The Cradle of Henri IV
Garlic, Jurançon, and the king who unified France
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Henri IV was born at the Château de Pau in 1553. His grandfather rubbed his lips with garlic and Jurançon wine — the Béarnais baptism. The château preserves the future king's turtle-shell cradle. From this cradle to the "chicken in a pot," Henri's secrets are carved into the stones of Pau.
His cradle was a turtle shell. His kingdom, all of France.
On December 13, 1553, Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, gives birth to a son at the Château de Pau. His father, Henri d'Albret, rubs the newborn's lips with a garlic clove and wets them with Jurançon wine — the Béarnais baptism, to give him strength and character. This boy would become Henri IV, the king who ended the Wars of Religion with the Edict of Nantes and dreamed of putting "a chicken in every pot on Sunday" for every Frenchman.
« "I want every laborer in my kingdom to have a chicken in his pot on Sunday." »— — Henri IV, King of France and Navarre
Henri IV — from the Béarnais cradle to the throne of France
Henri de Bourbon was born on December 13, 1553 at the Château de Pau, son of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre and fierce Protestant, and Antoine de Bourbon. His paternal grandfather, Henri d'Albret, performed the Béarnais baptism: garlic and Jurançon wine. The prince's cradle, a sea turtle shell, is still preserved at the château — a symbol of the protection and longevity wished for the child.
Henri grew up between Béarn and the French court. The Wars of Religion tore the country apart. A convinced Protestant, he became the leader of the Huguenots. When he acceded to the throne in 1589, half of France refused to recognize a Protestant king. His famous phrase "Paris is well worth a mass" marked his conversion to Catholicism in 1593. In 1598, the Edict of Nantes granted freedom of worship to Protestants — the first law of religious tolerance in Europe.
Henri IV was assassinated by Ravaillac on May 14, 1610 in Paris. But in Pau, his memory lives on. The château, turned into a national museum, preserves the turtle-shell cradle, the royal chamber, and the Gobelins tapestries. The Boulevard des Pyrénées, 1.8 km long, offers one of France's finest panoramas — from the Pic du Midi to the Pic d'Anie. Henri IV liked to say that from Pau, you could see the Pyrenees like nowhere else.
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.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
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?
Henri IV
Walk in the footsteps of the king who unified France, from his Béarnais cradle.
Pyrenean panorama
Admire the Pyrenees chain from the Boulevard des Pyrénées, one of France's finest panoramas.
Royal cradle
Discover the future king's turtle-shell cradle — a unique piece in the world.
Castle-museum
Explore the national Château de Pau, museum of the memory of Henri IV and the Kingdom of Navarre.
Garlic, Jurançon, and a turtle shell — the king was born here.
From the cradle to the throne — walk Pau in the footsteps of Henri IV.
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
Q01The Cradle of Henri IV — is it a guided trail or a free-form hunt?
It's a semi-guided trail: GPS points you to the next stop, but you find the camera clue and solve the puzzle yourself. No app to install, everything runs in your browser.
Q02Can we split The Cradle of Henri IV across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Is The Cradle of Henri IV suitable for a challenge-seeking teen?
Absolutely. The puzzles aren't obvious — a curious teen will sweat just enough to be proud of cracking them. Progressive hints prevent frustration: if stuck, unlock hint level 1, then 2, then 3.
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
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play le berceau d henri iv? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
From the château to the Hédas Quarter, from the Boulevard des Pyrénées to the baptism church — follow the footsteps of France's most beloved king in an escape game at the foot of the Pyrenees.
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
Other escape games in France
View France→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in France
Bayonne
Gothic cathedral and Basque chocolate
Biarritz
Imperial resort and the Virgin's Rock
Agen
Between Garonne and exceptional prunes, a sweet life in the Southwest
Foix
Counts' castle and Cathar resistance
Bordeaux
Port of the Moon and grand cru wines
Rocamadour
Sacred city clinging to the cliff