4 Treasure Hunts & Games in York to Build a Day Around

1.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around York with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 248 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20Our pick

Use your smartphone to join Captain Bess on a self-guided treasure hunt through York. Solve clues at Museum Gardens, York Minster, the Shambles, and lesser-known lanes. Start any time from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, follow the route at your own pace, and ask for hints when a clue has you stumped.

“Quite good, bit tricky finding some of the locations especially when the city is really busy , missed some clues because big groups were in the way.”

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2.Immersive Murder Mystery in York, A City Treasure Hunt Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 54 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

Start near Clifford’s Tower and follow a 4-kilometre trail through York using Telegram on your phone. Solve 19 riddles tied to a 1491 murder, visit tucked-away streets and optional pub stops, and race your friends on a leaderboard. The private game takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours and finishes back near the starting point.

“We got to see streets of York that we would never have seen without the experience. The riddles were really fun to try and decipher, very cleverly thought up! We would have enjoyed having a few more pub stops if we were to do it again”

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3.The Treasures of Bloodaxe – A Fun Viking Treasure Hunt in York

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 21 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $8Best value

Meet Eric Bloodaxe, York’s last Viking King, through a chat on your phone. He sends you around the city from Exhibition Square with riddles tied to objects along the route. Solve each answer to uncover the treasure. The private game lasts about 90 minutes and suits families, couples, and small groups.

“Fun, different way to visit a city, follow the clues make the time.pass quickly, easy information, but made you think to solve the clues”

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4.Immersive Treasure Hunt Adventure in York – Outdoor Escape Room

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

This private CityDays adventure sends you around central York from the Constantine the Great meeting point. Use cryptic phone messages to solve 19 clues, uncover landmarks and lesser-known corners, and help stop York becoming modern-day Atlantis. The 5-kilometre route takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, with optional pub or cafe breaks.

“Sadly, having done similar outdoor city escape rooms before, this one was a bit of a let down. The "plot" (trying to avoid the flooding of the city of York by the Kraken) was a little convoluted and introduced part way through the process. It therefore didn't have much impact. There were some texts that explained locations and their history but these needed to be formatted differently to the clue/instruction type texts. A couple of clues were really annoying. One coukld have been better worded so as to avoid going down a wrong path only to find an totally plausible (but totally wrong answer). Also, following "white walls" lead to…”

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