LyonAges 11+
Lyon Old Town: Escape the Nazi
77 min · 3.3 km · 10 stops
Starts at Hôtel de Ville de Lyon
What they learn
The Second World War and the occupation of France, told as an escape story through Vieux Lyon
4.5 (361 reviews)
School trip to Lyon: a city quest for your class.
Six to eight teams, one phone each, 60 to 120 minutes on foot. €5 per pupil, teachers free.
More than 3,000 classes and groups have played Questo together.
- 5 quests for schools
- ages 8 to 18
- start points shown in the app
- 2 to 4 km
Real students playingWhat teachers and students say
More than 3,000 classes and groups have played Questo together.
Perfect with a group of A Level pupils. Loved it.
We are a group of language students and we played the game with our teacher: a great and fun way to practise, and learn interesting stuff about our city that we didn't know.
Quests for classes
Quests a class can play in Lyon
A school day in Lyon with Questo covers three areas: the Renaissance lanes and traboules of Vieux Lyon, the Roman remains and viewpoints of Fourvière hill, and the steep silk-weaving slopes of Croix-Rousse above the Opéra. For Key Stage 3, Lyon Old Town: Escape the Nazi tells a Second World War story between the Hôtel de Ville and Saint-Jean cathedral. Key Stage 2 classes can take Fourvière Hill Highlights from the basilica forecourt or Croix-Rousse Highlights from the Opéra. GCSE and sixth form groups can play Follow the Shadows, a ghost hunt from Place Saint-Jean in six languages including French and German. Quests cover ages 8 to 18.
- LyonAges 8+
Lyon Croix-Rousse Highlights
72 min · 2.2 km · 12 stops
Starts at Opéra National
What they learnRoman Lyon at the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
4.2 (61 reviews) - LyonAges 8+
Lyon - Fourvière Hill Highlights
72 min · 3.4 km · 12 stops
Starts at Fourvière Basilica’s Forecourt
What they learnRoman Lugdunum at the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière and the Gier aqueduct
4.0 (21 reviews) - LyonAges 14+
Follow the Shadows: A Ghostly Hunt in Lyon
50 min · 3.2 km · 10 stops
Starts at Place Saint-Jean
What they learnRoman Lyon through the Aqueduct of the Gier and Turpio's Tomb
4.5 (933 reviews) - LyonAges 14+
Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Lyon
90 min · 2.7 km · 12 stops
Starts at Jardin Archéologique
What they learnDeduction and note-taking in teams across 12 clue points in Vieux Lyon
4.0 (21 reviews)
Teams, supervision and logistics
Teams and supervision
Teams of 3 to 5 share one phone; under-14s need one adult per 2 to 3 teams with agreed checkpoints, 14 to 18 follow school policy.
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Vieux Lyon's narrow lanes hide teams quickly.
Getting around
TCL runs metro, tram, bus and funicular on one ticket.
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Under-18 groups of 11 or more can use the TCL Pass Tarif Réduit day ticket. Perrache to Bellecour is 15 minutes on foot.
Toilets
Free, staffed public toilets stand behind the tourist office on Place Bellecour and beside the Vieux-Lyon metro entrance, open 8:00 to 19:30.
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Place des Terreaux has none; use the Lyon Parc Auto car park.
Lunch
Classes can picnic on the Berges du Rhône lawns, in the Jardin des Chartreux on the Croix-Rousse slopes, or in the 117-hectare Parc de la Tête d'Or (metro A, Masséna).
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Take all litter away.
Wet weather
Municipal museums, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Place des Terreaux and Gadagne in Vieux Lyon, are free for under-18s, as is the Musée des Confluences.
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If rain spoils the day, replay the quest free within 30 days.
Caution: The Fourvière and Croix-Rousse hills are reached by steep stairways, one with 251 steps up to the basilica. Allow extra time, carry water, and use the funicular from Vieux Lyon for tired legs.
What they learn
History, Roman Britain and Gaul
Roman Lyon (Lugdunum) through the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, the Gier aqueduct, Turpio's Tomb and the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls.
Geography
How a river city is built on two hills between the Saône and the Rhône. Pupils read the city from viewpoints at Fourvière and Rue des Fantasques and find their way through traboules, stairs and footbridges.
Languages and English
Reading and following instructions in English. For French classes, Escape the Nazi and Murder Mystery can be played in French, and Follow the Shadows in French, German, Spanish or Italian as well.
Citizenship and teamwork
Shared decisions in small teams, taking turns with one phone, keeping to agreed checkpoints and behaving respectfully in a cathedral, churches and a cemetery.
Price and terms
€5 per student.
No minimum group, no time slot.
- Pay by card when you choose a quest: €5 per student, as many as you need
- Or ask for an invoice and pay by bank transfer
- Free teacher preview from home
- Rain on the day: replay free within 30 days
- Teachers and chaperones play free
A class of 30 on one quest: €150.
Choose a questPrefer to pay by bank transfer?
Tell us the quest or city, the class size and the dates. We send an invoice to the school.
In short
Lyon for a school group, in short
A school trip to Lyon with Questo is a self-guided city quest. Pupils in teams of 3 to 5 follow a route of 10 to 12 stops on foot, solving a puzzle at each, in 50 to 90 minutes. 5 quests suit classes aged 8 to 18. There is no guide and no time slot: the class starts when it arrives. The price is €5 per pupil, and teachers play free.
- 4.4
- average rating, from 1,397 reviews
- 100,000+
- pupils have played in class groups
- 5
- quests for schools in this city
- 50 to 90
- minutes on foot, by quest
Pupils are an estimate: groups of four or more teams starting one quest together, at about four pupils a team, across all cities since 2018. Ratings are from players of these quests.
What the research says about trips like this
One trip changes how pupils think
In a randomised study of 10,912 students, a single cultural trip raised critical thinking, tolerance and interest in culture weeks later.
History learned where it happened
458 Amsterdam pupils walked the medieval city in teams, solving tasks on phones at real locations. They learned more than classmates taught the same topic in lessons.
Source: Huizenga et al., Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 2009
Games with a story teach
Across hundreds of studies, game-based learning beats non-game teaching on knowledge and retention; story and playing together are what make the difference.
Source: Sailer and Homner, Educational Psychology Review, 2020
Questo or a guided tour
| A Questo quest | A guided walking tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is active | Every pupil, in a team | 30 pupils listening to one guide |
| Start | When you arrive | 10:00 sharp |
| Pace | Each team at its own, pause for lunch | The group moves on |
| What the teacher gets before | Plays the whole route free | A confirmation email |
| Price | €5 per pupil, teachers free | €12–€25 per pupil, teachers often charged |
01 / 05
Who is active
- A Questo quest
- Every pupil, in a team
- A guided walking tour
- 30 pupils listening to one guide
02 / 05
Start
- A Questo quest
- When you arrive
- A guided walking tour
- 10:00 sharp
03 / 05
Pace
- A Questo quest
- Each team at its own, pause for lunch
- A guided walking tour
- The group moves on
04 / 05
What the teacher gets before
- A Questo quest
- Plays the whole route free
- A guided walking tour
- A confirmation email
05 / 05
Price
- A Questo quest
- €5 per pupil, teachers free
- A guided walking tour
- €12–€25 per pupil, teachers often charged
Teacher FAQ
Questions about Lyon
Which Lyon quest suits which age?
Fourvière Hill Highlights and Croix-Rousse Highlights suit Key Stage 2 (ages 8 to 11). Lyon Old Town: Escape the Nazi suits Key Stage 3 (11 to 14). Follow the Shadows, a ghost hunt, and Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows suit ages 14 to 18 because of their darker stories. Use the free teacher preview to check the tone for your group.
How long does each quest take?
Allow 50 minutes for Follow the Shadows (3.2 km), about 75 minutes for Escape the Nazi (3.3 km) and the two Highlights quests (2.2 to 3.4 km), and 90 minutes for Murder Mystery (2.7 km). Add time for stairs and toilet stops: Fourvière and Croix-Rousse are steep, so younger classes will be slower than these walking times.
How many pupils share a phone?
Teams of 3 to 5 pupils share one phone, so a class of 30 needs 6 to 10 phones. The phone can be a staff member's or a pupil's. Teams can start a few minutes apart from the same point, which stops groups bunching up in the narrow Vieux Lyon streets and traboules.
Where do the quests start and how do we get there?
Escape the Nazi starts at the Hôtel de Ville, served by metro lines A and C (Hôtel de Ville-Louis Pradel); Croix-Rousse Highlights starts nearby at the Opéra. Follow the Shadows starts at Place Saint-Jean and Murder Mystery at the Jardin Archéologique, both near Vieux Lyon station on metro line D. Fourvière Hill Highlights starts at the basilica, reached by funicular from Vieux Lyon.
How much does it cost?
It costs 5 euros per pupil. Teachers and chaperones play free. Schools can pay by card or by invoice, and there is no booking slot to reserve: you start whenever your class arrives. Public transport tickets and any museum visits are separate.
What happens if it rains?
If the weather ruins the day, you can replay the quest free within 30 days. In Lyon, two museums make a good indoor fallback and are free for under-18s: Gadagne in Vieux Lyon (history of Lyon and puppetry) and Lugdunum next to the Roman theatres on Fourvière. Check group booking rules before you go.
Do pupils need accounts or mobile data?
No. Pupils do not need accounts. Each team's phone needs mobile data during the quest, or the quest can be downloaded beforehand on wifi at school or the hotel. Charge phones fully and carry a power bank per team, as a 90-minute quest with maps and photos uses battery.
