Budapest Self-Guided Detective Murder Mystery Game

The investigation starts at the Országház, the parliament building on the Pest bank, and works its way inland through Budapest. St Stephen's Basilica, the open space of Szabadság tér and the memorial of the Shoes on the Danube Bank all fall along the route. It is a murder mystery walking tour in which the streets themselves hold the evidence.

Distances in this part of Budapest are short and the pavements are level, so the walk is comfortable for families with children, groups of friends, couples and colleagues, and it can be done alone. Four players is the maximum for one team on one phone; larger groups take an extra ticket each and go their own way. There is no guide leading the group and no departure time to catch, which matters on a hot afternoon when you would rather wait in the shade.

How to play

Everything you need before setting out fits into four steps.

1. Book the City Game
2. Check the instructions email
3. Download the Loquiz app
4. Start playing whenever you like

The case is the murder of Balthasar. You break codes, complete photo tasks and compare the statements of digital characters who each remember the evening differently. Near the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and around Elizabeth Square the story tightens, and by the time you are back among the wide streets of central Budapest the suspect list is short.

With several teams out at once the fastest solution wins, which makes this a usable teambuilding activity for a work group. There is no clock running, so you can stop for lunch and continue afterwards, closing the case somewhere in Budapest later the same day.