The Fairy Vichéia — Decipher the Lost Spring's Secret
Uncover the hidden truth behind Vichéia, the legendary fairy who guarded Vichy's most powerful thermal spring—and why her sanctuary was sealed away.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the heart of Old Vichy lies a mystery buried beneath centuries of spa grandeur
Follow the traces of Vichéia, fairy of the thermal springs who would have revealed to Caesar the secret of Vichy's healing waters.
Step into the shoes of a 19th-century hydrologist commissioned by Napoleon III to unravel the mystery of Vichy's springs. You arrive in 1861 in this spa town undergoing transformation, following a forgotten Celtic legend: Vichéia, goddess of underground waters who would have guided the Romans to the miraculous springs. At each stage of your 135-minute journey through 1.5 km, open your phone: runic inscriptions appear on the Hall des Sources facades, the fairy's silhouette forms in the Pavillon des Célestins vapors, alchemical symbols light up on the Opera walls. From the Imperial Casino to the Emperor's Chalet, you piece together the puzzle of a forgotten spring that the Bourbons would have sealed in the 17th century. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive visit immersed in 2000 years of thermal history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and hidden sites that classic guides overlook.
Les lieux que vous découvrirez
Les vrais lieux que vous explorerez au fil de l'aventure. Énigmes en réalité augmentée à chaque étape.
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.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
« Vichy possesses mineral waters whose properties surpass those of all known springs in Europe. »— Napoleon III, letter to Doctor Durand-Fardel, August 15, 1861
The story that haunts this land
Vichy reveals its first secrets at the Pavillon des Célestins, where Europe's most radioactive spring has flowed since 1903. This water, captured at 265 meters deep, crosses volcanic rocks 350 million years old. Here begins your investigation: according to local tradition, Vichéia would have whispered to the Arverni druids the exact location of this underground vein. The Romans later baptized this divinity Aquae Calidae, but preserved her temple near the current springs.
The Hall des Sources plunges you into Vichy's thermal golden age under the Second Empire. Built in 1903 by architect Antoine Chanet, this temple of iron and glass houses five springs with distinct virtues. Napoleon III, suffering from kidney stones, stayed there every summer from 1861 to 1866, transforming Vichy into France's summer capital. In these galleries your hydrologist character discovers the first clues: hidden chemical analyses reveal the existence of a sixth, older spring, walled up by royal order.
Vichy's Opera House, inaugurated in 1903 by President Émile Loubet, hides in its foundations the remains of a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to water nymphs. Built by architect Charles Le Cœur on the model of Paris's Opéra-Comique, it welcomed Sarah Bernhardt in 1904 in La Dame aux Camélias. Under its stage, your investigation reveals Roman lead pipes, engraved with magic formulas invoking Vichéia. These conduits led to a sacred basin where the sick came to implore healing.
Vichy Casino, rebuilt in 1865 by architect Badger, occupies the site of the former Bourbon castle. Louis II de Bourbon-Condé had the Vichéia spring sealed in 1692, fearing its supernatural powers would attract sorcerers and heretics. In the golden salons where Napoleon III received Europe's crowned heads, you decipher a code carved in the woodwork: the secret map leading to the forgotten spring, hidden under the Allier gardens.
At the end of your journey, the Emperor's Chalet reveals your investigation's conclusion. This 1864 villa, Napoleon III's last private residence in Vichy, preserves in its cellars the secret archives of the Water Service. You discover that the Vichéia spring, found in 1859, was again sealed by imperial order: its exceptional flow risked drying up other springs and ruining the thermal economy. The water fairy thus rests under Vichy's cobblestones, jealously guarding the secret of her renaissance.
The Route
8 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?
Authentic Fairy Creature
Meet Vichéia, the legendary fairy who gave her name to the city and created its miraculous thermal springs
Reconstructed Magic Incantation
Collect 8 fragments scattered across Vichy to reconstruct the secret formula of thermal waters' power
Imperial Thermal Heritage
Explore Napoleon III's legacy who transformed Vichy into a jewel of European thermal resorts
When divine wrath shapes a city
Vichy's thermal water carries within it the memory of a wounded fairy
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
Follow the traces of Vichéia, fairy of the thermal springs who would have revealed to Caesar the secret of Vichy's healing waters.
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
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