Colmar Self-Guided Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

Riddles, canals and a town that reads like an illustration

A self-guided scavenger hunt through Colmar using the Explorial app to navigate from one landmark to the next via riddles, trivia and photo tasks. Start anytime, walk at your own pace through the half-timbered streets and flower-lined canals of Alsace's old town, with no guide and no fixed schedule. The app keeps score and lets your group compete against each other and the city's leaderboard.

The experience

How do you turn a medieval town into a game board? Download the Explorial app, enter your 6-digit code, and let riddles pull you through Colmar's streets instead of a guidebook. You start at Parc du Champ de Mars on Avenue de la République whenever you're ready: no meeting time, no waiting for a group to assemble. The app marks your location on a map and feeds you clues one landmark at a time, so you're always moving toward the next puzzle rather than following a script.

The route threads through the places Colmar is actually known for. Place Rapp opens with the statue of General Rapp and riddles about his rise under Napoleon. La Petite Venise comes next: the canal-side quarter with fishermen's cottages and reflections that fill phone cameras, plus a photo task that makes you look twice at what you're seeing. The Place de l'Ancienne Douane wraps the hunt around the Koïfhus, the old customs house where Alsatian merchants once settled their accounts. Around two hours of walking, but the pace is entirely yours: stop for coffee, linger at a bridge, take a break whenever you need one. The app doesn't care.

Scoring happens on a leaderboard, so your group competes against each other and against everyone else who has played. You'll need a fully charged smartphone with active mobile data (no VPN, no city Wi-Fi, they break the app) and comfortable walking shoes. The app is available in 24 languages, so you choose English, French, German, Spanish, Italian or another option when you start. If weather or illness forces a reschedule, you can move the game to another day or switch to a different city entirely.

What’s included

• Free download of the Explorial app (iOS or Android).
• self-guided walking tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.
• live location mapping so you always know where you are.
• points and scoring system to compete within your group and against the city's leaderboard.
• learn about Colmar's stories, history and local legends.
• total flexibility to start anytime, walk at your own pace and take as many breaks as you want.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (10 to 90 years) · Child (under 10): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Explorial

Is this one for you?The tour takes around two hours of light walking, but you control the speed: pause for photos, sit by the canals, or move quickly through. This works best if you're comfortable navigating with a smartphone app and want the freedom to explore on your own terms rather than follow a guide's itinerary.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Romanian, Danish, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Ukrainian, Czech, Norwegian, Hungarian, Cantonese, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Hindi and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 10): free.

Can I start the scavenger hunt whenever I want, or is there a set departure time?

The Colmar self-guided tour has no fixed start time. You download the Explorial app, enter your game code, and begin whenever your group is ready: morning, afternoon or evening.

What is La Petite Venise and what will we do there?

La Petite Venise is Colmar's canal-side quarter, lined with flower-draped fishermen's cottages and reflections. The scavenger hunt includes a photo task here, asking you to capture something specific among the canals and bridges.

Do I need to pay entrance fees to the places the riddles send me to?

No entrance fees are required. All puzzles relate to public areas of the sights, so you solve them from the street or open squares without paying to enter buildings.

What do I need to bring to start the tour?

Bring a fully charged smartphone with an active mobile data connection and comfortable walking shoes. The app requires iOS or Android, and you'll need to disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi so the app stays connected.

How many people can be in my group?

Up to 15 people can book together. For larger groups, make multiple bookings so each group has its own game code and can compete separately on the leaderboard.