Are urban treasure hunts the ultimate and most fun team-building exercises?

The urban treasure and scavenger hunt is to the mid-2020s what escape rooms were to the late-2010s. From Inverness to Penzance, a trip down to your local city centre these days is rarely complete without bumping into a bunch of bewildered people glued to their phones, trying to decipher whether that manhole cover is the clue that will help them clinch the prize.

And today, urban treasure hunts come in all themes, from the piratical Golden Kipper Quest in Folkestone to hunting for Saxon coins in Derby – all following clues sent straight to your mobile phone.

For those in or near London, HiddenCity offers a range of story-led treasure hunts designed for groups of colleagues or clients – and promises a prize for every player in successful teams. Each experience can involve teams of up to 20 people, searching for clues, solving puzzles, and uncovering hidden corners of the city along the way. Expect clever narratives, immersive characters, and the occasional pub pitstop (because all good investigations benefit from refreshments).

Playing James Bond

In 007: Shadow of Spectre, participants play MI6 agents working alongside Moneypenny and Q to help save a tuxedo-wearing super-spy from a plot that threatens London, with cinematic cityscapes spanning 17th-century taverns to five-star hotels. Meanwhile, Moriarty’s Game sees treasure-hunters attempt to outwit Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis (this one, enticingly, also promises “cocktails in glittering Mayfair”). 

Elsewhere, The Hunt for the Cheshire Cat sends teams racing across the city to prevent the mirthful moggy ending up on the dinner table of a wicked queen, while The Enchanted Mirror offers a fairytale-adjacent adventure through Kensington as players assist the Seven Dwarves on a magical quest.

Here’s how it works. Players receive SMS or WhatsApp messages from characters, before using local landmarks to navigate. The characters then pop up en route, ready for you to interrogate/interact with them. Think of it as a cross between an outdoors escape room, Punchdrunk and Challenge Anneka (Gen Z readers may or may not get this reference).

Urban treasure hunts near you

The whole experience takes up to four hours – and HiddenCity allows teams to build in refuelling stops at local pubs or cafés. All games are dog-friendly too, which could be handy if you own a crime-fighting canine as talented as Scooby-Doo or snickering, shotgun-riding sleuth Muttley.

Incidentally, HiddenCity isn’t the only name turning Britain’s streets into playgrounds. Treasure Trails runs self-guided adventures in hundreds of locations nationwide, from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall, while Captain Bess brings its puzzle-led quests to more than 15 cities including Bath and York, blending sightseeing with sleuthing.

Elsewhere, the Glasgow Ghost Hunt leans into the city’s darker folklore, Treasure Hunt Bristol sends players criss-crossing harbourside streets, and Edinburgh Treasure Hunts offers clue-filled routes through the capital’s closes and cobbles. Go Quest Adventures, meanwhile, operates in more than 30 UK locations, from Manchester to the Isle of Man.

Ultimately, for many participants, the real reward is exploring their local city in a way they’ve never seen before.

• Find the full list of Hidden City’s games. Tickets start at £19 per person. 

Christian Koch is an award-winning journalist, editor, content strategist, and brand consultant.

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