The Round Tower hunt: review
What two reviews can and cannot tell you
They can tell you that the product exists, that it was delivered, and that at least one person came away pleased enough to write a word. They cannot tell you whether the puzzles are fair, whether the route works in rain, or whether a group of four will still be talking to each other at Vor Frue Plads. A 4.5 built from two scores is arithmetic, not opinion: one middling rating in a file that small moves the average further than a dozen would anywhere else. Treat the number as noise and read the description.
The format, which is the actual decision
You collect the material and work it yourself. It is fully analogue: no app, no phone needed, just a pen. That is unusual enough to be the reason to book it or the reason not to. Nothing sends you a hint when you are stuck, and nothing hurries you along when you are not. Two people is the minimum and two to four is the recommended size, so a solo traveller cannot do it and a party of eight is really two parties. Guided walk or self-guided hunt is the page that settles this before you spend anything.
The case is set in 1899: detective constables, a missing person and a bloody briefcase. Food, drink, transport tickets and entry fees are not included, which matters because the route passes several things you might want to go into.
The route, and what is standing on it
Rundetårn, then Gråbrødretorv, Købmagergade, Strøget, Vor Frue Kirke, Gammeltorv and Vor Frue Plads. It is a compact loop through the oldest part of the city, and almost every stop on it has something documented underneath.
The Round Tower was completed in 1642 for Christian IV, with a spiral ramp of seven and a half turns climbing 34.8 m above street level, built wide enough for a horse and carriage to reach the library at the top. In 1716 Tsar Peter the Great rode up it on horseback, his wife reportedly following in a carriage. The tower’s own page has the rest. Strøget was pedestrianised in 1962 at 1.1 km, then the longest pedestrian street in Europe, and it runs straight through Gammeltorv and Nytorv — how that happened.
Gammeltorv carries the Caritas Well, erected by Christian IV in 1608, and the burnt-out history of two town halls, one lost in the fire of 1728 and the next in the fire of 1795, after which the function moved across to Nytorv. Vor Frue Kirke is the cathedral British gunners used for range practice in September 1807, setting it alight and burning it to the ground; C.F. Hansen rebuilt it, cornerstone 1817, consecrated 7 June 1829. The 1807 bombardment and the fire of 1728 are the background reading, and neither is a ghost story.
What works
- You start when you like, on any date, with no calendar to fight
- Fully analogue: paper, a pen, and nothing to charge or download
- A tight route through the oldest streets, walkable in ordinary shoes
- It works in English or Danish, so a mixed group can play together
- Two to four people is the sociable size, and it is genuinely sociable
- Every stop on the route has documented history under it
Worth knowing
- Two reviews. The 4.5 should be read as almost no information
- Minimum two people, so solo travellers are excluded outright
- Nobody is guiding you: if the group is not interested, nothing rescues it
- Food, drink, transport tickets and entry fees are not included
- No guide means no stories beyond the ones in the envelope
- Strøget is busy, and the puzzle assumes you can stand still on it
Who should book it
Groups of two to four who enjoy doing rather than listening. Travellers whose dates will not line up with the guided walk, which is a real constraint — the ghost walk’s calendar problem is the reason many people end up here. Families with older children, who get something to solve instead of something to stand through. Anyone who wants a structured way to see the old centre without a schedule, in any weather and at any hour.
Who should book something else. Solo travellers, who cannot: the minimum is two. Anyone who wants to be told stories by a person with a lantern, which is the guided walk. Anyone who wants darkness and atmosphere, since this is mostly worked in daylight. And anyone choosing between the two hunts on the strength of the ratings, because 4.5 from two and 4.3 from three are the same number in practice — the Amalienborg hunt is decided by the route you prefer, not the score.
Book the Round Tower hunt
Live availability is below. Group sizes and party minimums covers how it behaves with more than four, and the walkability page has the cobbles.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 4.5 rating from two reviews reliable?
No, and this site will not pretend it is. Two scores is arithmetic rather than opinion, and the only written review on the file is a single word. Judge it on the format and the route instead: guided or self-guided.
Can one person do the Round Tower hunt?
No. The minimum is two people and two to four is the recommended size. A solo traveller wanting company should look at the guided walk instead: the guided ghost walk.
Do I need my phone for it?
No. It is fully analogue — you need a pen and nothing else. Food, drink, transport tickets and entry fees along the route are not included. What to expect covers the practical side.
Which of the two murder mysteries is better?
The ratings cannot answer that: 4.5 from two reviews against 4.3 from three is a difference with nothing behind it. Choose by route. This one covers the old centre; the Amalienborg hunt covers the harbour quarter and Nyhavn.