Secrets of · Scavenger hunt
Secrets of Hoorn Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour
1.5–2 hours · 1–4 players per team · free Loquiz app€19.95 per team
The Syndicate · Outdoor escape game
Self-Guided The Hoorn Syndicate City Escape Game
- 1.5–2 hours
- 1–5 players per team
- In the free Loquiz app on your phone
- Start any time within 12 months
- Free cancellation until you start
Track Magnus and the stolen formulas through Hoorn on foot, from Kerkplein past the Oosterkerk to the Hoofdtoren, at your own pace.
The formulas are gone, Magnus took them, and the last place anyone saw him was Hoorn. That is as much as anyone can tell you.
The Syndicate is a code breaking game you play outdoors, on your own phone, at your own pace, with Hoorn as the board. Loquiz handles the positioning — the game knows where you are and every location has its own riddle, code or photo task waiting. Because each player takes a character with a role in the mission, the group works the case together instead of watching one person work it.
Expect Grote Kerk, Statenpoort and Noorderveemarkt along the way, among others. What you need is never in the app — it is at the location, and it rewards anyone who actually stops to look.
Hoofdtoren and Oosterkerk are on the list too. Everyone works out soon enough that the useful detail is never the obvious one.
The Outdoor Escape Game Version, on the Streets of Hoorn
This is what an outdoor escape game buys you over the indoor kind: the same ciphers and the same locked-logic thinking, but the sky instead of a ceiling and real doorways instead of set dressing. You are not sealed into a room for two hours, you walk 3 to 4 km through Hoorn, and no host appears to hurry you up or hand over a clue. When a puzzle beats you, you take it with you to the next corner.
A Team Building Escape Game You Can Organise in Hoorn Today
This one takes about a minute to organise: book a date, send the link, and let the teams start when they are ready. There is nothing to book a room for, nobody to hire and no schedule to hold everyone to — the case, the route and the puzzles are already built around Hoorn, and it runs about two hours over 3 to 4 km on foot. One ticket covers a group of two to five people on a single phone for €19.95, so a department of twenty is four tickets and four teams racing the same case. If you have been asked for company outing ideas and would rather not book another restaurant, this is the version where somebody else did the work.
An Undercover Mission for Teams, Friends and Families in Hoorn
Families. From roughly eight years old it lands properly, and the 3 to 4 km is an ordinary afternoon's walking. The youngest player is reliably the one who notices the thing on the wall, and cracking the codes is a joint effort.
Teams. Nothing to facilitate, nothing to reserve, no start time to police. One ticket per five colleagues, every group loose in Hoorn on the identical case, and a comparison at the end of it. Several teams running at once is what makes it competitive, and competitive is what separates this from another afternoon that has to be organised.
Friends. Each of you plays a character with an actual role, so the group does not quietly hand the puzzles to whoever is quickest. A theft to unravel, streets to search and nobody timing you.
Couples and pairs. The whole case fits on one phone between two of you at €19.95. Nobody to tag along with, nothing to catch, no guide — you decide how fast it goes and where it pauses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Syndicate city escape game work?
It runs in the Loquiz app on your own phone. After booking you get a link, you walk to the starting point in Hoorn, and the game picks you up from your position. Each location has one thing to crack, and each thing cracked unlocks the next location, all the way to Magnus.
What is the story?
The formulas are gone, Magnus took them, and every hour he keeps them is an hour closer to them being gone for good. Everyone in the group has a character with their own part to play — the reason this reads as a story rather than a puzzle list.
Is this an escape room?
No. No room, no door, no host watching a monitor. What you get instead is an outdoor escape game on the open street, with the puzzle logic of an escape room and none of the ceiling.
How long does it take?
It runs 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?
€19.95 buys one ticket, one phone and two to five people around it. Bigger groups split across two tickets, and two teams working the identical case against each other is how most of them prefer it.
Is it hard?
The difficulty is intermediate. The puzzles need looking and lateral thinking rather than local knowledge, and nothing is so obscure that a group gets stuck for good.
Is it suitable for children?
It works from about age eight. Children manage the 3 to 4 km without trouble, are usually the quickest at the photo tasks, and are often the first to spot the detail on a wall that everyone else walked past.
Do we need to book a time slot?
You set a date and time at booking; when you actually begin is your own affair. There is nowhere to assemble, nobody guiding and no group to catch up with.
What happens if it rains?
Rain is a pause, not a problem. Get under cover, let it pass, and carry on from the stop you were at — everything is saved and nothing is counting down.
What size group does it work with?
One ticket takes a group of two to five around a single phone, and larger groups split over more tickets. If a heist is not the story you want, the other city games in Hoorn include a murder to solve or a scavenger hunt.
More City Games: city games across the Netherlands · The Venlo Syndicate
- Grote KerkKerkplein, 1621 ET Hoorn, Netherlands
- StatencollegeProostensteeg 20-26, 1621 CV Hoorn, Netherlands
- StatenpoortNieuwstraat 23, 1621 EA Hoorn, Netherlands
- NoorderveemarktNoorderveemarkt, Hoorn, Netherlands
- WesterdijkWesterdijk 37, 1621 LC Hoorn, Netherlands
- OostereilandKrententuin, Hoorn, Netherlands
- HoofdtorenHoofd 4
- OosterkerkGrote Oost 60
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
- ★★★★★
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 - ★★★★★
This was a fun game! It had a few challenges which was good and surprises. It got me to go around and explore Queenstown, New Zealand. I got to places in Queenstown, New Zealand I hadn’t been to before while on holiday here. Thank you for that and it gave a feel what it would be like to be the actual Sherlock Holmes!
Dylan J.February 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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