A fun day out
Together or solo
An ideal gift
Read the briefing
A crime has been committed. Meet the suspects and take on the case.
Follow the route
Explore the city as each discovery leads you closer to the truth.
Crack the clues
Use signs, statues and hidden details to decode fun visual puzzles.
Solve the case
Piece together the evidence and catch the culprit before they escape!
Your Edinburgh Case
Starting in Princes Street Gardens and ending near the Café Royal, this self-guided walk through Edinburgh’s New Town makes for a great day out.
On the journey, fun and ingenious puzzles draw upon the area’s buildings, statues and signs. More than 250 years old, this elegant part of the city boasts galleries galore and some of Edinburgh’s grandest buildings, plus plenty of opportunities to stop for food and drink along the way.
As you explore, you’ll solve the case of Scotland’s stolen national treasures* and uncover which of our six suspects is guilty!
*It’s true! The recipes for an orange-coloured fizzy drink and a chocolate-coated marshmallow-and-biscuit treat have been stolen.
Start at Princes St Gardens
End at the Café Royal
Puzzles, fun facts & historic pubs on the way
Original puzzles inspired by Edinburgh
What the detectives say...
"The puzzles were so clever"
Emma, Bristol
"A brilliant day"
Katherine, Manchester
"Can't wait to do another!"
James, Ealing
Created by a puzzle author. Researched on real streets.
I’m Matt, the creator of Puzzle Detectives. I’ve spent 15 years writing and publishing puzzle, quiz and activity books, which have sold around 140,000 copies and received more than 2,200 five-star Amazon ratings.
I research, photograph and test every city hunt on location.
Want to know more?
No. The hunts are self-guided, and you can undertake them whenever you want - although we recommend daytime if you want a clear view of the clues. You can stop as many times as you like, and can even split the hunt across more than one day.
Each book has a page with hints, that should explain how the puzzle works. If you get really stuck, there are also the answers to all the puzzles at the back of the book. If you can't find the location for a puzzle, then the book has a link to a secret page on our website, with photos of all the clues.
As we sell physical books, rather than app based treasure hunts, they make great gifts. All our books are sent out with a free presentation envelope (you can see the design below), so if you're giving the treasure hunt as a gift, it'll look really special! The envelope is unsealed and has space for the recipient's name, so you can personalise it yourself.
The books are aimed primarily at adults, and older teens.
However, we've found that younger children also enjoy the puzzles, even if they need a little more help. They tend to be very good at spotting locations!
Still have a question? View our full FAQ →