Edinburgh is the rare city where the interesting parts are literally hidden. The Old Town is built on a ridge, so the closes running off the Royal Mile drop away steeply into stairs, courtyards and vaults, and streets that look like ground level are in places the roof of something older.
That vertical layering makes it excellent territory for a quest: a route on your phone, played in teams, where each stop holds a question you can only answer by standing there and looking. Half the answers in Edinburgh are down an alley someone would otherwise walk straight past.
What the Old Town hides
The closes. Dozens of narrow passages run off the Royal Mile, each named after a trade or a person who lived there. Most visitors use two of them. The rest are quiet in the middle of the busiest street in Scotland.
Greyfriars Kirkyard. A graveyard in the middle of the city, with a set of names on the stones that will look familiar to anyone who has read a certain series of books – the author lived nearby while writing.
The Heart of Midlothian. A mosaic heart set into the pavement outside St Giles’, marking the site of an old tolbooth and prison. Locals traditionally spit on it. Visitors photograph it without knowing why it is there.
The New Town. A planned Georgian grid begun in the eighteenth century, and the deliberate opposite of the medieval tangle above it. Walking from one into the other in five minutes is the single clearest lesson in urban history you can get on foot.
How a quest runs
You choose where and when to start. The story loads on one phone per team and sends you to the first location, where the app asks something the place answers: a date over a doorway, the number of steps in a close, a name carved on a stone.
Correct answer, next stop unlocks. Wrong answer costs points, not the game. Two hours later everyone reaches the same finish with a score to compare. Details on the how it works page.
Which route to choose
The Old Town for density and atmosphere: the Royal Mile, the closes, Grassmarket, Greyfriars. Compact, but expect stairs and a gradient.
The New Town for a flatter, quieter route through Georgian streets and circuses, with far fewer people in it.
Both, if the group is up for it. The walk between them takes ten minutes and is itself the point – two completely different cities separated by a bridge and a park.
Practical notes for Edinburgh specifically
The hills are real. The Old Town has steep closes and long flights of steps. If anyone in the group cannot manage stairs comfortably, choose a New Town route instead. This is the one city where that matters more than distance.
Weather changes fast. Take a waterproof in any month. Rain here tends to be brief and horizontal rather than heavy, and the Old Town has shelter every fifty metres.
August is different. During the festival the Royal Mile is impassable in the afternoon. Play early in the day or choose a route away from the centre.
For a group, split into teams of four to six all playing the same route. Our groups and companies page covers larger bookings, and there is more on choosing by group size in our piece on group activities.
Frequently asked questions
What is a quest in Edinburgh?
A self-guided route through the city played on a phone in teams, where each location holds a puzzle that must be solved on the spot before the next unlocks. No guide, no fixed start time.
How long does it take?
Around two hours of play covering two to four kilometres. Allow three hours in total including gathering and a finish.
How steep is it?
The Old Town is genuinely steep in places, with staircases between levels. The New Town is close to flat. Choose accordingly rather than hoping for the best.
Is it worth doing in the rain?
Yes. Edinburgh rain is usually short, and the Old Town is full of covered closes and doorways. Heavy rain is worth moving – you set your own start time.
Is it suitable for children?
From about eight years old with an adult in the team. The Old Town’s stories are a good deal darker than most cities, which many children enjoy but is worth knowing.
When should you avoid the centre?
Afternoons in August, during the festival. Mornings are fine even then.
Playing in Edinburgh
See what is currently running on our locations page, or tell us about your group through the contact page.
