How this Quest works
In a treasure hunt, participants navigate to each stop and enter a secret code to prove they found the location. Along the waterfront, codes can be hidden in details such as signs, bridges, and lookout towers.
The screenshots below are this example played for real, in Copenhagen β 5 stops, about 2.5 km of walking end to end. Nothing here is a mock-up: the 5 quests from this page, dropped on 5 real places and walked through.
The wording at each stop is a starting point, not a script. Each screenshot below names the real place it was staged at β borrow the shape of the walk and write your own for where you are.
All 5 stops pinned across Copenhagen. The participant is 42 metres from the first.
A quest only opens once the participant is physically within about 30 metres of it. From there they enter the secret code they found on the spot β no code, no points.
Stop 1 as the participant sees it, opened on arrival.
A completed stop pays the 300-point base plus whatever is left of the speed bonus.
Everyone's results land on the same scoreboard as they go, so a group spread across Copenhagen can still see who is ahead.
The live scoreboard part-way through.
Stop 1 β The Dock
A dock or a pier can be a great starting station.
Title: At the Dock
Description: Walk out onto the dock and look at the last bollard. There are two numbers painted on it - the numbers are the secret code.
Secret code: 42
Stop 2 β The Bridge
A bridge can be a great stop β look for a detail on the bridge that can be used as the secret code.
Quest 2 β Amalienborg.
Title: Under the Bridge
Description: Go to the north side of the bridge. On the railing, there's a plaque with the year it was built. Add up the digits in that year β the sum is your code.
Secret code: 18
Stop 3 β The Promenade Bench
Benches often make great stops β they frequently have a small metal plaque with a marking that you could use as a secret code.
Quest 3 β Opera House.
Title: The Bench with a View
Description: Find the third bench past the blue lamp. Check the metal plaque β what's engraved on it? That's your code.
Secret code: KVP-42
Stop 4 β The Shoreline
Information boards can serve as a great stop.
Quest 4 β Kastellet.
Title: The Water's Edge
Description: Head down to the beach and look at the information board - which bird species is pictured in the bottom right corner?
Secret code: Oystercatcher
Stop 5 β The Lookout
Finish the round at a nice viewpoint so the participant ends on a high note.
Quest 5 β Little Mermaid.
Title: The Final View
Description: Climb up to the lookout point. Look through the binoculars β how many islands can you count? That number, times two, is your final secret code. Congratulations!
Secret code: 14