Explore Lille on a self-guided city walking tour and app-based scavenger hunt with riddles, trivia, and around 2 hours of city walking.
Getting started
Begin by downloading the Explorial app for free on your iOS or Android smartphone and ensuring you have active data. Once you have access, start the self-guided city tour at a time that suits you and follow the on-screen instructions. Set your own pace as you head out into Lille, with the app ready to guide you through the route.
What to expect
Grand-Place (Place du Général de Gaulle)
Your route starts at Place du Général de Gaulle, also known as the Grand-Place, which is one of Lille's central squares and a key reference point for the city.
Features
- Use the Explorial app to launch your self-guided city tour with interactive riddles and trivia challenges that introduce you to Grand-Place and its surroundings.
- Follow clear hints and map guidance in the app to navigate the square and nearby streets while collecting points within the scoring system that lets you compete with your group.
- Read stories, history, and local legends connected to landmarks like the Colonne de la Déesse as you explore this part of Lille.
Vieux-Lille
From Grand-Place, the route leads into Vieux-Lille, the city's historic quarter known for its narrow streets, gables, and traditional estaminets.
Features
- Continue solving app-based riddles and trivia that highlight the architecture of Vieux-Lille, including façades and gables you encounter along the way.
- Rely on the app's hints and map guidance so you can move through the old town at your own pace while staying on the set route via Vieux-Lille.
- Learn about town stories, history, and local legends specific to this district, with each correct answer earning points in the competition-style scoring system.
Place-aux-Oignons
The walk takes you to Place-aux-Oignons, a small square tucked inside Vieux-Lille where several challenges await.
Features
- Unlock interactive riddles and trivia challenges at Place-aux-Oignons through the Explorial app and submit your answers directly on your phone.
- Track your progress with the integrated points and scoring system as you clear each task in this square.
- Use the app's hints if you get stuck on a clue here, keeping the experience self-paced and flexible in timing.
Îlot-Comtesse (Îlot Comtesse)
Next, you reach Îlot-Comtesse, another characterful corner on the route that adds variety to your walk.
Features
- Engage with location-based tasks at Îlot-Comtesse, where the scavenger hunt continues with more riddles and trivia.
- Follow the map guidance to move between spots within Îlot-Comtesse while maintaining your overall route via Îlot-Comtesse.
- Read short stories and historical notes related to this area, further building your score as you answer correctly.
Colonne-de-la-Déesse
The Colonne de la Déesse features again later in your route as a landmark tied closely to Lille's history.
Features
- Approach the Colonne-de-la-Déesse with context already provided by earlier app content and tackle dedicated questions about this monument.
- Combine what you see at the column with the app's prompts to solve the next set of riddles, adding to your total points.
- Use the flexible start-time and self-paced walking format to pause here as long as you like while the app keeps your progress saved.
Overall city walking experience
Across all stops, the experience functions as a continuous loop of walking, discovery, and friendly competition.
Features
- Expect around 2 hours of city walking in total, with the flexibility to slow down, speed up, or take short breaks whenever you choose.
- Benefit from a fully self-guided city tour structure, where the Explorial app replaces a live guide and audio guide with written prompts, hints, and interactive tasks instead.
- Enjoy a route that connects Grand-Place, Vieux-Lille, Place-aux-Oignons, Îlot-Comtesse, and Colonne-de-la-Déesse into one coherent scavenger hunt, using your own smartphone with active data throughout.
