The Corsairs of La Rochelle
Huguenots, Richelieu, and the pirate who saved America
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
La Rochelle was the Protestant corsair capital. Richelieu besieged it for 14 months. Jean Lafitte, born here, later saved America at the Battle of New Orleans. The towers of the Old Port still guard the secrets of these men of the sea.
Three towers, 14 months of siege, and a pirate who changed a continent's destiny
La Rochelle is no ordinary port. For two centuries, it was the bastion of French Protestantism and the lair of Huguenot corsairs who plundered the Atlantic in the name of faith. When Richelieu decided to break this resistance in 1627, it took 14 months of siege, a 1,500-meter dike, and the death of 18,000 of 28,000 Rochelais to subdue the city. A century later, Jean Lafitte, descendant of this corsair lineage, saved the American army at New Orleans.
« "I am a gentleman of the sea. The difference between a pirate and a corsair is the letter of marque — and I have one." »— — Jean Lafitte, corsair of La Rochelle, c. 1814
La Rochelle — the Protestant citadel that defied the King
From the 16th century, La Rochelle embraced the Protestant Reformation. Its port became the most powerful on the Atlantic coast. Rochelais corsairs, armed with letters of marque, attacked Spanish and Catholic ships. The city, protected by its towers — Saint-Nicolas, the Chain, and the Lantern — believed itself impregnable.
In 1627, Cardinal Richelieu decided to end it. He launched a titanic siege: a 1,500-meter dike, reinforced with sunken ships, was built to block the port. The English sent relief, but failed. For 14 months, the Rochelais held out. Of 28,000 inhabitants, 18,000 died of starvation. On October 28, 1628, Richelieu entered a ghost town.
Yet La Rochelle's corsair tradition survived. In the 18th century, Jean Lafitte — whose family originated from the city — became the most famous corsair of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1815, he helped General Andrew Jackson defeat the British at the Battle of New Orleans, saving the young American nation. The Lantern Tower, where imprisoned corsairs carved graffiti on the walls, keeps alive the memory of this lineage of sea rebels.
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?
Huguenot corsairs
Dive into the history of the Protestant corsairs who terrorized the Atlantic from La Rochelle.
Three medieval towers
Explore the Saint-Nicolas, Chain, and Lantern towers — guardians of the Old Port.
Historic port
Walk the quays and arcades of the Old Port, heart of corsair life since the 16th century.
Prisoner graffiti
Decipher graffiti carved by corsair prisoners in the Lantern Tower.
Corsairs, Huguenots, rebels — La Rochelle never yielded.
From the Old Port towers to the Lantern's graffiti — navigate corsair history.
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 Corsairs of La Rochelle — 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 Corsairs of La Rochelle 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.
Q03Can we play The Corsairs of La Rochelle 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.
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
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Your turn to play
From Saint-Nicolas Tower to the Lantern's graffiti — dive into two centuries of corsair and Protestant resistance in an escape game at the heart of La Rochelle's Old Port.
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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