If you have ever wished Brighton's streets held a bit more mystery, there is a way to walk them with a puzzle in hand. Clue the Looking Glass, run by Solve the City, is an outdoor escape game built around Alice in Wonderland. Instead of shutting a group in a room, it sends teams around the centre of the city, following clues through some of Brighton's best-known spots and its quieter corners.
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The story starts with Alice going missing. Nobody knows where she is, but a mysterious character is sending messages through the streets, the seafront and the lanes you would not normally think to explore. Your team follows the trail on a phone app that guides you from one clue to the next, and along the way you solve puzzles, examine odd objects and speak to agents who are stationed on the ground. The organisers describe it as a mix of an escape room and a clue hunt, and the puzzles are meant to be worked out together rather than by one person at a time.
The route covers 4.5 km and starts and finishes at a secret meeting point in the centre of Brighton, which you are given when you book. Most teams take around 2 hours 45 minutes, although the game can run up to 3 hours 30 minutes if you prefer to take it slowly. Teams can have up to six players, and the game is designed for ages 10 and over, with under-10s admitted free. Well-behaved dogs are welcome too. Some locations have a couple of steps, so it is worth bearing that in mind if anyone in the group finds steps tricky.
The game runs every day from 10:15 to 17:00, including bank holidays. Bookings are made through the website solvethecity.co.uk, and you can change the date or time of your booking easily. According to the company, full refunds are available if your plans change before you play. If several teams are coming along, you can book adjacent time slots, and larger groups or team-building events can be arranged by contacting the organisers directly.
The game has a leaderboard showing the top ten teams, which adds a bit of friendly competition if your group likes to keep score. On TripAdvisor, the experience is rated five stars, and the company's website mentions more than 15,000 players so far. Whether it suits your group comes down to what you are after: a walk around town with a story running through it, a few puzzles to crack together and a bit of time spent outdoors.
Published Date
14 October 2026
