Cathar country: dizzying citadels around Carcassonne
Discover the real history that unfolded here
2–5-day roadtrip · Occitanie
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
6 sites · 30 km · your own pace
Dive into the heart of the "Citadels of Vertigo," fortresses suspended between sky and earth that marked the history of Carcassonne and Occitania.
Step into the shoes of Michel Roquebert, the writer who, in the 1960s, popularized the term "Citadels of Vertigo." Your mission: to uncover the secrets of these strongholds in the Cathar Country and understand how the assertion of royal power transformed the south of France in the 13th century. From the Porte Narbonnaise of Carcassonne's Cité, your phone becomes a window to the past: medieval stained-glass windows of the Basilica Saint-Nazaire reveal coded clues, a carved coat of arms on the ramparts of Lastours comes alive to guide you, and the limestone landscapes of the Corbières and Pyrénées whisper the history of the last Cathar Parfaits. Over 2 to 5 days, at your own pace, you explore a UNESCO heritage site, from sentinel castles to medieval villages where destinies unfolded. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive visit immersed in 800 years of history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and confidential sites that classic guides overlook.
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
« The mountain castles taken individually compare to other castles as ancient and as spectacular. However, the quality of the landscapes offered, both of the Cité de Carcassonne and the mountain castles, true citadels of vertigo, has an exceptional character. »— UNESCO, UNESCO Tentative List - Cité de Carcassonne and its mountain sentinel castles, reference 6245
The story that haunts this land
Your journey begins in Carcassonne, a city whose medieval Cité, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, showcases architectural history from late antiquity to Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century restoration. Enter through the Porte Narbonnaise or Porte d'Aude and walk the 3 km of ramparts, punctuated by 52 towers, which assert royal power after the 13th-century crusades. The inner streets and lices are freely accessible, offering a complete tour of the city at any time and an insight into medieval defensive engineering and the Cité de Carcassonne.
In the heart of the Cité de Carcassonne, visible from Place Auguste Pierre Pont, the Basilica Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Celse invites you to observe its medieval stained-glass windows and Occitan Gothic art. Progressively built from the 11th to the 14th century, this major edifice is integrated into the Cité's defensive system, with its thick walls, characteristic of fortified churches in Languedoc. This historic monument offers a perspective on local religious architectural evolution and the importance of Carcassonne during the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century.
Continue towards the Lastours Belvedere, located on the first foothills of the Montagne Noire north of Carcassonne. This panoramic viewpoint allows you to see all four sentinel castles of Lastours: Cabaret, Surdespine, Quertinheux, and Tour Régine. Erected on a rocky base at 260-300 meters altitude, these fortresses, popularized as "Citadels of Vertigo" by Michel Roquebert, demonstrate the integrated defensive system and their role as a refuge for the lords of Cabaret, Cathar sympathizers, during the 13th-century crusades.
The Castles of Lastours, with Cabaret, Surdespine, and Quertinheux built in the 11th century, have seen their architecture evolve. Tour Régine, erected by the king after the crusades, asserts royal supremacy over southern France. These historic monuments, in Cathar Country, offer a castellology hike to understand their mutual surveillance function and their adaptation to the significant water deficits of the local shrub vegetation. Visiting these remains is essential to grasp the religious history of the Cathars and the consolidation of French power.
Your exploration of Cathar Country concludes with a deep understanding of the defensive complex of the "Citadels of Vertigo," including Aguilar, Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens, and Termes. These castles, located between Corbières and Pyrénées, occupy limestone ridges for their defensive qualities. They symbolize the assertion of royal power after the 13th-century crusades. This thematic circuit in Occitania allows you to trace the history, not only of the fortifications, but also of destinies like that of Guilhem Belibaste, the last Cathar Parfait executed in Villerouge-Termenès in 1321, marking the end of organized Catharism.
The Route
6 curated sites across the territory
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
A real-world investigation
Atop four dizzying cliffs, the Cathars defied Rome for 100 years.
Free-access sites first
Designed to be played from outside paid sites. Museum or monument visits are optional add-ons — you decide.
2-5 days, your pace
You manage your stops, breaks, nights. The code stays valid for total trip + 7 days margin.
Immersive AR narration
At every site, your phone overlays narrative elements (characters, clues, archives) on reality. Audio in 32 languages.
1 to 10 phones
Play solo, with family, or in group. Each phone gets its own synced code.
Now lead the investigation
100% drive between sites · AR at every step
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
Dive into the heart of the "Citadels of Vertigo," fortresses suspended between sky and earth that marked the history of Carcassonne and Occitania.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation