What is the Verona outdoor escape game?
The Verona outdoor escape game is an escape room that uses the city itself as its rooms: a puzzle is set at each of the 10 landmarks, and your smartphone runs the whole thing. Plan on roughly 2 hours, with 50 minutes of walking over 3.6 km, and begin on any day that works for you.
The puzzles lean on what Roman and medieval Verona left standing: the inscription on Porta Borsari recording a rebuilding in 265 AD, the Cappello hat carved above the courtyard arch at Juliet's House, the Madonna Verona fountain on Piazza delle Erbe, the hunchback figures carrying holy water stoups in Sant'Anastasia and the griffins under the cathedral porch. No puzzle depends on another, and up to three levels of hints are there when one holds out.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 50 min · 3.6 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you do on the escape game
Crack the puzzle
One puzzle per landmark, solved by looking hard at the stone in front of you. Logic and observation, no background reading.
Spot the carving
Clues hide in inscriptions, emblems, griffins and the patched arches of a rebuilt Roman bridge.
Follow the Adige
Google Maps links the landmarks: 50 minutes of walking over 3.6 km, through squares and along the river.
No countdown
Time is on your side. Use a hint, take a break in a café on Piazza delle Erbe and continue later or 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
Ten puzzles and plenty of squares to argue in, with no need for anyone to know Verona beforehand.
Couples
A shared challenge that runs from the Arena to the bridges, at a pace you set between you.
Team building
Teams of up to 5 play on their own phones, so colleagues can start together and meet at the last bridge.
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 Arena to the Castelvecchio Bridge
10 stops · about 50 min walking · start: Verona Arena · finish: Castelvecchio Bridge (Ponte Scaligero)
The first puzzle is at the Verona Arena on Piazza Bra and the last on the fortified Castelvecchio Bridge. Between them you pass through the Roman gate of Porta Borsari, Juliet's House, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori with its statue of Dante, then the Basilica of Sant'Anastasia, the Roman Ponte Pietra and Verona Cathedral, before following the Adige west to Ponte della Vittoria. Start in daylight, because the answers are read off façades, bridges and paving. The app lets you reorder the puzzles, and none of them needs an entry ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Verona ArenaStart
The Arena is a Roman amphitheatre built around 30 AD that once held about 30,000 spectators. An earthquake in 1117 destroyed almost all of its outer ring, and since 1913, when Verdi's Aida was staged here, it has been famous for its opera festival.
2Porta Borsari
Porta Borsari is a Roman city gate from the 1st century AD, built on the road that led into Verona. Its white stone façade carries an inscription recording a rebuilding in 265 AD under Emperor Gallienus, and its name comes from the bursarii, the guards who collected tolls here.
3Juliet's House
Juliet's House is a 13th-century house of the Cappello family, whose name was linked to the Capulets of Romeo and Juliet; their hat emblem is carved above the courtyard arch. The famous balcony was only added in the 20th century, and the bronze Juliet in the courtyard is a copy of Nereo Costantini's statue from 1969.
4Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza delle Erbe stands on the site of the Roman forum of Verona and has been the city's market square for centuries. In the middle is the Madonna Verona fountain, set up in 1368 under Cansignorio della Scala around a Roman statue, and the Torre dei Lamberti rises above the square.
Read the full story →
5Piazza dei Signori
Piazza dei Signori was the seat of power in Verona, lined by the Palazzo della Ragione, the palaces of the Scaliger lords and the Loggia del Consiglio, begun in 1476. In the middle stands Ugo Zannoni's statue of Dante from 1865, a reminder that Cangrande I della Scala sheltered the exiled poet in Verona.
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6Basilica of Sant'Anastasia
Sant'Anastasia is the largest church in Verona, a Gothic basilica that the Dominicans began building around 1290. Near the entrance, two holy water stoups rest on the backs of crouching hunchback figures, and inside is Pisanello's fresco of St George and the Princess.
7Ponte Pietra
Ponte Pietra is a Roman bridge over the Adige, completed around 100 BC, and the oldest bridge in Verona. Retreating German troops blew up four of its five arches in April 1945, and it was rebuilt in the late 1950s with original materials, so Roman, medieval and modern stonework now stand side by side.
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8Verona Cathedral (Santa Maria Matricolare)
Verona Cathedral is a Romanesque church consecrated in 1187, after the earthquake of 1117 had destroyed the earlier buildings. Its main porch, by the sculptor Nicholaus, rests on two griffins and is flanked by Roland and Oliver, the paladins of Charlemagne, and inside hangs Titian's Assumption.
9Ponte della Vittoria
Ponte della Vittoria was built to celebrate Italy's victory in the First World War and was inaugurated on 4 November 1929. Blown up by retreating German troops in 1945, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1953, and bronze sculpture groups by Mario Salazzari and Angelo Biancini stand at its ends.
10Castelvecchio Bridge (Ponte Scaligero)Finish
The fortified Castelvecchio Bridge was built in 1354–1356 for Cangrande II della Scala, reportedly as an escape route from the castle in case of revolt. Its main arch spans 48.7 metres, at the time the largest span in the world, and after German troops destroyed it in 1945 it was rebuilt from 1949 to 1951.
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France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sympa
Michael– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Wir dachten online -als eine Art Rallye -wäre es für die Kinder interessanter, aber letztlich hat es fie Kids nicht abgeholt. Die Rätsel waren teilweise zu schwer und wir haben sie dann mit einfachem rumprobieren und klicken gelöst. Wenn man nicht gegeneinander spielt, sondern als Familie zusammen geht, braucht man auch nur einmal kaufen und auf einem Handy spielen. Man braucht ausreichend mobile Daten, da das freie Wi-Fi in Verona nicht stabil genug war. Auch eine Powerbank ist sinnvoll, da es schon ziemlich Akku saugt. Beim nächsten Mal gibt es eine private Stadtführung oder einen hop-on-hop-off-bus mit Kopfhörer für den Überblick. Danach könnte man sich dann prinzipiell noch mal einzelne Sachen genauer angucken, die einen mehr interessieren.
Pauline– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Easy to download app and start the tour. It took us to the different places around the city and the fun part was trying to solve the puzzles. Some of them were quite hard! Excellent way to explore self guided
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
War nett gemacht, die Rätsel sind gut lösbar und man hat einen “roten Faden” auf seinem Weg.