes twice as long, which is fine if that is the plan, and frustrating if you have a dinner reservation.
Worth remembering too: some of the group may not be drinking, for reasons they may not want to explain. A daytime activity that is genuinely fun sober is one of the kindest things you can put in a hen weekend, and it costs you nothing to plan it that way.
Keeping the cost sane
Hen weekends have a reputation for cost creep, and it is usually justified. A city game is one of the cheaper things you can put in a day, a couple of hours of entertainment for less than most activities charge per person, with no minimum spend and nothing to hire.
Tell the group the total cost up front, in one message, including the meal. People who cannot afford a weekend often say yes anyway and then quietly struggle; a clear number given early lets them make a real choice.
What to leave out
Dares involving strangers. Anything that requires someone to be embarrassed in public. Matching outfits that only one person is comfortable in. Sashes, if the bride has not asked for one.
None of this is prudishness, it is that a hen party is meant to be a good day for the bride, and a surprising number are planned around what the organiser thinks is traditional rather than what the bride would actually enjoy. Ask her. She will tell you.
Where to do it
City games run in cities across Europe and beyond, which makes it easy to build a weekend around a place with cheap flights and good food rather than around the activity. See all the cities we cover, and if the one you have booked is not listed yet, ask us.
For groups over about twenty, or if you want a start time and a finish point coordinated with a restaurant booking, the groups page covers the practical side.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bachelorette city game take?
Usually between ninety minutes and two and a half hours. Teams set their own pace and can stop for a drink along the way.
How many people does it work for?
From about six upwards. Ten to twenty-five is the sweet spot for a hen party; larger groups work with a bit of planning.
Do you need to book a time slot?
No. There is no fixed start time, which matters when half the group is still finishing lunch.
Is it embarrassing for the bride?
No. There are no dares involving strangers and nothing that singles her out. If your group wants that kind of thing, you can add it yourselves.
Can you do it with a drink?
Yes, and teams often stop at a bar mid-route. Just allow more time, and keep the dinner reservation later than you think you need.
What if it rains?
It still runs, and teams can shelter or pause. Umbrellas and a shorter route are the usual answer.
Plan the afternoon, then let it run
The best hen weekends have one good anchor activity and a lot of unstructured time around it. For more ideas on a group day out, read a day out with friends in Amsterdam, or get in touch and we will help you fit it around the rest of the weekend.