The Lisbon scavenger hunt at a glance
The Lisbon scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. It takes about 2 hours, with around 49 minutes of actual walking over 3.6 km and 10 stops, and you start whenever you like.
Highlights include Rossio with its wavy cobblestones, the viewpoint of São Pedro de Alcântara, the Church of São Roque, Praça Luís de Camões in Chiado, the riverside Praça do Comércio and Lisbon Cathedral. Lisbon is a city of hills, so the route mixes climbs with views, and every stop is close enough to reach on foot.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 49 min · 3.6 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese
Playing the game between Rossio and the Sé
A riddle on every square
Each of the 10 stops sets you one riddle, and the clue is always on show: a figure on a column, a date on a plinth, a name over a theatre door. A sharp eye and a little logic crack it, so there is no Portuguese history to swot up before you leave Rossio.
What the façades have to tell
Get the answer and the stop tells its story: the chapel for São Roque that was built in Rome, blessed by the pope and shipped to Lisbon in pieces, the poet Fernando Pessoa, born on the square facing the opera house, and why Lisboetas still call Praça do Comércio the Terreiro do Paço. If your eyes are busy with the view, the audio narration reads it all out.
Up, down and up again
Google Maps shows the way, and the 3.6 km take about 49 minutes on foot. Lisbon is built on hills: from Restauradores you climb to the Bairro Alto viewpoint, drop a long way through Chiado to the river, and one last slope brings you to the cathedral.
Stop whenever the city tempts you
No clock runs against you. Have a coffee in Chiado, carry on later in the day or tomorrow, and if you are staying near the Sé, swap the order of the stops in the app.
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 will enjoy the Lisbon hunt
Your first days in Lisbon
Rossio, the Bairro Alto viewpoint, Chiado, the great square on the river and the Sé make a sensible first line through the city, and a riddle at each stop turns sightseeing into something you work out. By the cathedral you can tell one square from another and know why so much of the centre was rebuilt after 1755.
Older children with sharp eyes
Children like doing the searching, and Lisbon hands them a king on top of a column, a poet ringed by eight smaller writers and a cathedral that looks like a fortress. An adult plays along, and young legs should be ready for the slopes.
Friends and work teams
In teams of up to 5 players everyone follows the game on their own phone, so a bigger party splits into several teams and compares answers in front of the cathedral. Squares, viewpoints and streets are all public, so nothing has to be reserved.
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: from Rossio over the Bairro Alto, down to the Tagus and up to the Sé
10 stops · about 49 min walking · start: Rossio Square · finish: Lisbon Cathedral
The hunt starts on Rossio and passes the Foz Palace on Praça dos Restauradores before climbing to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara on the edge of the Bairro Alto. It continues past the Church of São Roque and the Teatro da Trindade to Praça Luís de Camões and the São Carlos opera house in Chiado, then goes down to Praça do Comércio by the Tagus. It finishes uphill at the Church of Saint Anthony and Lisbon Cathedral. If you would rather get the climb to the Sé over with first, the app lets you begin at another stop and rearrange the rest, and because every riddle is solved from the street, no church or theatre on the way asks you for a ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Rossio SquareStart
Rossio, officially Praça Dom Pedro IV, has been one of Lisbon's main squares since the Middle Ages. Its wavy black-and-white cobblestones are a well-known example of Portuguese pavement, and the column in the middle carries a statue of King Pedro IV. On the north side stands the National Theatre Dona Maria II.
Read the full story →
2Foz Palace
This palace on Praça dos Restauradores dates from the late 18th century and takes its name from the Marquis of Foz, who bought it in the late 19th century and had its rooms lavishly redecorated. In front of it rises the obelisk that commemorates the restoration of Portuguese independence in 1640.
Read the full story →
3Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
This garden viewpoint on the edge of the Bairro Alto was laid out in the 19th century on two terraced levels. It looks across the Baixa to São Jorge Castle and the Graça district on the opposite hill, and it is one of the city's best-known places to watch the sunset.
4Church of São Roque
The Jesuits built this church in the 16th century behind a plain façade, on the site of a shrine to Saint Roch, the protector against plague. Inside, the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist was made in Rome between 1742 and 1747 for King John V, blessed by the pope and shipped to Lisbon in pieces.
5Teatro da Trindade
The Teatro da Trindade opened in 1867 in the Chiado district and is one of the oldest theatres in Lisbon still in use. Today it belongs to the INATEL foundation, which is why that name appears next to it.
6Praça Luís de Camões
This square between Chiado and Bairro Alto is named after Luís de Camões, the 16th-century author of the epic poem The Lusiads. His bronze statue, unveiled in 1867, is surrounded by eight smaller figures of Portuguese writers and chroniclers.
Read the full story →
7Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Lisbon's opera house opened in 1793, built after the 1755 earthquake with money from the city's merchants to designs by José da Costa e Silva, modelled on Italian theatres such as the San Carlo in Naples. It is named after Princess Carlota Joaquina. The poet Fernando Pessoa was born in 1888 in a building on the square in front.
8Praça do Comércio
Until the earthquake of 1755 the royal palace stood on this riverside square, which is why locals still call it Terreiro do Paço. The Marquis of Pombal had it rebuilt with arcaded buildings open to the Tagus, and in the middle stands the equestrian statue of King José I, unveiled in 1775.
9Church of Saint Anthony
According to tradition, this church stands on the spot where Saint Anthony, known abroad as Saint Anthony of Padua, was born in Lisbon in the late 12th century. It was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755, and a small crypt marks the room where he is said to have been born. Every June the city celebrates him with street festivals.
Read the full story →
10Lisbon CathedralFinish
Lisbon Cathedral was begun soon after 1147, when King Afonso Henriques took the city from the Moors, and it is one of the oldest churches in the city. Its two towers and battlements give it the look of a Romanesque fortress, with a large rose window between them.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Rainer Hötte (verified owner) –
Es war eine kurzweilige schöne Stadtralley mit interessanten Rätseln. Es hat uns viel Spaß gemacht.
Kathy– United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
the learning
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Spannend
PAULINE– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Czech Republic –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Maria– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ana Beatriz– Portugal –
Collected on GetYourGuide
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Hector– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super pour découvrir la ville avec ses anecdotes ! Le tour est bien pense !! Je recommande +++ si vous ne savez pas par ou commencer votre visite, celle ci vous amène a faire le tour de manière ludique
Martin– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Application qui parfois a des bug. Énigmes trop facile.
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Lots of fun! Enjoyed seeing the city and getting an idea of where we wanted to return and spend more time.
Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Chouette activité pour découvrir la ville en étant guidées vers les plus beaux endroits.
Faustine– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Réalisée avec ma fille de 12ans. Certaines énigmes n’ont pas pu être réalisées du fait de travaux sur place / panneau masquant l’endroit à observer. Certaines énigmes sont aussi un peu compliquées. Nous a toutefois permis de découvrir des lieux dont peut être nous n’aurions pas prêté attention.
Lisa– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super tolle Schnitzeljagd – für den Preis sehr empfehlenswert.
Katharina– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super geeignet um Lissabon als FreeWalking Tour zu erkunden
Ivana– Canada –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great we were able to find all the answers and it was a fun way to discover lisbon
jakob– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sollte mehr solcher Touren geben, haben so ganz anders auf einige Gebäude geschaut.. zu empfehlen 👍
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
A very good way to walk through this beautiful city. We saw many sites and the puzzles added a purpose on this. Very well designed app.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très bien
Erika– Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
molto bella ed interessante, i racconti dei monumenti ti aiutano a conoscere meglio la città soprattutto su cose che nn saresti mai andato a vedere… l’autoguida registrata ti aiuta un sacco… esperienza da provare in altre città
Maartje– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Een leuke tour maar redelijk eenvoudig voor volwassenen en daarmee niet uitdagend genoeg. Er had wel wat meer in mogen zitten. Zaten ook geen bijzondere, grappige of spannende weetjes in over Lissabon dus al met al niet pakkend waardoor ik het gevoel heb dat ik Lissabon nog steeds niet gezien heb.
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
I made a gift to my friends and they loved it.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Wir waren lediglich 1,5 Tage in Lissabon und waren mit der puren Masse der Sehenswürdigkeiten erstmal überfordert. Da hat das Spiel geholfen, zumindest etwas über die Stadt zu erfahren. Wir haben uns dafür den ganzen Tag Zeit gelassen. Es wäre noch toll gewesen, wenn es diese Stadtführung nur mit dem geschichtlichen Hintergrund ohne die Rätsel geben würde. Auch die deutsche Übersetzung war stellenweise etwas holprig (Google ?). Deshalb gibt es von uns 4*.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Some clues did not make much sense and info was not really insightful but standard stuff you can Google… Could be way better
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Jeu sympathique, qui vous fait voir plusieurs lieux emblématiques de Lisbonne, toutefois sur les 10 étapes, il y a 5 jeux pour lesquels il est difficile de trouver la bonne réponse. Malgré tout, on peut sauter l’épreuve et la réponse est alors donnée : c’est pratique pour passer à la suite, mais juste un peu frustrant. Il faut utiliser le GPS pour passer d’un endroit à un autre lorsqu’on ne connait pas la ville. Bonne balade, avec de beaux points de vue. Possibilité de s’arrêter quand on veut. Ça occupe bien, en apportant quelques informations culturelles. (Ça ne remplacera pas un guide non plus. Les informations données ne sont pas toujours directement liées au lieu observé.)
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
I could explore both Lissabon and Porto with this game during my trip in Portugal! It helped me discover the most beautiful sites in a funny way. Fully recommend it!
GerogeP –
Lisbon is the most beautiful city in Europe! Very nice game . we will definately try it in another city!