The Escape from Saint-Martin
The escape plan nobody ever carried out
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Saint-Martin-de-Ré was the last stop before the penal colonies. Thousands of convicts awaited their transfer to French Guiana or New Caledonia. A legendary escape plan was devised — but never carried out. Vauban's fortifications still guard the secret.
Last stop before hell — and an escape plan never attempted
Between 1873 and 1938, over 70,000 convicts passed through the citadel of Saint-Martin-de-Ré before being shipped to the penal colonies of Cayenne or New Caledonia. Chained in pairs, they walked through the town under the gaze of the inhabitants before boarding the "chicken cages" that took them to the end of the world. Legend has it that a group of convicts devised a perfect escape plan using the flaws in Vauban's fortifications — but were transferred before they could execute it.
« "You don't escape from Saint-Martin. You escape in your mind — and leave the plan for the next one." »— — Legend of the convicts of Île de Ré
Saint-Martin-de-Ré — the gateway to hell
Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a town fortified by Vauban in the late 17th century. Its citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a masterpiece of military architecture with its star-shaped bastions, half-moons, and floodable moats. But from 1873, it took on a sinister function: it became the central holding depot for convicts sentenced to hard labor.
The "convict convoy" was a regular spectacle in Saint-Martin. Convicts, chained in pairs, walked through the town streets from the citadel to the port, under the insults or compassion of the inhabitants. They then boarded penitentiary ships — the "chicken cages" — for a journey of several weeks to Cayenne or Nouméa. Many never returned.
Vauban's fortifications, designed to prevent maritime invasions, were turned against their own occupants. But Vauban, a genius of construction, had also left weak points — blind spots, water conduits, service passages. Legend has it that a former military engineer, convicted of forgery, identified these flaws and devised a perfect escape plan. He was transferred to Cayenne before he could execute it, but the plan survived — carved into the stone of his cell.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
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.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
The Route
5 stages through the city
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 · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Penal colony history
Relive the journey of the 70,000 convicts who passed through Saint-Martin before tropical hell.
UNESCO fortifications
Explore Vauban's citadel and ramparts, listed as World Heritage.
Escape plan
Reconstruct a legendary escape plan by exploiting the flaws in Vauban's fortifications.
Île de Ré
Discover the charm of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, a fortified village at the heart of the Atlantic's most elegant island.
70,000 convicts. A perfect plan. Never executed — until you.
Carry out the escape nobody ever dared attempt.
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, 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
Q01What's the difference with a regular indoor escape room?
Outdoor escape game format: no physical locks, no actor, no fixed time slot. You start when you want, progress through Île de Ré · Saint-Martin-de-Ré & Vauban Citadel with your phone, and the city itself is the set. More immersive on local history, more flexible in pace.
Q02How long does it take to finish The Escape from Saint-Martin?
Plan 1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. Some finish in 1 h 10, others take 3 h in slow-mode. No pressure: the clock only counts for the leaderboard, you play at your tempo.
Q03Does The Escape from Saint-Martin work for team-building?
Yes — it's actually one of our main use cases. Outdoor escape game format, teams of 4 to 6, live ranking possible between groups. For companies above 12 participants, contact us: we can issue linked codes.
Q04Best season to explore Île de Ré · Saint-Martin-de-Ré & Vauban Citadel like this?
Spring and autumn are the best seasons: mild temperatures, fewer tourists, gorgeous light. Summer is also great but go for early morning before 11 or late afternoon. Winter is perfectly playable, especially in southern cities — Île de Ré · Saint-Martin-de-Ré & Vauban Citadel often feels more authentic then.
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From the Vauban citadel to the ramparts facing the ocean — reconstruct the legendary escape plan of Saint-Martin-de-Ré in an escape game at the heart of Île de Ré.
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
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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