Secrets of · Scavenger hunt

Secrets of Emmen Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour

4.4 on Google (24 reviews)

A solo player follows a smartphone clue during a City Game Emmen City Quest at the monumental former zoo entrance.

Friends celebrate a solved clue during a City Game Emmen Escape Game at the historic Villa Lindenhof.

Friends follow a smartphone clue during a City Game Emmen Exploration Game at the modern ATLAS Theater.

Friends solve a smartphone clue during a City Game Emmen Scavenger Hunt at the landmark Grote Kerk.

Friends discover the former zoo grounds during a City Game Emmen Self-Guided Tour at Rensenpark.

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 Emmen on a self-guided exploration game that starts at Emmen station and guides you through the centre with puzzles and photo tasks.

On the route

17 places, in this order

Grote of Pancratiuskerk
Atlas Theater
Eva (1968) by Hans Ittman
Veen (Peat Garden)
Raadhuisplein
Rensenpark
Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art
Akka's Stadsboerderij
Rensen Theater Emmen
Former District Court
Standbeeld Wiardus Willem van Haersma Buma
Dutch Reformed Church
Regenboogfestival Spot
Synagoge Emmen
Indië-monument
Winkelcentrum de Weiert
Wildlands Adventure Zoo

Secrets of Emmen Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour

Step into the story

Find my pages first.

What is not in the report: what else I found in that sand, and where I left it.

1.5–2 hours
1–4 players per team

Start the mission

It begins
Albert Egges van Giffen. Archaeologist. I measured, photographed and numbered every hunebed in this country. The numbers on the signs, D41, D43, D45: mine.
It goes wrong
I wrote it in my field book, tore out fourteen pages and hid them in Emmen. Tonight a stone dealer they call the Driller is after them. If he reads them first, he digs before midnight and Emmen loses something it can never get back.
Your move
The end of the line. Every train turns back here; you go on, on foot.

A scavenger hunt that uses the streets themselves as its board: Secrets of Emmen runs on your own phone, starts when you say so, and takes exactly as long as you let it.

Everything runs off your location. Stand somewhere that matters in Emmen and the game opens that spot's riddle, puzzle or photo task, and the only way through is to look up. Nothing is solvable from the screen. Two hours later you are the one in the group explaining the place to everyone else.

Grote of Pancratiuskerk, Atlas Theater and Eva (1968) by Hans Ittman are among the places you reach. The finding mostly happens in between, and none of it can be answered without actually standing there.

Other stops include Veen (Peat Garden) and Raadhuisplein, enough of them that the group ends up arguing about answers rather than asking what to do next.

A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Emmen, With Riddles Instead of a Guide

A self-guided tour with the guide replaced by riddles. The route through Emmen is real, the history is real, and the difference is that you dig it out instead of being handed it, no commentary, no umbrella to follow, nobody held up at the back. Intermediate difficulty: most groups solve most of it, and the rest is a good argument. Riddles, code-breaking, and photographs you would otherwise never have taken.

Had great fun playing secrets of Haarlem!

Martin M.

Want to Plan a Fun Scavenger Hunt in Emmen?

You have found one. It takes a minute: pick a date, open the play link from your email, start when you want. No printing, no hiding things in advance, no list to compile, the route, the riddles and the photo tasks are already laid out across Emmen, roughly two hours and 3 to 4 km of walking. A single ticket at €19.95 covers four people sharing one phone.

A Scavenger Hunt for Adults, Teams and Families in Emmen

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.

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 Emmen that would surprise a local.

Teams. One ticket covers four people, so a department divides straight into groups running the identical route through Emmen. No host to hire, no venue to reserve.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Secrets exploration game work?

It runs in the browser on your phone. After booking you get a link, walk to the starting point in Emmen 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, and that is the point. It follows a walking route through Emmen the way a self-guided walking tour does, and you pick up the history as you go, but instead of a commentary in your ear you get riddles to solve. Nobody walks in front of you holding a sign.

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 play link at the starting point, there is nothing to print, nothing to hide in advance and no equipment to collect.

How long does it take?

About two hours, covering 3 to 4 km on foot. There is no time limit and no fixed start, you pick a date when booking and then begin whenever suits you on that date, so a slow group simply takes longer.

How many people can play on one ticket?

One ticket covers a group of 1 to 4 people playing on one device, at €19.95 in total. Groups larger than four buy a second ticket, which also lets them play against each other.

Is it hard?

It sits at intermediate. What it asks for is attention and lateral thinking rather than local knowledge, and no riddle is obscure enough to end the afternoon.

Is it suitable for children?

Yes. The distance is ordinary walking for them and they are normally first through the photo tasks. Intermediate riddles mean the family works them out together, which is how it is designed.

Do we need to book a time?

No. You choose a date when booking, then start at whatever time you like on that date. There is no meeting point, no guide and no group to join.

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 Emmen?

That is the point of this one. The riddles are built on the history, the characters and the odd details of Emmen, so you finish knowing things most visitors never find out. If you would rather have a story than a tour, look at the other city games in Emmen instead.

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

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.