Lille — Secret of the Broken Carillon
Uncover the spy who sabotaged Lille's carillon during the 1708 siege. Decipher hidden codes across beffrois and monuments to expose the betrayal that nearly altered history.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
During the brutal Siege of Lille in 1708, as cannons thundered and the city held against the Duke of Marlborough's forces, a shadowy spy infiltrated the heart of Old Town
Lille — Secret of the Broken Carillon
You are a royal archivist, dispatched by Louis XIV in 1667 to Lille, tasked with unraveling the enigma of the city's carillon, whose melody fell silent after
Delve into the heart of Lille, a city shaped by royal sieges and Vauban's ingenuity, searching for the secrets of a broken carillon.
« Unity is strength »— Official motto of Lille, inscribed on the pediment of the City Hall
The story that haunts this land
Your quest for the broken carillon begins at the Porte de Paris, a 22-meter-high edifice built in 1620 by Vauban to fortify Lille against Spanish invasions. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1886, this gate, a witness to Louis XIV's reconquest of Lille in 1667, was the northern entrance to the fortified city. Here, you will decipher the first hidden inscriptions, revealing the initial steps of your investigation into the tumultuous past of Lille, a central city in the Hauts-de-France. The original drawbridge, replaced in 1860, evokes a time when every access point was a fortress.
Continuing your journey, you will reach the Citadel of Lille, nicknamed the 'Queen of Citadels' by Vauban himself. Erected between 1667 and 1670 under Louis XIV's orders, this fortification is a perfect pentagon with a 2.2 km perimeter and spans 28 hectares. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1913, it is still used by the French army and resisted 13 sieges in the 17th century. Here, Vauban's original plans superimpose on the stone, guiding you to military secrets that might explain the carillon's silence. The ingenuity of its design reveals the Sun King's determination to anchor Lille in the kingdom of France.
Your path then leads you to the Hospice de la Comtesse, a Historic Monument since 1927. Founded in 1237 by Jeanne de Flandre, Countess of Flanders, this place was a refuge for 80 poor patients. Its 13th-century Gothic buildings, with a 30-meter-long sick ward, now house collections of 18th-century faience from Desvres and Rouen. Within these history-laden walls, you will discover fragments of medical archives and testimonies from Lille's inhabitants that might hold clues to the carillon's lost melody. This site in Vieux-Lille offers a glimpse into medieval daily life.
Place du Général de Gaulle, formerly Grand'Place, is the vibrant heart of Vieux-Lille. Surrounded by 68 17th-18th century gabled houses, it was the seat of the Doyenne (Saint-Catherine's church, 1454) and hosted Louis XIV's equestrian statue, melted down in 1697. A site of public executions until 1793, it was renamed in 1945 in honor of Charles de Gaulle, born in Lille in 1890. Here, amidst the city center's hustle, echoes of the past reveal messages etched into the cobblestones, bringing you closer to the truth about the carillon's silence. SEO tourist tags include Historic Monument 1840-2004 and UNESCO Belfries 2005.
Finally, your investigation leads you to the Belfry of the Lille City Hall, a 105-meter-high tower built between 1924 and 1932. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2004 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2005, it houses a carillon of 35 bells that has played the Lille anthem 'Lille, ma patrie' since 1932, visible from its 352 steps. It is here that the secret of the broken carillon will be revealed, at the top of this symbol of the city of Lille, in the heart of the Hauts-de-France. This walk will have allowed you to retrace the history of Lille, from its fortifications to its musical traditions, and its emblematic figures.
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
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 · 15€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Historic Siege
Relive the tensions of the Great Siege of Lille in 1708, an epic chapter of Lille's true crime history.
Secret Maps
Discover military plans and period documents in augmented reality, following the trail of Lille's criminals.
Treason Code
Decipher hidden messages left by a spy, at the heart of an investigation in Lille that goes back in time.
Loyalty is a shield, betrayal a weapon.
Dismantle a three-century-old plot.
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
Q01Do I need an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02How many stops are in Lille — Secret of the Broken Carillon?
Eight stops total. At each stop you find a camera clue, solve the puzzle, collect a fragment of the final code. With all eight, you've got the answer.
Q03Can we play Lille — Secret of the Broken Carillon as a couple?
Great two-person format. Narration is dramatic without overdoing it, puzzles are designed to spark conversation. Ideal for new relationships or anniversaries — you discover the city and coordinate on puzzles simultaneously.
Q04What's the best time to start?
Morning between 10 and 11, or early afternoon around 2 PM, is ideal. You still have daylight ahead, Historic center and fortifications of Lille, France is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Delve into the heart of Lille, a city shaped by royal sieges and Vauban's ingenuity, searching for the secrets of a broken carillon.
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
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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