The Castles of Périgord
The treasure trail of 1,001 castles
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
The Dordogne has over 1,000 castles — the highest concentration in France. Behind the Byzantine domes of Saint-Front Cathedral and the medieval lanes of Périgueux lies a trail connecting these fortresses to one another.
A thousand castles, one secret — and the key is in the cathedral
Périgueux is a city with two faces: the Gallo-Roman city of Vesunna, with its ancient remains, and the medieval city dominated by the five white domes of Saint-Front Cathedral — a unique architecture in France, inspired by St. Mark's in Venice and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Between these two worlds, a medieval treasure awaits discovery.
« "Périgord is a land where you cannot take a step without walking on History." »— — Eugène Le Roy, author of Jacquou le Croquant, 1899
Périgueux — two thousand years of history beneath five domes
Périgueux was born as Vesunna, capital of the Gallic Petrocorii tribe. The Romans made it a prosperous city with an amphitheater, baths, and a monumental temple, of which the Tower of Vesunna — a 27-meter cylinder — is the last visible remnant. The Vesunna Museum, designed by Jean Nouvel, houses the remains of a remarkably preserved Gallo-Roman domus.
In the Middle Ages, the town split in two: the Cité around the old amphitheater and the Puy Saint-Front around the cathedral. The latter, rebuilt in the 12th century, is crowned with five Byzantine-inspired domes — unique in France. In the 19th century, architect Paul Abadie restored it so thoroughly that he drew inspiration from it to design the Sacré-Cœur in Paris.
The Dordogne surrounding Périgueux holds France's highest concentration of castles — over 1,000 fortresses, manors, and country houses. During the Hundred Years' War, the English and French fought over these strongholds for 116 years, weaving a network of alliances and betrayals whose traces are still visible in every stone of the old town.
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.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
1,001 castles
Discover France's densest network of fortresses and the secret that connects them all.
Byzantine architecture
Explore France's only Byzantine-domed cathedral, which inspired Paris's Sacré-Cœur.
Gallo-Roman remains
From the Tower of Vesunna to ancient mosaics, 2,000 years of history in a single route.
Hundred Years' War
Relive 116 years of battles between the English and French in the medieval lanes of Périgueux.
A thousand castles. One treasure. The key lies beneath the domes.
Walk through two thousand years of history in the streets of Périgueux.
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 far do you walk in Périgueux · Saint-Front Cathedral & medieval old town?
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.
Q03Is The Castles of Périgord 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.
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, Périgueux · Saint-Front Cathedral & medieval old town is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
From the Byzantine cathedral to the Gallo-Roman remains — follow the treasure trail of 1,001 castles in an escape game at the heart of Périgord.
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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