The Cathar Citadel
Behind the double walls, a secret survives
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1209, the Albigensian Crusade reached Carcassonne. The Cathars were massacred, the Inquisition moved in, but behind the double walls, a secret survives through the centuries. The largest medieval citadel in Europe has not yielded all its mysteries.
Fifty-two towers guard a thousand-year-old secret
When you pass through the Porte Narbonnaise, you enter the largest medieval fortress in Europe. Three kilometers of ramparts, fifty-two towers, a double wall — and between the two walls, the Lices, that beaten-earth corridor where the fate of sieges was decided. In 1209, Viscount Trencavel surrendered the city after a two-week siege. The Cathars were hunted for decades. But some hid something before they vanished.
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.
« "Kill them all, God will know his own." »— — Arnaud Amaury, papal legate, sack of Béziers, 1209
The Albigensian Crusade — when the Pope waged war on the South
In the 12th century, Catharism spread throughout Languedoc. This dualist religion rejected the Catholic clergy, the Church's wealth, and the sacraments. The Cathar "Parfaits" lived in poverty and preached in Occitan. Pope Innocent III, after the failure of conversion missions, launched the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 — the first crusade directed against Christians.
Simon de Montfort led the armies of the North against the lords of the South. Béziers was massacred, Carcassonne fell after a lightning siege, Viscount Trencavel died in prison. The Cité became the Inquisition's headquarters. For forty years, the Cathars were hunted, burned, driven into the mountains. Pyres lit up the Languedoc.
Carcassonne, restored in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, is today the most visited monument in France after Mont-Saint-Michel. But behind the tourist spectacle, the stones keep the memory of the Cathars — those men and women who chose the pyre over abjuration.
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?
Medieval fortress
Explore the largest medieval citadel in Europe with its 52 towers and double walls.
Crusade & Inquisition
Relive the drama of the Albigensian Crusade and the ruthless hunt for the Cathars.
Cathar codes
Decipher mason marks and coded stained glass to unlock the Cité's secret.
Living architecture
Every tower, every arrow slit, every passage tells a chapter of the Cathar story.
The walls have ears. The stones have secrets.
Unlock the mysteries of the greatest Cathar fortress.
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
From the Porte Narbonnaise to the Inquisition Tower, cross eight centuries of persecution, resistance, and secrets in the largest medieval citadel in Europe.
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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