Discover a city as one big puzzle
Turn any city into a scavenger hunt full of riddles — or walk the route freely and read the story behind every place. Free, in your browser, no account.
Fact-checked, with sources · no account · straight in your browser · for all ages
An outing, a walking tour and an escape room in one
CiphersCity is a scavenger-hunt app for the real city. You pick a city, follow the route on the map and, at every stop, solve puzzles about what you see. Each solved stop gives you a letter; together they form a secret word that opens the treasure chest. Prefer to just look around? Then explore the same route without the puzzles.
Two ways to play
Solve the puzzles as a scavenger hunt — or simply explore the route, no questions asked. Both are free, with the story, background and sources at every stop.
🧩 Play with puzzles
The full scavenger hunt: crack a code at every stop, collect letters and open the treasure chest at the end. Exciting and active — perfect with friends, kids or as a team outing.
🚶 Explore the route
Just want to discover a city? Walk the same route without questions and read the stories and background at each place, sources included. A free self-guided walking tour at your own pace.
How it works
On your way in four steps — today.
Pick your city
Open the app in your browser and choose a city. You see the duration, distance and level up front.
Walk the route
The map guides you to each stop. Arrived? Read a short, surprising story about the place where you stand.
Crack the codes
At each stop you solve puzzles about what you actually see, and earn a letter of the secret word.
Open the chest
All the letters form the code word. Enter it, open the treasure chest and celebrate — or track your walks and earn badges.
Where can you play?
Playable now in English, Dutch and Spanish:
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zwolle, Deventer, Utrecht and Groningen in the Netherlands, and Barcelona in Spain — great on a city trip. New cities are added regularly.
Frequently asked questions
What is CiphersCity?
CiphersCity is a walking scavenger hunt you play in your browser. You pick a city, follow a route on the map, read a short story at every stop, solve puzzles to crack codes, and open a digital treasure chest at the end. Or you skip the puzzles and just explore.
Can I walk a route without the puzzles?
Yes. An explore mode lets you walk the same route without any questions and read the story, background and sources at every stop — a free self-guided walking tour to discover a city at your own pace, with no account.
What does it cost?
During the launch everything is free. There is nothing to download and you do not need an account — you play straight in your browser, on your phone or computer.
Can I play in English?
Yes. The app is available in English, Dutch and Spanish, so you can play any route in your own language — ideal on a city trip to Barcelona.
Which cities can I play in?
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zwolle, Deventer, Utrecht and Groningen in the Netherlands, plus Barcelona in Spain. New cities are added regularly.
Ready for a different kind of day out?
Pick a city, crack the codes and open the chest. Today, completely free.
Start your hunt →