Solothurn Self-Guided Walking Tour: Decode the Eleven

Solve riddles through a baroque town built on the number eleven

A self-guided walking tour of Solothurn, Switzerland using the Explorial app to decode riddles and navigate from one landmark to the next. You start whenever you want, walk at your own pace, and uncover why this baroque town is obsessed with the number eleven, from the St. Ursen-Kathedrale's eleven altars and bells to the Rathaus's three-century-old facade. The tour takes around two hours and works for any group size.

The experience

How does a city build itself around a single number? Solothurn answers that question with eleven churches, eleven fountains, eleven chapels, and a cathedral with eleven altars and eleven bells. This app-led scavenger hunt sends you through the old town on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. You download the Explorial app, enter a six-digit game code you receive by text, and start counting. No guide meets you, no fixed start time waits for you. You and your group walk when you want, stop when you want, and move through the city at your own rhythm.

The St. Ursen-Kathedrale towers over the first riddles: built in eleven years, with a staircase of steps in multiples of eleven and baroque detail that fills every corner. At the Rathaus, you untangle a facade where Gothic turrets meet Renaissance staircases. A building that took three centuries to agree with itself. The Märetplatz brings the old town together beneath the Zytglogge tower, an astronomical clock that has kept Solothurn punctual since the sixteenth century. Each stop is a riddle to decode, a photo task to complete, or a trivia challenge to answer. The app keeps score between players in your group and tracks your position on a live map so you always know where you are.

You'll need a smartphone with a full charge and an active mobile data connection: disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi, as these will cause the app to disconnect. The tour runs in twenty-four languages including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. You choose your language when you start the game. Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing for around two hours of light walking through the old town. By the last riddle, you'll be checking every fountain and chapel against the count of eleven.

What’s included

• Free download of the Explorial app from your smartphone's app store.
• 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 between players in your group and beat the city's high score.
• stories, history and local legends about each landmark.

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 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Explorial

Is this one for you?This tour is entirely self-guided, so you move through Solothurn at your own pace with no guide, no group schedule and no waiting. It suits anyone who wants to explore the city on their own terms and enjoys solving puzzles as they walk, or families who want to turn sightseeing into a game where everyone competes for points.

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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 this tour whenever I want, or is there a set time?

The tour is 100% self-guided with no fixed start time. You download the app, enter your game code, and begin whenever your group is ready. You walk at your own pace and take breaks whenever you want.

What is the St. Ursen-Kathedrale and why does it matter to this tour?

The St. Ursen-Kathedrale is Solothurn's baroque showpiece, built in eleven years with eleven altars, eleven bells, and a staircase designed in multiples of eleven. It anchors the tour's central theme and appears in several of the app's riddles and challenges.

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.

What happens if bad weather or illness stops me from starting?

The operator offers a weather and health guarantee: if bad weather or illness prevents you from starting, you can reschedule for another day, rebook to a different city, or request a refund.

Is this tour suitable for large groups?

The maximum is fifteen people per booking. If your group is larger, you can make multiple bookings and have each group compete separately using the app's scoring system.