Syracuse scavenger hunt: Archimedes, Greek temples and the island of Ortigia
The Syracuse 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 myths behind it. From the mainland church to the island castle you cover around 36 minutes and 3 km on foot over 10 stops, and with myths, riddles and the odd granita in between, the whole game runs to about 2 hours, starting whenever it suits you.
Highlights include the statue of Archimedes, the Temple of Apollo, the Fountain of Diana on Piazza Archimede, the cathedral built into a Greek temple, the papyrus-filled Fountain of Arethusa and Castello Maniace. Ortigia, the island at the core of Syracuse, is compact and laced with narrow lanes, so on foot you pass Greek ruins, baroque squares and the sea within minutes.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 36 min · 3 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles from Archimedes' bridge to the castle on the point
A mirror, a carved name, columns in a wall
Each answer is in plain view: the mirror in Archimedes' hand, the builder's name cut into the top step of the Temple of Apollo, the ancient Greek columns still standing in the side walls of the cathedral. You only need to look closely and think, not read Greek or Italian.
Burning ships and a nymph who became a spring
Solved riddles open the stories: how Archimedes is said to have set Roman ships alight with focused sunlight, how a temple became a church and then a mosque, and how the nymph Arethusa fled the river god Alpheus all the way from Greece and turned into a freshwater pool by the sea. Every story appears on screen and can also be played as audio.
3 km, mostly on an island
Google Maps leads you for about 36 minutes in total, over the bridge onto Ortigia and through its lanes to the southern tip. The ground is flat, and the sea is never more than a few streets away.
Market stalls and a granita stop
Nothing is timed, so you can wander among the fish and citrus stalls of the morning market, cool off with a granita on Piazza Duomo or finish the second half after a swim. The app saves your progress.
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 takes to a riddle game in Syracuse
Travellers touring Sicily
On a trip around the island, about 2 hours is enough for the game to show you the Greek city, the baroque square and the castle, a good way to get your bearings on Ortigia on the first day.
Kids who like inventors and myths
An inventor said to have burned ships with a mirror, a goddess on a fountain, ducks and papyrus in a spring and a castle on the sea give young players plenty to find, with an adult in every team.
Friends and work groups
Up to 5 people make a team, each on their own phone, so a bigger group can split at the Pantheon church and compare answers at Castello Maniace.
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.
Across to Ortigia: San Tommaso al Pantheon, the Temple of Apollo, Arethusa and Castello Maniace
10 stops · about 36 min walking · start: Church of San Tommaso al Pantheon · finish: Castello Maniace
The hunt starts at the round church of San Tommaso al Pantheon on the mainland and crosses the gardens of the Foro Siracusano to the statue of Archimedes by the bridge to Ortigia. On the island you pass the street market and the Temple of Apollo, the Archimedes and Leonardo museum and the Fountain of Diana, then reach the cathedral on Piazza Duomo and the Fountain of Arethusa, and finish at Castello Maniace on the tip of Ortigia. Temples, fountains and the castle walls are all read from the outside, so no ticket office interrupts the play, and if you are staying on Ortigia the app can open the game at the cathedral or the Fountain of Arethusa and arrange the other stops around it.
Open the route map ↗
1Church of San Tommaso al PantheonStart
This round church with a large dome, known in Syracuse simply as the Pantheon, was built in the 1930s as a shrine to the local soldiers who died in the First World War. Its plan and dome deliberately recall the Pantheon in Rome.
2Foro Siracusano
This large square with gardens on the mainland side of Syracuse covers part of the area of the ancient agora, the main public square of the Greek city. Remains of ancient buildings have been found here, and today palms, benches and wide paths make it a meeting point just before the bridges to Ortigia.
3Statue of Archimedes
Archimedes, the mathematician and inventor, was born in Syracuse around 287 BC and died when the Romans took the city in 212 BC. This modern bronze near the bridge to Ortigia shows him holding a mirror, a nod to the legend that he set Roman ships on fire with focused sunlight.
Read the full story →
4Ortigia Market
Ortigia's street market fills the lanes near the Temple of Apollo with stalls of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives and spices. It is a morning market where traders still call out their goods, and a good place to see what Sicilian kitchens use, from swordfish and sardines to citrus fruit.
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5Temple of Apollo
Built in the early 6th century BC, this is one of the oldest Doric temples in Sicily. Only the base, parts of the walls and the stumps of its heavy columns survive, and an inscription carved on the top step names the builder Kleomenes. Over the centuries it was turned into a church and later a mosque.
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6Archimedes and Leonardo da Vinci Museum
This small museum shows working models of machines inspired by two great inventors, Archimedes of Syracuse and Leonardo da Vinci. Its exhibits include devices such as the Archimedes screw for lifting water and reconstructions of the war machines said to have defended Syracuse against the Romans.
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7Fountain of Diana
The Fountain of Diana stands in the middle of Piazza Archimede, the main square of Ortigia, and was made by the sculptor Giulio Moschetti in the early 20th century. Above the basin the goddess Diana watches as the nymph Arethusa turns into a spring to escape the river god Alpheus, surrounded by tritons and sea creatures.
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8Syracuse Cathedral
Syracuse Cathedral was built into the Doric Temple of Athena, erected in the 5th century BC after the Greek victory over Carthage at Himera. Ancient columns still stand in its side walls and inside the nave, while the baroque façade on Piazza Duomo was added after the earthquake of 1693.
9Fountain of Arethusa
This freshwater pool lies right beside the sea on the western shore of Ortigia, and papyrus grows in it alongside ducks and fish. According to myth, the nymph Arethusa fled the river god Alpheus from Greece and was turned into this spring by Artemis, but Alpheus followed her under the sea.
Read the full story →
10Castello ManiaceFinish
This fortress on the southern tip of Ortigia was built for Emperor Frederick II between about 1232 and 1240. It is named after George Maniakes, the Byzantine general who briefly retook Syracuse from the Arabs in 1038, and its square plan with round corner towers guards the entrance to the harbour.
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Magalie– France –
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Romeo– Belgium –
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Très belle activité, une façon originale de découvrir la ville, de se promener en ayant un but! Compter 2h30 plus ou moins
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