The Saints of the Sea
Mary Magdalene hasn't had her last word
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 48 AD, a boat without sail or oars washes ashore on a Camargue beach. On board: Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, Mary Jacobé, and their servant Sara the Black. They carry a secret that could rewrite the history of Christianity — a Gnostic text the Church tried to erase.
Beneath the stones of the crypt, a lost gospel awaits its resurrection
The fortified church of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer stands like a stone ship facing the Mediterranean. From the rooftop terrace, the gaze sweeps across the wild Camargue — the lagoons, the pink flamingos, the white horses. Every May, thousands of Romani people from across Europe converge here to venerate Sara the Black, their patron saint, in a crypt made mystical by darkness. But the crypt holds a secret older than the pilgrimage itself.
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 Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured... Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out." »— — Gospel of Luke, 8:1-2
Saintes-Maries — when the Gospel arrived by sea
According to Provençal tradition, after the Crucifixion, the disciples of Jesus were persecuted in Palestine. Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome (mother of James and John), Mary Jacobé (sister of the Virgin), and their servant Sara were placed on a boat without sail or oars and abandoned at sea. By miracle, the boat crossed the Mediterranean and landed on the Camargue coast, at the very spot where the fortified church stands today.
Mary Magdalene went on to evangelize Provence and retreated to the cave of Sainte-Baume. The other two Marys stayed, founding the first Christian community in Gaul. Sara, venerated as patron saint by the Romani people, became the object of a pilgrimage that has endured for centuries. Every year on May 24 and 25, her statue is carried in procession to the sea.
The Gnostic texts discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945 revived the mystery: the Gospel of Mary Magdalene describes her as the apostle closest to Jesus, the one to whom he entrusted secret teachings. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where she supposedly first set foot in Gaul, may be the starting point of a hidden tradition the official Church sought to silence.
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?
Fortress-church
Explore one of France's rare fortified churches, from the rooftop terrace to the crypt of Sara.
Millennial pilgrimage
Immerse yourself in the centuries-old Romani pilgrimage to Sara the Black.
Wild Camargue
Cross Camargue landscapes of pink flamingos, white horses, and shimmering lagoons.
Gnostic mystery
Decipher a message inspired by the Gnostic texts the Church tried to make disappear.
From crypt to sea
A journey from the crypt's darkness to the light of the Mediterranean beach.
The Gospel hasn't revealed all its secrets.
From Sara's crypt to the Saints' beach, follow in Mary Magdalene's footsteps.
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
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play les saintes de la mer? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
From the fortified church rooftop to the wave-swept beach — uncover the mystery of a lost gospel in an outdoor escape game in the heart of the Camargue, between pink flamingos and sacred legends.
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
Other escape games in France
View France→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in France
Aigues-Mortes
Medieval crusader city, between ramparts and salt marshes
Nîmes
The French Rome, between arenas and garrigue
Les Baux-de-Provence
Citadel of Provence's warrior lords
Montpellier
Medieval medical school and secret old town
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Chauvet Cave and natural arch of the Ardèche gorges
Narbonne
Walk the path of Roman Narbo Martius