The Roman Road of Saintes
From the Roman arch to the Way of Saint James
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Saintes was the Roman capital of Aquitaine. Its triumphal arch, amphitheater, and crypt hold traces of a trade route that, a thousand years later, became the world's most famous pilgrimage road: the Via Turonensis to Santiago de Compostela.
All roads led to Rome. This one leads to Compostela.
When the Romans made Mediolanum Santonum — Saintes — the capital of Aquitaine, they built a monumental arch, a 15,000-seat amphitheater, and sumptuous baths. A thousand years later, pilgrims of the Via Turonensis followed the same roads to reach Santiago de Compostela. The Abbaye aux Dames became their main stop. The crypt of Saint-Eutropius, first bishop of Saintes, guards the secrets of this layering of civilizations.
« "Saintes is the heart of Aquitaine — whoever holds Saintes holds the road." »— — Roman inscription found near the Arch of Germanicus, 1st century
Saintes — Roman capital and stop on the Way to Compostela
Mediolanum Santonum — Saintes — was founded by Augustus as the capital of the province of Aquitaine. The Arch of Germanicus, erected in 19 AD in honor of Germanicus, Tiberius, and Drusus, marked the entrance to the Roman bridge over the Charente. The amphitheater, one of the oldest in Gaul, could seat 15,000 spectators for gladiatorial combats.
From the 10th century, Saintes became a major stop on the Via Turonensis, one of the four great pilgrimage roads to Santiago de Compostela. The Abbaye aux Dames, founded in 1047, welcomed pilgrims and noblewomen. Its Romanesque church, with its sculpted portal and historiated capitals, is a masterpiece of Saintonge Romanesque art.
The crypt of Saint-Eutropius Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela, is one of the largest Romanesque crypts in France. Saint Eutropius, first bishop of Saintes in the 3rd century, has been venerated here for 1,700 years. The crypt's columns bear mason's marks forming a wayfinding system used by builders — and by pilgrims.
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.
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Practical info
Why this route?
Roman capital
Explore the triumphal arch and amphitheater of the former capital of Roman Aquitaine.
Way to Compostela
Walk the Via Turonensis, one of the four great pilgrimage roads to Santiago.
Saintonge Romanesque art
From the Abbaye aux Dames to the Saint-Eutropius crypt, discover the jewels of Saintonge Romanesque art.
Charente riverbanks
End the route along the river that has shaped Saintes' history for 2,000 years.
The road to Rome and the Way to Compostela — one route, two thousand years apart.
From the triumphal arch to the pilgrim crypt, decipher the codes of the road.
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
Q01Is The Roman Road of Saintes similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02How far do you walk in Saintes · From the Arch of Germanicus to the banks of the Charente?
Usually 2 to 4 km of total walking, within 1.5 km as the crow flies from the start point. The route is designed to be walkable at a relaxed pace, no public transport needed.
Q03Can we do The Roman Road of Saintes as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
Q04Do we need 4G data to play?
Intermittent 4G is plenty. Maps are cached at startup. Narration and clues load per stop, so a so-so signal between stops is fine. GPS itself uses no data.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
From the Arch of Germanicus to the Saint-Eutropius crypt — walk two thousand years of history on the road linking Rome to Compostela in an escape game at the heart of Saintes.
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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