The Moors of Alfama
Lisbon's last Arab quarter
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Al-Ḥamma — the hot springs — where the city forgot Rome and became Arab
Alfama — the West's last souk that became Portugal's first song
Before it was the Fado quarter, Alfama was for 400 years al-Ḥamma — the hot springs — the Moorish heart of an Arab city called al-Ushbūna. Its alleys do not slope down to the Tagus by chance: they hug the curves of the Roman aqueduct that the Moors maintained until 1147, when the crusader Afonso Henriques took the city with English and Flemish sailors. The last Muslims lived peacefully under the Portuguese for three centuries. Eight clues, hidden between Moorish fountains and Christian churches, lead to the quarter's forgotten key.
« "O Lisbon, you who were so great under Allah's hand." »— — Al-Bakri, 11th-century Arab geographer
Four centuries of al-Ushbūna
Between 711 and 1147, Lisbon was an Arab city. The Umayyads and then the Almoravids made it a trading port with North Africa, Seville and Cordoba. Al-Idrisi described it as a city of white walls, citrus gardens and public baths. Alfama is the only quarter where all this remains legible: the alleys follow the Moorish waterworks, the neighbourhood fountains still hold the original basins, and the tiny inner squares were once courtyards of patio houses.
On 25 October 1147, Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, took the city after a 17-week siege, helped by 13,000 Flemish, English and German crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. The last Muslims, called mouros forros, were allowed to stay and kept their religion until 1497. Alfama takes its name from al-Ḥamma, "the hot springs", name of the Arab baths in the lower quarter. Fado, song of the harbour and the absent, was born here in the 19th century in taverns where Portuguese lyrics were sung to airs inherited from Mozarabic cantigas.
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
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 · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Al-Ushbūna rediscovered
Four Arab centuries inscribed in the alleys' layout.
Cradle of fado
Where Mozarabic cantigas became the song of sailors and the absent.
Moorish fountains
Chafariz de Dentro, Chafariz d'El-Rei and the memory of hot baths.
Al-Ḥamma
The hot springs whose Arabic name was forgotten by being kept
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 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.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Uncover al-Ushbūna's last public bath buried beneath Alfama's alleys.
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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See all games in Lower Alfama — Fado and Santa Engrácia→More ideas for self-guided walking tours, scavenger hunts & city quests in the same city
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