The Labyrinth of Chartres
Alchemy, hermetic stained glass and druidic crypt
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
The labyrinth inlaid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral is the most famous in the world. For alchemists, it is a coded initiatory path. The stained glass contains hermetic symbols. And the Crypt of Saint-Lubin, beneath the cathedral, was a druidic sanctuary before becoming Christian.
A labyrinth on the floor, symbols in the glass, druids beneath the stone
Chartres Cathedral is a book of stone. Every portal, every stained glass window, every sculpture contains a message — but which one? For believers, it is the illustrated Bible. For alchemists, it is a treatise on transmutation coded in glass and stone. The 12.89-meter diameter labyrinth, laid on the nave floor in 1200, is the largest and most mysterious of medieval labyrinths. Its 261.55-meter path leads to a center that has never been pierced.
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 cathedral is a book of stone whose every page is a stained glass window." »— — Fulcanelli, The Mystery of the Cathedrals, 1926
Chartres — the cathedral of three mysteries
Chartres Cathedral was built in record time — just 26 years, from 1194 to 1220 — after the fire that destroyed the previous church. This lightning-fast construction produced a masterpiece of absolute coherence, with 176 stained glass windows preserving nearly all their original 13th-century glass — a unique case in the world. "Chartres blue," that color no one has ever managed to reproduce, remains a chemical mystery.
The nave labyrinth, dated 1200, measures 12.89 meters in diameter. Its design is not a maze — there is only one path, 261.55 meters long, leading to the center. Pilgrims walked it on their knees as a substitute for the journey to the Holy Land. But alchemists, since Fulcanelli, see it as an initiatory path — each turn corresponding to a stage in the transmutation of lead into gold.
Beneath the cathedral, the Crypt of Saint-Lubin is the oldest sanctuary — a pre-Christian place of worship where druids venerated a sacred spring and a "Black Virgin about to give birth" (Virgini pariturae). This druidic tradition, Christianized in the 4th century, makes Chartres a unique place where three mystical traditions overlap: druidic, Christian and alchemical. The Royal Portal and the north portal are rich with symbols that esoteric historians have studied for centuries.
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?
Mythical labyrinth
Walk the world's most famous labyrinth — 261 meters of initiatory path on the nave floor.
Cathedral alchemy
Identify the alchemical symbols hidden in the portals, following Fulcanelli's tradition.
Chartres blue
The 176 original 13th-century windows hold a blue no one has ever managed to reproduce.
Druidic crypt
Descend into the Crypt of Saint-Lubin, the pre-Christian sanctuary of the Carnute druids.
UNESCO heritage
Chartres Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.
Every stone is a word. Every window is a page.
Decipher the cathedral's triple mystery — druidic, Christian and alchemical.
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 sacred labyrinth to the druidic crypt, from hermetic stained glass to the Portal of the Initiates — crack the code of the world's most mysterious cathedral.
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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