ZurichAges 8+
Einstein's Zurich: The Boy Who Walked With Time
54 min · 1.6 km · 11 stops
Starts at St Peter
What they learn
Albert Einstein's time as a student at ETH
4.6 (627 reviews)
School trip to Zurich: 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
- 1 to 5 km
Real students playingWhat teachers and students say
More than 3,000 classes and groups have played Questo together.
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.
Perfect with a group of A Level pupils. Loved it.
Quests for classes
Quests a class can play in Zurich
A school day with Questo in Zürich stays on foot around Zürich HB and the old town on both banks of the Limmat. Two quests start inside the main station, so a class can step off the train and begin. For Key Stage 2, Einstein's Zurich: The Boy Who Walked With Time loops from St Peter past ETH and Lenin's flat, and Operation Zero Delay turns the station into an escape game. Key Stage 3 groups walk Zurich Highlights: Local Gems from the Polybahn to Paradeplatz, and older pupils can try Zürich under Dark Magic around Lindenhof. The quests cover ages 8 to 18.
- ZurichAges 11+
Zurich Highlights: Local Gems
90 min · 4.1 km · 14 stops
Starts at Zurich Main Station
What they learnRoman traces at Lindenhof and Thermengasse
4.6 (100 reviews) - ZurichAges 11+
Fun adventure tour of Zurich
90 min · 1.8 km · 8 stops
Starts at Café Oscar
What they learnThe legend of the brave women of Zürich in 1292, through Gustav Siber's 1912 fountain
4.3 (29 reviews) - ZurichAges 14+
Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Zürich
90 min · 2 km · 12 stops
Starts at Point 1
What they learnCollecting and weighing evidence across 12 points to reach a conclusion
4.1 (31 reviews) - ZurichAges 14+
Zürich under Dark Magic: Walking Tour & Escape Game
60 min · 2.2 km · 10 stops
Starts at Hedwig Fountain, Lindenhof
What they learnOld-town landmarks on both sides of the Limmat, from the Grossmünster and Wasserkirche to the Fraumünster and St Peter's Church
4.7 (21 reviews)
Teams, supervision and logistics
Teams and supervision
Teams of 3 to 5 pupils share one phone.
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Under-14s need one adult per 2 to 3 teams with agreed checkpoints such as a Limmat bridge; ages 14 to 18 follow school policy.
Getting around
The centre is compact and walkable.
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For trams, reserve a ZVV group ticket (10 or more people, youth CHF 3.40 for 24 hours, local network) 48 hours ahead at a ZVV sales office.
Toilets
The city's ZüriWC toilets are mostly free, with central ones at Central and Münsterhof; staffed WCs at Bellevue, Bürkliplatz and Paradeplatz cost CHF 1.
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Zürich HB charges about CHF 2.
Lunch
Lindenhof, above the Limmat, has benches for a packed lunch; the lakefront at Bürkliplatz or Zürichhorn park suits a whole class, with WCs nearby, and pupils should take all litter away.
Wet weather
The Landesmuseum beside Zürich HB and the Kunsthaus at Heimplatz are free for under-16s (Swiss school classes by arrangement at the Landesmuseum).
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If rain spoils the day, replay the quest free within 30 days.
Caution: In Switzerland trams have right of way over pedestrians, and they run quietly through hubs such as Bellevue and Central; teams should cross only at crossings and keep phones down while crossing.
What they learn
History
Roman Zürich at Lindenhof and Thermengasse, the city's medieval churches (Grossmünster, Fraumünster, St Peter, Wasserkirche), the legend of the brave women of Zürich in 1292, and the 15th-century mayor Hans Waldmann.
Geography
Urban geography of a river and lake city (Rudolf Brun Bridge, Quai Bridge, Bauschänzli), the banking district at Paradeplatz and the Swiss National Bank, how a major railway hub is laid out, and map reading and orientation from stop to stop.
English and modern foreign languages
Pupils read and follow written instructions and solve text-based puzzles. Quests are available in German and French, so a languages class can play in the language it studies. Einstein's Zurich is also available in Italian.
Citizenship and teamwork
Teams share roles, manage their own time and route, agree on answers together and keep to the meeting arrangements in a real city centre.
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
Zurich for a school group, in short
A school trip to Zurich with Questo is a self-guided city quest. Pupils in teams of 3 to 5 follow a route of 8 to 14 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.
- 4.6
- average rating, from 808 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 Zurich
Which Zürich quest suits which age group?
For Key Stage 2 (ages 8 to 11), choose Einstein's Zurich: The Boy Who Walked With Time or Operation Zero Delay inside the main station. For Key Stage 3 (11 to 14), choose Zurich Highlights: Local Gems or the Fun adventure tour of Zurich. For ages 14 to 18, choose Zürich under Dark Magic or Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Zürich.
How long does a quest take?
Most Zürich quests take between about 55 minutes and 1 hour 30. Einstein's Zurich is the shortest at about 55 minutes and 1.6 km. Zurich Highlights: Local Gems is the longest walk at 4.1 km in about 1 hour 30. Allow extra time for regrouping, and you can pause and carry on later.
How many pupils share one phone?
Teams of 3 to 5 pupils share one phone, either a teacher's or a pupil's. For a class of 30, plan on six to ten phones. Teams can start a few minutes apart, so the class does not move through the old town as one large group.
Where do we start?
Two quests start at Zürich HB, the main station: Operation Zero Delay and Zurich Highlights: Local Gems. That makes them easy for classes arriving by train. Einstein's Zurich starts at St Peter, and Zürich under Dark Magic starts at the Hedwig Fountain on Lindenhof, both in the old town. There is no booking slot, so start whenever your class is ready.
How much does it cost?
It costs 5 euros per pupil. Teachers and chaperones play free. Schools can pay by card or by invoice. You can preview the quest from home for free before the trip to check the route and plan your checkpoints.
What happens if it rains?
If the weather ruins the day, your class can replay the quest for free within 30 days. On the day itself, the Landesmuseum next to the main station is a good indoor fallback. Under-16s get in free and the Simply Zurich exhibition is free. It is closed on Mondays.
Do pupils need accounts or mobile data?
No, pupils do not need accounts. Each team's phone needs mobile data, or you can download the quest beforehand on school or hotel wifi. Make sure phones are fully charged, and bring a power bank for Operation Zero Delay.
