Historical Scavenger Hunt: Explore Cities, Unlock Stories

It is an outdoor game in which a team follows a trail through the older parts of a city, and every stop asks a question that can only be answered by looking closely at what is in front of you. The building tells you the year, the statue tells you the name, the street sign tells you the trade that used to happen there.

• You look before you read. Details you would walk past become the answer you need.
• The story is anchored to a place. People remember the square where they solved something.
• Everyone contributes. One player spots the date, another connects it to the clue.

1. Pick a city with a compact historic centre and choose your date.
2. Open the game on one phone per team at the starting point.
3. Walk from stop to stop. Each location carries a clue, a question or a piece of the story.
4. Use a hint when a clue resists, so the route always continues.
5. Finish at the end point and compare notes over a drink.

Playing time, walking distance and languages differ per city and per concept, so check the destination page before you book. All of them are listed under the cities where you can play a City Game.

An exploration route is the closest to a history walk with puzzles. The Secrets of exploration game takes you past the landmarks and then into the streets behind them, where most of the older detail survives.

For groups that prefer a case set in the past, the Sherlock Holmes murder mystery game uses the historic centre as the scene of an investigation, with witnesses, clues and a suspect list.

Historical routes work well for school groups, associations and company outings because the pace is gentle and the questions suit mixed ages. Larger bookings run through the page for companies and groups.

• Start earlier in the day: quieter streets make the details easier to see.
• Look up. Most of the datable detail on a historic street is above eye level.
• Photograph the answers you find; they make the debrief afterwards much better.
• Plan a coffee stop halfway. Nothing in the game forces you to hurry.
• Respect opening hours and house rules of churches, museums and courtyards along the way.

• One charged phone per team with mobile data, plus a power bank on longer routes.
• Shoes for cobblestones, stairs and slopes. Accessibility differs per city, so check the city page if that matters for your group.
• Two to six players per team.
• Clothing for the weather: the whole route is outdoors.

It is a walking game in which teams answer clues using real historical details in a city, such as dates, monuments, street names and building decoration.

No. Everything you need is either in the game or visible on the spot.

Yes, especially in mixed teams where adults and children solve together. Check the walking distance on the city page if you are playing with young children.

Most routes take a couple of hours including breaks, and you set the pace yourself.

Yes. Several teams can play the same route at the same time and compare scores at the finish.

A historical scavenger hunt gives you the reason to look properly at a place you thought you knew. Pick the city you want to explore and the concept that fits your group.