Bologna's scavenger hunt, explained
The Bologna scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk through the medieval centre, solve a riddle at each of 10 landmarks by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories behind it. Two hours are plenty at a relaxed pace, because the 10 stops are packed into 2.5 km and the walking between them adds up to just 33 minutes; when you begin is entirely your call.
Highlights include the Asinelli and Garisenda towers, the glass floor of the Salaborsa library, the terracotta heads of Palazzo Bolognini on Piazza Santo Stefano, the church of Saints Vitale and Agricola and the tomb of Saint Dominic. Bologna's old centre is compact and lined with porticoes, so you walk in the shade or out of the rain almost all the way.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 33 min · 2.5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles under the porticoes of Bologna
Read the red city
Every stop carries one riddle, and its answer is part of the street: a pope in bronze above a portal, a row of terracotta heads, a date carved into brick. Observation and a little logic do the work, and nothing needs studying beforehand.
Leaning towers and a Bologna pope
When a riddle is solved, the stop opens up: why the Garisenda leans and how Dante came to mention it, which Bologna-born pope gave his name to the Gregorian calendar, how the young Michelangelo came to carve statues for the tomb of Saint Dominic. Turn on the audio narration and the stories are read to you as you go.
A compact 2.5 km
Google Maps guides you between the stops, which are never far apart: 33 minutes of walking in all, from the Two Towers across Piazza Maggiore to Santo Stefano and San Domenico. Much of it runs under the porticoes that line Bologna's streets.
Tagliatelle can come first
The game pauses whenever you do, so a plate of tagliatelle or a glass of wine in the lanes of the Quadrilatero costs you nothing. Pick up again later that day or on another, and use the app to reorder the stops if Santo Stefano is closer to where you are staying.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who Bologna's riddles are for
A short stay in Bologna
The towers, the main square, the Seven Churches and the basilica of San Domenico all sit within 2.5 km, so even a stopover gives you the shape of the medieval city. The riddles give you a reason to look up at the terracotta and brick that most visitors hurry past.
Children with an eye for odd details
Bologna is full of them: a tower that visibly leans, a glass floor in Salaborsa over the remains of the Roman town, terracotta faces peering down from a palace, medieval tombs raised on columns. Every team needs a grown-up, yet the sharpest eyes in it often belong to the youngest.
Students, colleagues and friends
A team takes up to 5 players, each following the game on their own phone, so a class, a department or a group of friends can play as rival teams and compare answers at the end of the route. All of it happens in public streets and squares, so the only thing to organise is the tickets.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.


























Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ganz nett um die Stadt kennenzulernen. Wir hatten Spa? mit den Kindern (8&11 Jahre alt). Manche R?tsel versteht man nicht, aber das war nicht schlimm. Die Hauptsache f?r uns war, dass wir an allen Sehensw?rdigkeiten vorbei kommen.
Leon– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuke manier om een stad te ontdekken en op plekken te komen waar je normaal gesproken niet zo maar terecht komt. Niet alle puzzels waren even correct naar onze mening.
Uwe– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ich fand gut das man spielerisch zu den Sehensw?rdigkeiten der Stadt gef?hrt wurde.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Visite int?ressante de Bologne et ludique. Traduction fran?aise approximative mais compr?hensible
Chantal– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Prima wandeling om delen van de stad te zien. Niet alle tekst klopt bij de plaatjes, maar alsnog leer je veel weetjes over de stad.
Fernando– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nos gusto mucho la actividad y la idea es buena. Hay pruebas que son complicadas de entender y si las pasas te dan la respuesta per no la explicaci?n de porque es esa respuesta, para nuestro gusto es el mayor fallo. Por lo demas la idea es buena y nos faltaron mas pruebas para seguir disfrutando.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ludique et permet de se balader tout en se cultivant
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr sch?ner Spaziergang. Ohne die Schnitzeljagd, h?tten wir vieles nicht gesehen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
12 EUR ist die Schnitzeljagd nicht wert. Die Bilder der R?tsel “Basilika des heiligen Dominik” passten nicht. Die Fehlersuche bei den 2 T?rmen war nach unserer Meinung zu schwer f?r Kinder. Bei den Beschreibungen zu der Geschichtevon Bologna h?tten noch ein paar Bilder mehr sein m?ssen, nicht nur Text. F?r die Kinder ( 6&9Jahre) waren die historischen Erl?uterungen zu lang
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super activit?
Sandra – Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr interessant und spannend. Absolut empfehlenswert
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr gut
Russell– United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
interactive and engaging
Fabian– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Insgesamt ganz unterhaltsam und eine gute M?glichkeit, um einige Sehensw?rdigkeiten zu bestaunen, die man ansonsten wahrscheinlich nicht unbedingt gefunden h?tte. Au?erdem kommt man dabei m?glicherweise an sch?nen Gassen und Stadtabschnitten vorbei die man sich anschlie?end oder zwischendurch genauer anschauen kann. Nur die deutsche ?bersetzung war nicht sonderlich gut und au?erdem sollte man den Text zumindest professionell einsprechen lassen und nicht einfach die Computerstimme dort einf?gen. Ansonsten schon zu empfehlen.
Sophie– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
tr?s sympa cette chasse au tr?sor avec des ?nigmes ? r?soudre, des explications culturelles sur les monuments et des astuces pour d?couvrir la ville
Ralf– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Grunds?tzlich ganz unterhaltsam beim Stadtrundgang mit Kindern ab Grundschulalter. Aber: Die App hat Fehler: Bilder gedreht eingestellt, Text wird nach Unterbrechung (durch Fotos) wieder neu vorgelesen, leider auch nur durch die Maschine, was zu Aussprachefehlern f?hrt. Entfernungsangaben zum n?chsten Ziel w?ren gut.
Lisa– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Kurzweiliger R?tselspa?, der durch die zur Verf?gung stehenden Hinweise nicht zu schwer zu bew?ltigen ist. Durch die R?tsel kommt man auch an sch?nen Orten vorbei, die man ansonsten eventuell nicht zu sehen bekommen h?tten
Peter– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Good idea to get you round the centre of Bolongna. Some of the clues were a bit confusing weather words or numbers but overall I would use the app again
Laetitia– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Int?ressant pour arpenter la ville, le format, ?nigmes, permet de motiver les enfants (8 et 12). Les explications ne sont pas en lien avec les monuments sur lesquels l’application nous envoie, c’est vraiment dommage. Quelques petites anecdotes sur la ville.
Christelle– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Une excellente formule pour explorer la ville de fa?on ludique ! Le seul b?mol est l’acc?s obligatoire ? internet qui peut co?ter cher ? l’?tranger…
Ross– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great idea, adding a little structure and challenge to a walk around the city. Nice insights in to the landmarks with no pressure to get too involved or keep to a time limit. Will definitely look for this in other cities I now visit.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Eine sehr gute Gelegenheit den Innenstadtbereich kennenzulernen. Die R?tsel beleben den Spaziergang zus?tzlich.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ci ? piaciuta come attivit?, c’erano solo due indovinelli che non si capiva bene che si dovesse fare. Il primo (le torri) e quello della statua di s. domenico. Andrei a modificarli, specificando meglio. Per? molto simpatico! approvato 🙂
donatella– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Alcune tappe poco comprensibili. Comunque piacevole nel complesso.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Facile da acquistare e vivere. Consiglio ai viaggiatori dell’ultimo minuto
DANIELA– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Caccia al Tesoro divertente, consente di vedere molte attrattive di Bologna in modo simpatico e originale
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Esperienza divertente e ben organizzata! Abbiamo trascorso 2/3 ore alla ricerca e alla scoperta della citt?.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
E’ una bellissima esperienza, che consiglio di fare il primo giorno di arrivo in modo da poter visitare i migliori posti di Bologna e capire gi? un po’ come muoversi, prendendosela con calma e godendosi gi? in parte alcuni luoghi magnifici.
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuk, informatief en een mooie route.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Molto interessante, ma servirebbe una versione specifica per bambini!
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
War interessant
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a great self paced tour of the city, which provided the option to explore a number of the attractions at our pace and continue the tour.
Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It was a good way to wander the streets of the city Bologna and see key sites and pass interesting local streets. Spotted some great cafes, gelato and alleyways along the way. Construction impacted a couple of sites so you could not stand where you were expected to be, but you still get to see the building and just fail the puzzle. Excellent concept to get younger people more eager to walk with less complaints. Would probably need some stops which are looking at souvenirs or lunch/coffee stops. Otherwise, we had to Google options and most recommendations were away from the area where the walk took us. Over all well done.
Mar?a Jes?s –
Collected on GetYourGuide
La realizamos en familia, alguna de las pruebas dif?cil de completar. Esperaba que aportase algo m?s de informaci?n sobre los lugares recorridos.
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nos cost? pillar el funcionamiento. Estar?a bien que te hablase tras cada acertijo del sitio donde est?s, no de cosas sin sentido
Katya – United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Lovely way to see the main sites at your own pace. We only had one day in Bologna so wanted to make the most of it and this scavenger hunt was just fabulous.
Ireland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Brilliant way to learn about and explore the city at your own pace. Myself and my partner had an absolute blast completing this throughout the city
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a great way to explore the town in our own time and without missing things. There was so much to see. We never would have seen these things on our own. It did take us a couple of sites to actually figure out what we were doing with the app, but once we figured it out, we were on a roll. I would definitely recommend for the price, and I will use these again when travelling.
Maria Jos?– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Te hace un recorrido por los lugares m?s importantes de Bolonia pero la informaci?n que aporta hay que leer varios textos, no hay audios, somos una familia de 4 y compre 4 ticket pensando q era audioguia pero no es necesario ya q uno tiene que leer
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Esperienza molto bella, interessante e ben pensata. Ottima la soluzione di procedere in autonomia, utilizzando il tempo e le visite con i propri tempi.
Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
In diesen 2-3 Stunden hast du alles gesehen. Die R?tsel sind teils schwierig, da die Anweisung nicht mit der L?sung zusammenpasst. Ebenso wichtig, nicht die R?der mit 1/2/3 ohne Grund anklicken, da dies die Hinweise sind und daf?r gibt es Punkteabzug. Einfach eine Abwechslung zu einer normalen Sightseeing-Tour!
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tr?s ludique et tr?s int?ressant. C’est une mani?re diff?rente de visiter une ville et d’en voir les lieux d’int?r?t. A faire absolument !
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Bella idea per visitare la citt?. Gli indovinelli/quiz erano simpatici e stimolanti.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ein netter g?nstiger Zeitvertreib in Bologna. Man sieht Gassen, Wege und Pl?tze, die man sonst nicht sehen w?rde. Werde ich auch in anderen St?dten buchen.
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great way to see some of Bolognas sites ! I previously lived in Bologna for 7 months and even saw a few new areas. Really gets you thinking.
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
We enjoyed it so much! I recomend it!
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Very nice experience!!!
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Wir haben einige Audio-Guide F?hrungen gemacht. Von dieser wurden wir jedoch entt?uscht. Die L?sungen hatten nur selten etwas mit der jeweiligen Sehensw?rdigkeit zu tun. Auch gab es nur sehr sp?rliche Erkl?rungen. Einziger Pluspunkt der Tour war, dass wir zu einigen Kirchen und Pl?tzen kamen, die wir uns sonst nicht angesehen h?tten.
MarioF –
Very nice activity, very nice idea and smart riddles. Well done
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super jeu. Tr?s motivant pour visiter la ville ? son rythme et voir les principaux monuments. Excellent jeu ? faire avec des ados !