What is the Kos outdoor escape game?
The Kos outdoor escape game is an escape room moved into the open air: the puzzles are set among the ancient stones, mosques and harbour buildings of Kos Town, and you play them on your smartphone. Each of the 10 stops holds one puzzle, solved by looking carefully and thinking it through. Allow about 2 hours, of which 33 minutes are walking over 2.7 km.
The puzzles are placed at the Statue of Hippocrates, on Eleftherias Square beside the museum and the mosque, at the marble seats of the Roman Odeon, in the old inn that is now the Hani folklore museum, by the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and at Nerantzia Castle. Kos Town is flat, so ancient, Ottoman and Italian-era buildings follow one another within a short walk.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 33 min · 2.7 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Greek
What you do on the escape game
Solve
Each landmark sets one puzzle, answered with observation and logic. Nothing needs to be known beforehand.
Look closely
Clues sit in reused marble blocks, inscriptions, arches and decorative details, so study each building before you answer.
Walk
Google Maps links the stops: 33 minutes on foot over 2.7 km through the flat streets of Kos Town.
Take your time
No countdown runs. Open up to three levels of hints, pause in the shade and continue 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.
Who it suits
Friends
The puzzles are independent, so each person can lead one, and nobody needs to know the island in advance.
Couples
A challenge you solve together between the harbour and the old town, with no clock running.
Team building
Teams of up to 5 play on their own phones, so colleagues can set off in several groups on the same route.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- Best started in daylight, so you can see the details the puzzles ask about.
- 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.
Puzzle route: from the Statue of Hippocrates to Nerantzia Castle
10 stops · about 33 min walking · start: Statue of Hippocrates · finish: Nerantzia Castle
Puzzle one is posted at the Statue of Hippocrates, and Eleftherias Square, the main square of Kos Town, comes straight after. A tight cluster comes next: the Roman Odeon, then the Hani folklore museum, then Antagora Square. Two more are set in the Kos Fighters Memorial Park and at the Panagia Gorgoepikoos Church. Along the harbour come the Government House and the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, and the last puzzle waits at Nerantzia Castle at the harbour entrance. Begin in daylight, since you solve everything outdoors. The app lets you reorder the stops, and no entry tickets are needed.
Open the route map ↗
1Statue of HippocratesStart
Hippocrates, born on Kos around 460 BC, is often called the father of Western medicine, and the Hippocratic Oath still bears his name. This statue honours the island's most famous son, who taught that illness has natural causes rather than divine ones. His legacy is also remembered at the Asklepieion, the ancient healing sanctuary a few kilometres outside town.
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2Eleftherias Square
Eleftherias Square, or Liberty Square, is the main square of Kos Town. Around it stand the Archaeological Museum in a building from the Italian period, the Ottoman-era Defterdar Mosque and the market hall. The ruins of the ancient Agora begin just beyond the square.
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3Roman Odeon
This small Roman theatre dates from around the 2nd century AD and was used for music, recitals and public gatherings. Its lower rows of seats are made of marble, and arched vaults run beneath the seating. Italian archaeologists uncovered and restored it during the Italian period of the island's history.
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4Hani – Historical and Folklore Museum
Hani is the local name for a han, a traditional inn where travelling merchants once stayed with their animals and goods. The old building now houses the Historical and Folklore Museum of Kos, with objects from everyday island life of the past. Take a close look at its sturdy stone walls, which once sheltered the merchants and their goods.
5Antagora Square
Antagora Square is one of the small squares of Kos Town, a quiet stop away from the busy seafront. The name Antagoras appears in an old Kos legend, in which a shepherd of that name is said to have wrestled the hero Heracles.
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6Kos Fighters Memorial Park
This small park honours the people of Kos who fought for the island's freedom. Kos lived under Ottoman rule from 1523, under Italian rule from 1912 and under German occupation during the Second World War. Together with the other Dodecanese islands, it officially became part of Greece only in 1948.
7Panagia Gorgoepikoos Church
This Orthodox church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Gorgoepikoos, a Greek title meaning she who answers quickly. Churches with this name are found across Greece, and the faithful come to light candles and ask for help. Take a close look at its façade from the street.
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8Government House (Dioikitirio)
The long Government House on the harbour front was built while Kos belonged to Italy, which ruled the Dodecanese from 1912. Its façade mixes arches, towers and decorative details inspired by Venetian and Eastern architecture. It still houses public offices today.
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9Plane Tree of Hippocrates
According to tradition, Hippocrates taught his students under a plane tree on this spot. The present tree is several centuries old, so far younger than Hippocrates, and its heavy branches rest on metal supports. Next to it stands the 18th-century Gazi Hassan Pasha Mosque.
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10Nerantzia CastleFinish
The Knights of St John built this fortress at the harbour entrance in the 14th and 15th centuries to defend Kos. They reused stones from ancient buildings, so carved marble blocks and inscriptions can be spotted in the walls. A bridge crosses the former moat, now a palm-lined street, and the name is said to come from bitter orange trees.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Mikaia– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nette Idee, aber nicht gut umgesetzt. Rätsel entweder zu leicht oder an den Haaren herbeigezogen. Die Orte waren auch nicht alle sonderlich interessant. Will man eine andere Route als die vorgeschlagene nehmen, ist es kompliziert den richtigen nächsten Spot auszuwählen, da die übersetzten Orte anders bei Google maps heißen und man sich erstmal durchklicken muss, bis man den richtigen Ort gefunden hat. Eine Kartenansicht mit Punkten als Orte in der app wäre praktischer. Für uns war es rausgeschmissenes Geld.
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Duidelijk beschreven en leuk om wat meer te weten te komen over de monumenten.
Eleonora– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Very nice activity, translated pretty well in italian language. We split the tour in 2 evening and It was very nice, at our time. If you do this itinerary by night some attractions will be closed buy for us this wasn’t a problem: during the day we prefer the beach. The storytelling fill the gap of closed attractions.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gute Idee, aber die Rätsel waren viel zu leicht/offensichtlich. Hätte mir mehr Interaktion mit der App gewünscht.
Claire– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Excellent fun. We explored all over Kos Town and found out the history. Added bonus once downloaded we had the game for as long as we needed so we split it up into three days. Lots of fun.
Laura– New Zealand –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Le circuit est intéressant et permet de se rendre aux principaux points historiques de la ville Les énigmes ne sont pas trop difficiles Explications intéressantes à chaque étape du parcours