The Witches of Biarritz
1609: the judge who burned 80 women on the Basque coast
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1609, judge Pierre de Lancre was sent by Henri IV to "purge the Basque Country of witchcraft." In four months, he had 80 women burned, accused of attending the Akelarre — the witches' sabbath. The cliffs of Biarritz still hold the memory of this terror.
80 women burned in four months. The judge was the real demon.
In 1609, when Basque fishermen leave for Newfoundland to hunt whales, judge Pierre de Lancre arrives in Bayonne with a royal mission: eradicate witchcraft in the Basque Country. Over four months, he has 80 women arrested, tortured, and burned — healers, midwives, widows. In his Tableau de l'inconstance des mauvais anges, he describes nocturnal sabbaths on the cliffs, witches flying over the sea, and pacts with the devil. The Akelarre — the goat's meadow in Basque — was, according to him, the site of these forbidden ceremonies.
« "The Basque Country is a place where the devil has established his empire with more license than anywhere else in the world." »— — Pierre de Lancre, Tableau de l'inconstance des mauvais anges, 1612
Biarritz 1609 — the witch hunt of the Basque coast
Pierre de Lancre, councillor at the Parliament of Bordeaux, arrived in the Basque Country in 1609 with extraordinary powers granted by Henri IV. The king, alarmed by reports of witchcraft in Labourd, wanted a swift "purification." De Lancre settled in and began the trials. The accusations were always the same: attending the Akelarre, night flight, pact with the devil.
The victims were almost all women. Healers who used medicinal plants, midwives accused of sacrificing newborns, widows without protectors. De Lancre used torture to obtain confessions and chain denunciations. In four months, 80 women were burned. The real number may be higher — the records are incomplete.
In 1612, de Lancre published his Tableau de l'inconstance des mauvais anges, a delirious work describing sabbaths on the Basque coast cliffs, witches riding goats above the waves, and black masses in sea caves. This book, supposedly a legal treatise, is in reality the testimony of a fanatic. Today, the cliffs of Biarritz and the Atalaye Plateau preserve the memory of these unjustly condemned women.
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.
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?
Witch hunt
Investigate the Basque coast's greatest witch hunt and rehabilitate the victims.
Basque coast
From the Rock of the Virgin to the Atalaye Plateau, explore the Basque Country's most spectacular cliffs.
Napoleon III
Discover the Imperial Chapel and the legacy of the emperor who made Biarritz a seaside resort.
The Akelarre
Separate legend from reality in the story of the Basque witches' sabbath.
80 innocents. A fanatical judge. The Basque coast does not forget.
From the cliffs of Biarritz to the Atalaye Plateau — restore the truth.
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
Q01Concretely, how does it unfold outdoors?
You arrive in Biarritz · From the Rock of the Virgin to the Atalaye Plateau, open the link on your phone, the story starts. It's the modern outdoor escape game: audio narration, camera puzzles, final code unlocked as a team. No install. No need to book a time slot.
Q02What walking pace should we expect?
Easy stroll: between stops you walk 3 to 7 minutes. No tough climbs unless flagged on the product page. If you really want to push, you can jog between stops, but that's not the point.
Q03Does The Witches of Biarritz work for team-building?
Yes — it's actually one of our main use cases. Outdoor escape game format, teams of 4 to 6, live ranking possible between groups. For companies above 12 participants, contact us: we can issue linked codes.
Q04What happens if it rains in Biarritz · From the Rock of the Virgin to the Atalaye Plateau?
The game is playable in light rain — just keep your phone under a hood. For heavy thunderstorms, your code stays valid, you can postpone to another day at no cost.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
From the Rock of the Virgin to the Atalaye Plateau — investigate the 1609 witch hunt in an escape game between ocean and cliffs on the Basque coast.
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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