Home Activities Portugal Albufeira Silves Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

Activity Albufeira, Portugal

Silves Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

5.0 (2 reviews) 2 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

2 reviews

5.0

Silves Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Silves Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Silves was once the Moorish capital of the Algarve — the castle walls still remember it.

This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through Silves on foot, following phone-based riddles that lead from one historic landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time.

Follow clues to the Pelourinho de Silves, the Igreja da Misericórdia de Silves, and the red sandstone Castelo de Silves — each one layered with centuries of Moorish and Portuguese history
Fully self-paced with no time limit — take a break at a cafe along the cobbled streets whenever you like
Fun for families, couples, and friend groups; photo challenges guarantee some lively debate

Available in 24 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian — see the full list when booking and choose yours when you start the game in the app.

Around 2 hours - any group size.

Silves has been surprising visitors since the Moors built their capital here — the trail gives you a reason to look properly.

Self-guided Tours Walking Tours Fun & Games Scavenger Hunts Best Conversion Low Supplier Cancellation Rate Low Last Minute Supplier Cancellation Rate Short term availability

At a glance

Duration: 2 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: Norwegian, German, Hindi, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, Greek, Cantonese, English, Italian, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Czech, Ukrainian, Japanese, Polish, Danish, Romanian, Dutch, Turkish
Operated by: Explorial

Ages: Children (0–9 years) · Adults (10–90 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Free download of the Explorial App from your appstore (iOS or Android smartphone required)
Included: Points and scoring system: Compete between players of your group and beat the cities high score.
Included: Live Location: navigate within the map with marked locations. Always know where you are.
Included: Learn about the cities stories, history, and local legends
Included: Total flexibility: no waiting, start anytime, walk at own pace and do as many breaks as you want.
Included: Self-guided walking tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.

Not included

Not included: Live-Guide: 100% self-guided; no one will meet you or join your group. Start anytime you want.
Not included: Entrance fees are not required for this game. All puzzles relate to the public areas of the sights
Not included: This is not an audio guide but an sightseeing, gaming and learning experience

Itinerary

Start at the Silves Tourist Office near the river — it's easy to find and the trail begins the moment you open the Explorial app. Enter your 6-digit game code that you received by text and Viator chat message, select your language, and tap Start. The route climbs through Silves' whitewashed lanes toward its Moorish heart. The Pelourinho de Silves — the medieval pillory in the main square — is an early stop, with a riddle that asks you to look at the stonework closely. The Igreja da Misericórdia de Silves, with its ornate Manueline doorway, features in an observation task that rewards anyone who slows down to study the facade. The trail finishes near the Castelo de Silves, the red sandstone castle dominating the town's skyline, where a photo challenge puts the group to work in front of the ancient walls. Groups tend to split between those racing the clock and those soaking up the views — both approaches work. The app reveals final scores and a ranking once the last clue is solved. Few towns in the Algarve have this much history in this little space.

Stop 1
Castelo de Silves

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

*** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

*** Download the Explorial app for free.

*** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

End point

Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

*** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

*** Download the Explorial app for free.

*** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

Using your ticket

*** Thank you for choosing EXPLORIAL. Next steps:

*** 1. DOWNLOAD THE APP ***

Before starting, download the Explorial app from your app store, or from: https://s.explorial.com/T3SE3

(copy url in your internet browser)

*** 2. GET YOUR GAME CODE ***

Your game code is sent by text message to the phone number from your booking. Additionally:

Viator: under your booking -> "Help & support" -> "Message activity provider"
Tripadvisor: under your booking -> "Contact Tour Operator"

*** NO CODE after 3 minutes? Look it up at: https://support.explorial.com/

(copy url in your internet browser)

*** 3. HOW TO START ***

Go to the meeting/start point and open the app
Tap "Enter code", type your game code, tap "Join game"
Confirm you're at the start, or tap the map for directions
Tap "Create team" and name it (required even if playing solo)
Or tap "Join team" if a teammate already created one
Enter your player name

*** IMPORTANT: Don't press "Start game" until all players have joined the team in the app

*** GOOD TO KNOW ***

Language: each player picks their own at game start (from the advertised languages)
Date & time: start whenever you like, regardless of your booking
Pause anytime and continue later — even the next day

*** SCORE & RANKING ***

Finish the tour and all tasks in the app to see your score and full statistics.

*** REMEMBER ***

This is not an audio tour. It's fully self-guided — no guide will meet or wait for you.

***

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Max 15 people per booking. For larger groups, make multiple bookings.
After booking you receive a text message and a Viator message with your game code. Download the Explorial app from your appstore. Open the app, enter your 6 digit game code
Weather & Health Guarantee: If bad weather or illness prevents you from starting the tour, you can simply reschedule it for another day. You can also rebook to a different city or request a refund
Smartphone required: Bring your own fully charged smartphone with an active mobile data connection to the start of the tour. Please disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi, as these will cause the app to malfunction or disconnect.
Recommended attire: It’s best to wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes — approx. 2 hours of light walking