The 15 Best Escape Games in the UK

1.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Manchester with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 253 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20Our pick

Join Captain Bess on a private, self-guided Manchester treasure hunt from Piccadilly Station. Use your phone to follow maps, solve clues, request hints, and uncover stories at St Peter’s Square, Castlefield, St John’s Gardens, John Rylands Library, and Chinatown.

“Loved recommendation for the pub and lovely way to see the city without clues being too hard. Only issue was at clue 13 there was scaffolding on the library which meant we were unable to see the answer. Also roadworks meant we crossed at a different point impacting on clue 14.”

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2.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around York with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 248 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess guides your private group around York by smartphone, sending maps, cryptic clues, hints, facts, and stories. Start when you like, follow a route through Museum Gardens, York Minster, the Shambles, and more, then pause for food or drinks along the way.

“The Treasure Hunt was good fun but we should have started earlier. Tip to others would be to make sure you have plenty of time as clues are quite tricky!”

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3.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Bath with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 208 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess guides your private group by phone around Bath, from Bath Abbey and Pulteney Bridge to the Roman Baths. Solve cryptic clues, follow digital maps, ask for hints, and pause for shops or drinks. The English-language hunt lasts about 2.5 hours, costs $20.83 per person, and needs no app or printed tickets.

“No SMS received PDF could not be access Help Centre did not respond Waste of time & money Highly disappointing”

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5.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Oxford with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 202 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

Follow Captain Bess on a phone-based treasure hunt through Oxford, from Oxford Castle to Carfax Tower. Solve cryptic clues, request hints, pause for food or pubs, and learn city stories at your own pace. The private, self-guided route lasts about two and a half hours.

“Quite boring!!! Clues are confusing until the very last one…and you need to get to the last one, believe me. Tour isn’t that interesting, historical spots are not so interesting or the best. Anyway, if I could ask my money back, I would.”

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6.Shepton Mallet Prison Escape Room – The Cell

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 187 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $38

You have 60 minutes to escape The Cell at Shepton Mallet Prison, with darkness, handcuffs, teamwork, and timed puzzles adding pressure. Your group of up to five gets private use of the room, plus self-guided entry to the former prison before or after.

“Great fun. The dark and handcuffs added an additional element of complexity! Tia was an excellent guard. All in all a lot of fun and a legit location for an escape room”

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7.Interactive Jack the Ripper Night Walk: London’s Murder Mystery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 171 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $22

Explore Whitechapel and Spitalfields with guides such as Tyson, Lisa, Sadie, and Jess. Hear case evidence, Victorian women’s stories, and local history while walking from St Mary’s Whitechapel to Mitre Square. The tour ends away from its start, so plan your return route.

“Fantastic tour guide. Lots of interesting facts. He really did his homework. I have been on this tour 2 other times and he was the best guide by far.”

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8.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Birmingham with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 167 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess, a snarky pirate, leads your private group through Birmingham by mobile web link. Solve cryptic clues at Birmingham Town Hall, Centenary Square, the Library of Birmingham, the Jewellery Quarter, and St. Paul’s Church. You walk about 2½ miles at your own pace, with hints when needed.

“We spent a thoroughly enjoyable day exploring Birmingham while doing this treasure hunt. A great way to see the city and parts of it that we would otherwise have missed. This is about the 5th one of these types of hunts that we've done and there will be more! Highly recommended!”

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9.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Chester with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 162 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess guides you by phone from Chester Town Hall Square through the cathedral, city walls, Roman sites, Grosvenor Park, the River Dee, Storyhouse, and Chester Rows. Solve cryptic clues, ask for hints, stop for lunch, and finish in about two hours or spread the hunt across several days.

“The technology worked pretty well throughout the hunt, although right at the end it stopped working for all of us - frustrating. The route was well chosen and interesting but we thought some of the clues were too hard, children got frustrated”

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10.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Brighton with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 154 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess guides your private group by phone through Brighton, sending maps, clues, facts, and hints as you walk from the Royal Pavilion through North Laine, the piers, Theatre Royal, and The Lanes. Start when you like, pause for shops or pubs, and finish at India Gate.

“Good value and easy to book. Some of the clues were very difficult to solve without the hints, particularly in a small group of only two people. I think a group of 3-6 people may be better. Some of the locations on the tour were also rather obscure and not the tourist spots I was expecting to see! This perhaps suits someone who knows Brighton well already and wants to see some of the less well-known things”

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11.The Anatomist – Award Winning Historical Escape Room Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 151 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $50

Enter a 19th-century anatomist’s basement study near Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. In a private group of 2 to 8, you have one hour to find Dr. Malcolm’s journal, solve puzzles, and uncover a case involving grave robbery and medical malpractice. English only, ages 12 and up.

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12.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Cambridge with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 142 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $20

Follow Captain Bess through Cambridge on a private, phone-based treasure hunt lasting about 2.5 hours. Solve cryptic clues, use maps, and explore King’s College Chapel, Trinity College, the Backs, the Corpus Clock, and more. Start anytime between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“Great fun. Did in an extended family group aged 24-75 which worked really well. Took it in turns to read the info in a pirate accent which was fun. Most of us are from Cambridge and we still learnt a thing or too! Very well put together.”

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13.Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Liverpool with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 141 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $20

Captain Bess guides your private group by phone through a 3.5-mile Liverpool route linking the cathedral, docks, Mathew Street, Bold Street, and the Three Graces. You solve cryptic clues, request hints, and start when convenient, with no app or printed map required.

“Great fun. Good way to explore a city. Allow yourself a full day, so that you can visit all the places en route, and get a bite to eat.”

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14.Private Escape Room with a Zombie in London

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 128 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $45

At Bunker 51 in southeast London, your private group of up to eight solves clues for one hour while a live zombie roams the room. Arrive 30 minutes early for the briefing, then finish with a digital team photo. Hosts and zombies may include Neil, Molly, Rob, or Billy.

“It was birthday gift for 12 year old and he loved it! It was customised for 12 and 10 year old!! It was good fun for everyone!!”

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15.Colombia’s Finest Outdoor Murder Mystery London

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 122 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $26

Take on a private outdoor murder mystery beginning at Gunpowder Square. Use an interactive map and virtual contacts to follow clues through historic London streets, uncover local stories, and solve the case with your own group in about two to three hours.

“Really simple and fast setup and experience before starting the hunt. Great fun and slick treasure hunt experience.”

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