The Palace of Jacques Cœur
The richest man in France and his downfall
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Jacques Cœur was the richest man in France in the 15th century. His palace in Bourges, a Gothic masterpiece, is covered in coded symbols — hearts, shells, cryptic mottoes. Accused of poisoning and stripped of his wealth by the king he had enriched, he never revealed where his fortune was hidden.
France's most enigmatic palace still hides the fortune of a betrayed man
The Palais Jacques-Cœur is one of the finest civil buildings of the Middle Ages in Europe. Built between 1443 and 1451, it testifies to the power of a man who, from nothing, became King Charles VII's banker, the kingdom's treasurer, and the greatest shipowner in the Mediterranean. His motto — "To valiant hearts nothing impossible" — is carved everywhere. But every sculpture hides a double meaning, every shell a symbol, every heart a message.
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
« "To valiant hearts nothing impossible." »— — Motto of Jacques Cœur, carved on his palace in Bourges
Jacques Cœur — from furrier's son to master of the world
Jacques Cœur was born around 1400 in Bourges, son of a furrier. Through his commercial genius, he built a maritime empire trading across the entire Mediterranean — spices, silks, weapons, precious metals. He owned trading posts from Bruges to Damascus, a fleet of seven galleys, silver mines and manufactories. In 1438, Charles VII appointed him argentier (treasurer) of the kingdom — he managed the king's personal finances.
But his success made enemies. In 1451, he was accused of poisoning Agnès Sorel, the king's favorite — an absurd charge, as Agnès was his ally. The real motive was the greed of courtiers coveting his fortune. Jacques Cœur was arrested, his assets confiscated, his properties distributed to the king's men. Sentenced to banishment, he escaped in 1454 and took refuge in Rome, then Chios, where he died in 1456.
His palace in Bourges, which he occupied only a few years, remains his masterpiece. The facades are covered with symbols — hearts and shells (a pun on his name: Cœur/heart and coquille Saint-Jacques/scallop shell), false faces in the windows, cryptic mottoes. The Hôtel Lallemant, a few streets away, belonged to a family of alchemists and contains hermetic symbols that dialogue with those of the palace. Jacques Cœur's fortune, they say, was never entirely recovered.
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?
Mysterious fortune
Find the hidden fortune of the richest man in medieval France.
Coded symbols
Hearts, shells, mottoes — every sculpture in the palace hides a double meaning.
UNESCO Cathedral
Bourges Cathedral, a UNESCO site, has the widest Gothic nave in France.
Alchemy
The Hôtel Lallemant and its alchemical ceilings add an esoteric dimension to the investigation.
To valiant hearts nothing impossible.
Find the hidden fortune of the king's treasurer.
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 palace of a thousand symbols to the cathedral of light, from the marshes to the merchant lanes — crack Jacques Cœur's code and find the treasure the king never recovered.
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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