The Magi Kings of Les Baux
Balthazar's star still shines over Provence
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Perched on a rocky spur of the Alpilles, the citadel of Les Baux has dominated Provence for a thousand years. Its lords claimed descent from Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men, and bore the sixteen-rayed star on their coat of arms. Troubadours and knights mingled in a court as refined as it was fearsome.
In the castle ruins, the Star of the Magi awaits to be rekindled
When the mistral blows through the shattered walls of the Château des Baux, you could swear you hear troubadours singing their sirventes. This eagle's nest, which defied the Counts of Provence and the Kings of France, still hides the secrets of a lineage claiming to reach back to Bethlehem. The sixteen-rayed star is everywhere — carved in stone, sculpted on capitals, hidden in the rock. Your quest begins at the top of the citadel, where the view stretches to the Camargue.
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
« "At random, Balthazar!" »— — Motto of the Lords of Les Baux-de-Provence
Les Baux — the race of eaglets who descended from the stars
The House of Les Baux was one of the oldest and most powerful feudal families in Provence. From the 10th century, the lords of Les Baux claimed a fabulous origin: they descended from Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men who came to worship the Christ Child in Bethlehem. The sixteen-rayed star — the star that guided the Magi — became their heraldic emblem, carved everywhere in the stone of their fortress.
In the 12th century, the court of Les Baux rivaled the most brilliant in Europe. Troubadours flocked there, singing courtly love in the langue d'oc. But the lords of Les Baux were also fearsome warriors: they defied the Count of Barcelona, the Count of Provence, and even the King of France. Their citadel, perched at 245 meters on a spur of white limestone, was reputed to be impregnable.
In 1632, Louis XIII ordered the fortress destroyed. The walls were razed, the keep dismantled. Les Baux sank into oblivion until the mineralogist Pierre Berthier discovered an unknown red ore there in 1821 — which he named "bauxite" in tribute to the village. Today, the castle ruins still overlook the Val d'Enfer, the tormented ravine that inspired Dante's Inferno.
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?
Magi lineage
Explore the legend of the lords of Les Baux, who claimed descent from the Wise King Balthazar.
Impregnable citadel
Explore the ruins of a fortress that defied the Kings of France for three centuries.
Troubadour court
Decipher verses in langue d'oc composed by troubadours of the court of Les Baux.
Alpilles panorama
From the castle ruins to the Val d'Enfer, a spectacular route between history and landscape.
At random, Balthazar!
Follow the Star of the Magi through the citadel that defied the Kings of France.
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, WhatsApp, 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
From the keep to the quarries, from troubadour songs to the Valley of Hell — uncover the secret of a lineage that claimed descent from the stars, in an outdoor escape game in the heart of the Alpilles.
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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