Italy · Storytelling Tours

Bologna Murder Mystery: Self-Guided City Quest

1 Hour Round trip from Bologna Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Solve a self-guided murder mystery in Bologna’s Old Town
  • 02 Complete 11 puzzle challenges using real-world clues
  • 03 Explore landmarks including Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers
  • 04 Discover stories linked to the Fountain of Neptune and Porta Galliera
  • 05 Enjoy a flexible experience you can pause and resume anytime
  • 06 Play through an immersive mystery storyline on your mobile device

Step into the streets of Bologna and solve a murder mystery as the city becomes your game board. In this self-guided city quest, you’ll follow clues, crack puzzle challenges, and uncover stories hidden among the Old Town’s historic landmarks.

As you investigate, you’ll pass places such as Piazza Maggiore, the Fountain of Neptune, the Two Towers, and the University of Bologna. With mobile access and the freedom to pause and resume anytime, this experience blends sightseeing, storytelling, and problem-solving into a flexible one-hour adventure.

Step into the streets of Bologna and solve a murder mystery as the city becomes your game board.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 1 Hour
Tour type Private
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Not included
Transport Not included
Wheelchair access No
City Bologna
Languages English, Italian, Spanish

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Porta Galliera was a gate or portal of the former outer medieval walls of the city of Bologna, Italy. It is the most ornamented of all the remaining gates. The gate was built during 1659-1661 by designs of the architect Bartolomeo Provaglia.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.On Friday and Saturday, Piazza VIII Agosto hosts the traditional and large "Piazzola market", with over 400 street stalls.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The Arena del Sole is one of the historical theatres of Bologna. Its origins come to 1810. It was reopened in 1995 after eight years of reconstruction.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The fountain was completed in 1565. The over-life-size bronze figure of the god Neptune was completed and fixed in place around 1567. The statue was an early design by Giambologna, who had submitted a model for the Fountain of Neptune in Florence, but had lost the commission to Baccio Bandinelli.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The oratory was built between 1481 and 1497, when the celestine fathers of the nearby church of San Giovanni Battista decided to build a small church, in an area below which was the structure of a door of the circle early medieval walls, where an ancient image of the Madonna was placed, protected by a simple tabernacle.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the fifth century. Construction began in 1390 and its main facade has remained unfinished since.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The construction of the present Baroque church began in 1687-1690 under the designs of Giovanni Battista Bergonzoni, who built the elliptical plan with a dome designed by Giuseppe Tubertini, completed in 1787. The facade was not added till 1905. The sanctuary houses the sculptural group of Sorrow over Dead Christ (1463) by Niccolò dell'Arca.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The taller one is called the Asinelli while the smaller but more leaning tower is called the Garisenda. Their names derive from the families which are traditionally credited with having been constructed between 1109 and 1119.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The oldest university in Europe didn’t have a base until well into the renaissance, but before then, classes were held in professors’ homes (many lived around here) or in public spaces like this one.

Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.The Park of Montagnola is a public park in Bologna, Italy; it owes the original construction (1805) to Napoleonic rule, who commissioned the park design from Giovanni Battista Martinetti.Bologna Cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter is the cathedral of Bologna in Italy, and the seat and the metropolitan cathedral of the Archbishop of Bologna. Most of the present building dates from the 17th century, with a few parts from the late 16th century.The building was begun at the end of February 1562, built very quickly, it was inaugurated on October 21, 1563. The building of the new "Schools" was named Archiginnasio after the classical term which was used to designate the Studium, as the University was first called, of Bologna.Palazzo dei Banchi was the last building erected in Piazza Maggiore. Designed by Vignola in the 16th century, its spectacular façade was intended to hide the alleys of the rear market. Its name comes from the ancient presence of currency exchange “banks”

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from Bologna 1 city · 1 Hour

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • Mobile access code
  • 11 puzzle challenges
  • Immersive mystery storyline with real-world clues
  • Flexibility (pause/resume anytime)

What's Not Included

A physical tour guide

Know before you go

  • STROLLER OR PRAM ACCESSIBLE
  • ANIMALS OR PETS ALLOWED
  • PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • To unlock the experience in the Questo app, go to and add your booking number and e-mail address. Then, download the Questo app and create a new account with the e-mail address you used for unlocking.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Bologna, IT
Tour start
Bologna, IT
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 1 hour finishes where it began, in Bologna.

Watch the tourHQ film Watch the film

Create your own adventure

Can't find the perfect tour? Tailor your dream trip.

  • Tell us your destination, dates and group size.
  • Our travel experts and local guides design a tailored itinerary, just for you.
  • Enjoy your trip with peace of mind, knowing everything is taken care of.
Plan my holiday

Say goodbye to travel stress.