A riddle game through Freiburg's old town, from gate to gate
The Freiburg scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk through the old town, solve a riddle at each landmark by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Between the synagogue square and the town hall you cover just 2 km, about 24 minutes on foot past 10 stops, so most of the roughly 2 hours goes on riddles and stories rather than on getting from place to place.
Highlights include the two medieval gates, Martinstor and Schwabentor, the red Historic Merchants' Hall, Freiburg Minster with its 116-metre tower, the Markthalle food hall and the Bertoldsbrunnen. The old town is compact and largely car-free, and along the way you keep crossing the Bächle, the narrow water channels that run beside many of its streets.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 24 min · 2 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you solve between the synagogue square and the Rathaus
Emperors, glazed tiles and a stone spire
Each stop poses one riddle whose answer is right in front of you: the four Habsburg rulers on the red Merchants' Hall, the coloured tiles on its corner oriels, the openwork spire of the Minster. Careful looking and a little logic are all it takes, with no German or local knowledge required.
Gold, sand and gunpowder
Once a riddle is cracked, its story opens: the rich Swabian whose barrels of gold, the legend goes, his wife had filled with sand, the monk Berthold Schwarz who is said to have invented gunpowder in Freiburg, and the dukes of Zähringen who founded the town in 1120. Under the Schwabentor the audio narration can tell you each tale while you look up at the arch.
Level lanes beside the Bächle
The route measures 2 km and about 24 minutes of walking, on flat streets that are largely free of cars. Google Maps points the way, and between stops you keep stepping over the Bächle, the narrow water channels that run along the edge of the lanes.
Lunch in the Markthalle
No clock runs during the game, and the Markthalle food hall, itself one of the stops, makes a natural place to break for lunch. Close the app, eat, and come back to the next riddle later or on another day.
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.
Players who will take to Freiburg's gates and riddles
Visitors staying in the Black Forest
If your base is out in the hills, the hunt gathers the city's highlights into about 2 hours, from both medieval gates to Münsterplatz and the town hall square. That leaves the rest of the day for the forest.
Families with sharp-eyed kids
Children enjoy the barrels of gold that turned to sand, the monk with his gunpowder and the coats of arms laid in pebbles at the finish. The route is short and flat, and an adult plays in every team.
Students, colleagues and friends
Send several teams of five or fewer from the memorial pool by the university, staggered by a few minutes, and gather everyone again at the twin-town mosaic, with every player following the game on their own phone. The old town is the whole playing field, so there is nothing to book or hire.
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.
The route: Platz der Alten Synagoge, the two gates, Münsterplatz and the Rathaus
10 stops · about 24 min walking · start: Platz der Alten Synagoge · finish: Coats of arms of the twin towns
The hunt starts on Platz der Alten Synagoge beside the university and leads through Martinstor to the Schwabentor on the eastern edge of the old town. From there you walk to Münsterplatz for the Historic Merchants' Hall and Freiburg Minster, then on to the Markthalle and the Bertoldsbrunnen crossroads, and finish by the New Town Hall at the coats of arms of Freiburg's twin towns. Every answer is read from the pavement, on gates, fountains and façades, so no stop asks for an entry ticket, and if you would rather open the game at the Minster or the Schwabentor, the app moves the start there and reorders the remaining stops.
Open the route map ↗
1Platz der Alten SynagogeStart
This square between the university and the city theatre is named after Freiburg's synagogue, which stood here until it was destroyed in the November pogrom of 1938. Since the square was redesigned in 2017, a shallow water basin traces the outline of the vanished building as a memorial.
Read the full story →
2University of Freiburg
The Albert-Ludwigs-Universität was founded in 1457 by Archduke Albert VI of Austria and is one of the oldest universities in Germany. Its Art Nouveau main lecture building bears the inscription 'Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen', the truth shall make you free. The philosophers Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger both taught here.
3Martinstor (Martin's Gate)
Martin's Gate is one of the two medieval city gates still standing in Freiburg, first built in the 13th century. Around 1900 it was raised considerably and given its tall roof. Today the main shopping street, Kaiser-Joseph-Straße, runs right through its archway.
4Schwabentor
The Swabian Gate, Freiburg's second surviving medieval gate, guarded the road east towards Swabia, which gave it its name. Like Martin's Gate, it was made taller in the early 20th century. According to legend, a rich Swabian wanted to buy Freiburg with barrels of gold, but his wife had secretly filled them with sand.
Read the full story →
5Historic Merchants' Hall
The red Historic Merchants' Hall on the south side of Münsterplatz was built in the early 16th century as the city's customs and trading house. Statues of four Habsburg rulers, including Emperor Maximilian I and Charles V, stand on its façade, and two corner oriels with colourful glazed-tile roofs frame the arcades.
Read the full story →
6Freiburg Minster
Freiburg Minster was begun around 1200 in Romanesque style and completed over more than three centuries in Gothic style. Its 116-metre tower with an openwork stone spire was finished in the 14th century, and the historian Jacob Burckhardt is said to have called it the most beautiful tower in Christendom. It survived the bombing of 1944 largely intact.
Read the full story →
7Markthalle
The Markthalle is a covered food hall in the old town, a short walk from Martin's Gate. Its counters serve food from many countries side by side, and students and locals come here for a quick lunch or a coffee.
Read the full story →
8Bertoldsbrunnen
This fountain marks the crossing of the old town's two main streets, where today the tram lines meet. It honours the dukes of Zähringen, who founded Freiburg in 1120, with a statue of Duke Berthold. The original fountain was destroyed in the Second World War and later replaced.
Read the full story →
9Neues Rathaus
The New Town Hall was created in the early 20th century by linking two older Renaissance houses, and it stands next to the red Old Town Hall on Rathausplatz. In the square is a statue of the monk Berthold Schwarz, who according to legend invented gunpowder in Freiburg.
Read the full story →
10Coats of arms of the twin townsFinish
The coats of arms of Freiburg's twin towns are shown here as a mosaic of international friendship. The oldest partnership, with Besançon in France, dates from 1959, and others link Freiburg with cities such as Innsbruck, Padua, Guildford, Madison and Granada. Pebble mosaics in the pavements are a long Freiburg tradition.
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Chantal (verified owner) –
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gut gemacht, kennen die App schon von Siena. Was wirklich angegangen werden muss, ist dass die Wegführung immer auf Googlemaps verweist statt auch die Apple Karten App zuzulassen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Maitre– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Italy –
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Skylar-Germany –
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Aaliyah-France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Christopher-Ireland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Aaliyah-Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Zoey-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Zoey-Bulgaria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Isaac-France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Lucy-France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Christopher-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Easton-Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Das „Rätsellösen“ war witzig und hat den Stadtrundgang abwechslungsreich gestaltet. Wir hatten vor Jahren schon mal eine Stadtführung gemacht und haben mit der Schnitzeljagd trotzdem noch einiges andere erfahren. Die Infos (gut zu lesen, nicht zu umfangreich) und die Aufgaben wechseln sich ab. Über die App ist die Tour sehr flexibel handhabbar, nach eigenem Tempo, man kann Pausen machen, wie man möchte und nach Belieben die Schnitzeljagd fortführen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuke activiteit. Zoon van 9 liep enthousiast de stad door
Netherlands –
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Erg leuk
Melanie– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
hat Spa? gemacht ??
Wilco– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
De activiteit was leuk en goed opgezet. Je kreeg veel uitleg over de bezienswaardigheden waar je bij stond of naartoe moest lopen. Vragen waren soms niet helemaal duidelijk, maar met een hint kwam je best ver. Zeker een aanrader als je een stad wilt gaan verkennen!
Nancy– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
The walking tour lead us to places we may not have seen and gave us insights and information we found interesting. We all enjoyed the activities.
Jasmin – Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Uns hat es sehr gut gefallen. Waren eine gr??ere Gruppe, wobei sich nur eine Person die Schnitzeljagd aufs Handy geladen hat, was uns ausgereicht hat. Man erf?hrt etwas ?ber die Sehensw?rdigkeiten und wird auf Sachen aufmerksam gemacht, die man so nicht gesehen oder gedeutet h?tte. Sehr interessant.
Julia– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sch?n gestaltete Tour mit viel Wissen und witzigen R?tseln.
Svenja– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war f?r uns missverst?ndlich wie oft man die Aktivit?t kaufen muss, pro Person oder pro Endger?t. Antwort: 1x pro Endger?t! H?tten wur das vorher gewusst h?tten wir Geld gespart. Ansonsten sch?ne Gruppenaktivit?t
Merten– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gro?er Spa?faktor in der Gruppe
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Informativ- einfach- kurzweilig
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
War gut, um die wesentlichen Punkte der Stadt kennenzulernen. F?nd ich als Audioguide besser. Konnten Sohn (11) damit aber ganz gut durch die Stadt navigieren.
Alexandra– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super sch?n, mal anders eine Stadt kennen zulernen.
Marianne– Switzerland –
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War Tipp topp
Gisela– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Interessante Tour durch die Stadt mit vielen Infos
Petra– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Top App!
Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a fun way to explore the city. The information was good and the scavenger hunt game helped us to slow down and focus on at least one aspect of each sight. Highly recommended.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr intuitive und gut gestaltete App, mit einfachen R?tseln. Wir hatten sehr viel Spa? und haben einiges ?ber Freiburg gelernt.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es hat total spass gemacht und selbst als Einwohner nochmal was dazu gelernt … kann es nur empfehlen
Jan – Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Hat sehr viel Spa? gemacht f?r gro? und klein. Man sieht Orte die man so vielleicht nicht sucht. Immer wieder gerne ??????
Willi– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Fragen waren teilweise recht schwierig. Die Kinder haben relativ schnell die Lust verloren. Dies war aber auch der enormen Hitze an dem Tag geschuldet.
?????– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
good
Marcel – Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gute ?berschauliche Rundreise durch Freiburg.
Tiziana– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
un’esperienza veramente carina da fare con tutta la famiglia
Thorsten– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Guter Stadttundgang, R?tsel grds. nicht schwer, aber manchmal schwer erkennbar und es h?tten mehr sein k?nnen. Spa? war trotzdem gegeben.
Janette– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war sch?n so Freiburg zu erkunden und Wissenswertes zu lesen. Allerdings w?rde ich nicht empfehlen vorher halt zu machen, sondern erst das Spiel zu Ende zu spielen. Auch nach den Informationen erst schauen, was im n?chsten R?tsel gefragt ist, das geh?rt nicht unbedingt immer zusammen.
Liana– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr praktische App und sehr sch?ne R?tsel!!
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super
Manuela– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tolle Schnitzeljagd um etwas ?ber Freiburg zu erfahren. Super, dass man es im eigenen Tempo machen kann. Empfehle ich weiter.
Marko Schulz (verified owner) –
Les énigmes étaient très intelligentes et le jeu m’a donné suffisamment d’informations sur les lieux que j’ai visités ainsi que sur les légendes urbaines, c’est parfait !