Düsseldorf Altstadt Walking Tour: Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt

Solve riddles to find Düsseldorf's hidden corners, one landmark at a time

This self-guided scavenger hunt takes you through Düsseldorf's Altstadt on foot using phone-based riddles and trivia challenges to navigate between landmarks. You download the Explorial app, enter a game code sent after booking, and move through the old town at your own pace with no fixed start time or guide: around two hours to trace the Kuhna-Mauer, spot the twisted spire of Basilika St. Lambertus, find the Tritonenbrunnen at the Rhine, and walk through the 300 taverns of the longest bar in the world. The app keeps score and marks your location on a map. You choose your language from 24 options when you start.

The experience

How do you explore a city without following someone else's schedule? This tour answers it by handing you a smartphone, a game code and a map of the Altstadt. You start at Brauerei Zum Schiffchen, Düsseldorf's oldest tavern on Hafenstraße, open the app, enter your code and head into the lanes on your own terms. No guide waits for you. No group moves at a fixed pace. You walk, you solve, you move when you're ready.

The riddles pull you through the city's layers. The Kuhna-Mauer fragments appear first, pieces of the old fortifications hiding in plain sight among the streets: trivia questions separate the history from the legend. Next comes Basilika St. Lambertus with its famously twisted spire, the subject of stories about the devil, bad timber and one embarrassed carpenter. Then the Tritonenbrunnen splashes at the Rhine's edge, sea gods wrestling while joggers pass. Around two hours moves you through the heart of the Altstadt, where 300 taverns pack into one square kilometre. The app tracks your score and names the champion. An Altbier toast follows naturally.

You need a fully charged smartphone with active mobile data and the Explorial app downloaded before you arrive. The app works in 24 languages. Pick yours when you start the game. You can pause whenever you want, take breaks, walk at your own speed. There's no waiting, no fixed itinerary, no one checking the clock. Groups up to 15 people can book together on one code, competing against each other on the leaderboard or moving as one unit through the same riddles.

What’s included

• Free download of the Explorial app for iOS or Android.
• self-guided walking tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.
• live location map showing where you are in the Altstadt.
• points and scoring system to compete within your group and against the city's high score.
• learn about Düsseldorf's stories, history and local legends.
• total flexibility to start anytime, walk at your own pace and take breaks whenever 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 yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Explorial

Is this one for you?The tour starts at Brauerei Zum Schiffchen on Hafenstraße in the Altstadt, so you don't need a car or a guide to meet you. Just download the app and go. This works for anyone staying in the city center or arriving by public transport, since you move entirely on foot through the old town and set your own rhythm.

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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 fixed departure time?

The tour is fully self-guided with no fixed start time. You download the Explorial app, enter your game code and begin whenever you're ready: morning, afternoon or evening. You control the pace and can take breaks as you go.

What is the Kuhna-Mauer and why does the hunt start there?

The Kuhna-Mauer is a fragment of Düsseldorf's old city fortifications, now hidden among the lanes of the Altstadt. The riddles use it to open the hunt and introduce the city's layered history through trivia challenges that separate fact from legend.

What makes the Basilika St. Lambertus special enough to be a stop on the tour?

Basilika St. Lambertus has a famously twisted spire that is the subject of local legends: stories about the devil, bad timber and an embarrassed carpenter. The app includes trivia about these tales as you stand in front of it.

Do I need to pay entrance fees to visit the landmarks on this tour?

No entrance fees are required. All the puzzles relate to public areas of the sights, so you can complete the entire scavenger hunt without paying to enter any buildings or attractions.

What do I need to bring to start this tour?

Bring a fully charged smartphone with active mobile data and the Explorial app downloaded from your appstore before you arrive. Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing for about two hours of light walking through the Altstadt.