Jūrmala — The Spies of Volkov
Decipher the hidden codes of Soviet spies embedded in Jūrmala's balneaire architecture. Track agent Volkov's secret route through villas, sanatoriums, and beaches to expose his final betrayal.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the shadowy heights of the Cold War, Jūrmala was the Soviet Riviera—a glittering facade for espionage
Jūrmala — The Spies of Volkov
You are a seasoned MI6 operative, covertly dispatched to Jūrmala in 1983, tasked with exploiting a critical KGB defection.
In the shadowy heights of the
Summer 1978 — The resort of the communist elite
« Jūrmala was the only place in the USSR where Westerners could mingle with Soviet elites without official protocol. »— Declassified KGB Archives (1991)
The Red Riviera of the Baltic
From the 1920s onwards, Jūrmala became the preferred seaside resort of the Soviet elite. Its 33 kilometers of golden beaches, pine forests and mineral springs attracted Party dignitaries, KGB generals and official artists. The Art Nouveau wooden architecture, inherited from the Tsarist era, provided a paradoxically bourgeois setting for communist holidays.
But this 'Soviet Riviera' hid a sophisticated surveillance system. Every villa, every sanatorium, every beach café contained microphones. Waiters were informants, lifeguards were agents. In 1978, the Volkov affair revealed the extent of this network: a double agent disappeared with the complete list of Western spies infiltrated into Baltic secret services. The investigation would reveal that Jūrmala served as a hub for international espionage, its summer pleasures masking the stakes of the Cold War.
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
5-10 curated sites across the territory
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Authentic Espionage
Discover real KGB techniques in this seaside resort turned surveillance center
Soviet Riviera
Explore unique seaside architecture where communist elites and secret agents mingled
Baltic Cold War
Uncover secrets of intercepted communications and international spy networks
Unmask the double agent before the KGB discovers your mission
A spy investigation in the USSR's secret seaside resort
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.
Q02Can we split Jūrmala — The Spies of Volkov 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 do Jūrmala — The Spies of Volkov as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
Q04What if we get stuck on a puzzle?
Three hint levels per puzzle, with a small increasing time penalty. If truly stuck after level 3, you can skip the step (45-min penalty). The point: nobody stays blocked and goes home frustrated.
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Your turn to play
Unravel the secret codes hidden in Jūrmala's seaside architecture. Reconstruct agent Volkov's route through monitored villas, sanatoriums and beaches. Decipher the signals of Soviet spies who turned this golden Riviera into a Cold War chessboard. Solve this state affair before the secret services close the file forever.
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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