Secrets of · Scavenger hunt

Secrets of Amsterdam Museum Quarter Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour

4.4 on Google (24 reviews)

Candid travelers playing a self-guided City Game at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Netherlands.

Candid travelers playing a self-guided City Game at Museumplein, Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Netherlands.

Candid travelers playing a self-guided City Game at Rijksmuseum Gardens, Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Netherlands.

Candid travelers playing a self-guided City Game at Rijksmuseum Passage, Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Netherlands.

Candid travelers playing a self-guided City Game at Spiegelgracht, Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Netherlands.

1.5–2 hours
A different story in every city, with its own characters: every city is a new game.
1–4 players per team
On your own phone, no app
Language of the game: English +2
Start any time within 12 months
Free cancellation until you start

Explore the Amsterdam Museum Quarter on a self-guided walking tour around Museumplein, solving puzzles and photo tasks along the route.

On the route

8 places, in this order

Moco Museum
Rijksmuseum
Leidseplein
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
Melkweg
Concertgebouw
Museum Square
Van Gogh Museum

Secrets of Amsterdam Museum Quarter Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour

Step into the story

His people have hidden its ten pages around the museums for the handover. Find them first. No letter, no sale.

There was a third panel. I never sent it, and I never posted the letter I wrote about it.

1.5–2 hours
1–4 players per team

Start the mission

It begins
Vincent van Gogh. Painter. In my lifetime I sold almost nothing.
It goes wrong
This week both turned up in an attic in this quarter. A dealer they call Hammer took them. At midnight he sells the panel, and his buyer pays only with my letter as proof.
Your move
In 1885 this was the ground behind a brand-new museum, where a World Exhibition had stood two years before.

Secrets of Amsterdam Museum Quarter hands you the streets of the Museum Quarter as a puzzle. It is a self-guided scavenger hunt on your own phone, no guide, no group, no departure time.

The game reads your position, so each location arrives with its own riddle, puzzle or photograph to take. None of it can be answered from a screen, what you need is in front of you in the Museum Quarter, in whatever happens to be standing there. You finish knowing a set of things most residents never picked up.

Museumplein & Rijksmuseum Entrance, Hobbemakade Canal Viewpoint and The Concertgebouw are on the route, and the stretches between them matter just as much: everything you are looking for is in plain sight and ignored by everyone else.

You also reach Van Baerlestraat Tram Stop and Vondelpark Entrance. Everyone works out soon enough that the useful detail is never the obvious one.

A Self-Guided Tour of Amsterdam That Asks the Questions

Everything a self-guided tour of the Museum Quarter gives you, minus the narration. The route is real and so is the history behind it, but you get at it by solving rather than listening, and nobody is standing at the front of a group. You walk, you look, you work it out. Intermediate difficulty, so most things fall and the rest makes for a decent argument. Riddles, code-breaking, and photographs you would not have taken.

Had great fun playing secrets of Haarlem!

Martin M.

Planning a Fun Scavenger Hunt in Amsterdam?

This is one, already built. Setting it up is a date and a link: book, open the link in your browser, begin when you feel like it. Nothing gets printed, nothing gets hidden beforehand and no list gets written, because the route through the Museum Quarter, the riddles and the photo tasks all exist, about two hours over 3 to 4 km on foot. One ticket is €19.95 and covers up to four people on one phone. It is the same evening you were going to spend writing clues, spent walking instead.

An Outdoor Scavenger Hunt That Works for Any Group in Amsterdam

Teams. A corporate scavenger hunt that needs no facilitator, no room booking and no scheduled start. Buy one ticket per four people, send the teams into the Museum Quarter on the same route, and compare who found what. Running several groups at once is what turns it into a competition.

Adults. Nothing about this resembles a printable list of things to find. It runs at intermediate difficulty, the riddles want things read properly rather than glanced at, and two hours passes without anyone checking their phone for other reasons.

Families. Children walk it without trouble and are usually the fastest at the photo tasks. The riddles are the part you solve together, which is what makes it work for a group with a wide spread of ages.

Couples and friends. A self guided tour with nobody to follow and nothing to keep up with. You choose the pace and the stops, and you come away with facts about the Museum Quarter that would surprise a local.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Secrets exploration game work?

It runs in your browser. After booking you get a link, walk to the starting point in the Museum Quarter and begin. The game reads your location, gives you that spot's riddle, puzzle or photo task, and unlocks the next one when you have it.

Is this a walking tour or a game?

Both, deliberately. On distance and route it is a walking tour of the Museum Quarter; on content it is a puzzle. The history arrives through the riddles rather than through a guide, and there is nobody to follow.

What do we need to bring?

A charged phone and shoes you can walk 3 to 4 km in. You get a link when you book and open the game in your browser at the starting point, there is nothing to print, nothing to hide in advance and no equipment to collect.

How long does it take?

Two hours is typical, over a 3 to 4 km route. There is no clock and no scheduled departure, you fix the day when you book and start whenever you want on it.

How many people can play on one ticket?

Between one and four people share a single phone on one €19.95 ticket. Beyond four, take a second ticket, two groups on the same route can race each other, which is the better way to do it anyway.

Is it hard?

Intermediate. Observation and sideways thinking do the work; you do not need to know the city, and nothing on the route is built to stop you permanently.

Is it suitable for children?

Yes, the 3 to 4 km is no obstacle and the photo tasks are where younger players get ahead. The riddles sit at intermediate, so families tend to solve them as a group, which is the intended way round.

Do we need to book a time slot?

No, only a date. The hour you actually begin is yours, and there is nobody waiting: no meeting point, no guide, no group.

What happens if it rains?

Rain is a pause, not a problem. Duck inside, let it pass, and carry on from the stop you were at, nothing is counting down.

Will we actually learn something about the Museum Quarter?

It is the whole design. Every riddle sits on something real, the history of the Museum Quarter, the people in it, the details nobody points out, so you come away with more than a visitor normally does. If a plot appeals more than a route, the other city games in Amsterdam have one.

More City Games: city games across the Netherlands · Secrets of Middelburg

How it works

BookYour ticket arrives by email.
Go to the startThe start point is in your email. Any day within 12 months.
PlayOpen the link on one phone per team and press start.

What players in other cities say

4.4 on Google (24 reviews)

★★★★★
Wir (Mein Mann, unsere 9-jährige Tochter und ich) haben heute ganz spontan das Spiel "Moordmysterie Düsseldorf" gebucht und gespielt. Die Buchung verlief schnell und reibungslos. Es hat super viel Spaß gemacht! Die Story, die Rätsel, das Konzept, die Route, die Gestaltung der App... richtig gut!!! Das Spiel würde ich vor allem Familien mit Kindern empfehlen. Für Erwachsene waren die Rätsel (meiner Meinung nach) zu einfach. Aber trotzdem wegen der schönen Route durch Düsseldorf, der Story, den lustigen Anweisungen zwischendurch eine schöne Aktion, die man zusammen machen kann.
Lingling Z.October 2026 · via google
★★★★★
Had great fun playing secrets of Haarlem!
Martin M.March 2026 · via google
★★★★★
Game in Amsterdam was fun!
Enzo L.March 2026 · via google
★★★★★
Had So much fun playing while exploring the city
Philip C.March 2026 · via google
★★★★★
I had a fantastic experience with CityGame! The concept is creative, engaging, and a great way to explore a city in a completely new way. The games are well-designed, combining puzzles, storytelling, and adventure so you’re constantly discovering something interesting around every corner. What I especially love is how CityGame turns a normal walk through the city into an interactive experience. It’s perfect for friends, families, or team outings, and it makes sightseeing much more exciting than the usual tours. Everything was easy to use, the challenges were fun and clever, and it really encouraged us to look closer at the city and its hidden details. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a unique and memorable way to explore!
Jessica S.March 2026 · via google
★★★★★
This is an interesting way to conduct a self-guided Amsterdam city tour. It used the GPS on your phone to guide you to stops on a route. There are mini quizzes once you arrive at the stops on the path. The quizzes draw your attention to features in front of you or to a brief history of the place. In many cases, we visited a spot that would not have been obvious as a regular passer by. The tour as a whole was interesting to us as newcomers, but I would have liked more information on many locations we visited - a few links outside of the app for each place would have been helpful. Beyond that, the interface was a bit clunky and sometimes awkward to navigate. We definitely don't regret trying this out and feel like we got our money's worth on the experience.
JaibhijaiJune 2024 · via google

How we check reviews

These reviews were left by players on Google and other review sites and are copied from there as they are, with their source.

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