Team vs team
Use your own phones and join a team. Any teammate’s answer advances everyone. Beat the other teams on the leaderboard.
City exploration game
Chasing Dickens: A Writer’s Journey Through London
4.66Player rating
A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE CITY
Play at your pace · usually 63 min 3.5 km London App-guided
Play in
English
The experience
About this quest
You came to London to write—but the words won’t come, and the nights grow longer. Then one evening, wandering through foggy streets in search of clarity, you see him: a man in a black top hat, with an intensity in his eyes that stops you cold. He looks just like Charles Dickens. You know it can’t be, but something about him feels real… important.
In this atmospheric walking quest, you’ll follow the figure through the streets that once inspired Dickens himself. Solve puzzles, uncover literary clues, and explore hidden corners of London’s Victorian past.
Perfect for curious minds, history lovers, and creative souls, this real-world adventure blends story, movement, and memory-making. Will this journey unlock the writer within—or lead you somewhere even more unexpected?
Is this for you?
Who it's for
Dickens readers and literature-loving couples can follow a top-hatted figure from the Charles Dickens Museum through Holborn and Fleet Street, past Staple Inn, Lincoln's Inn Fields and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Families with children who enjoy story clues get about an hour of puzzles on a 3.5 km daytime loop. If you want to quiz a live guide about Dickens's life or prefer a short indoor visit, choose something else.
What makes this quest special
Highlights
Learn about Dickens’s extraordinary life, from child labourer to celebrated writer.
Explore the once brutal and crime-ridden streets of Clerkenwell and the stately legal district of Holborn where Dickens studied and worked.
Discover the darkened bars and inns where lawyers once jostled with scoundrels and Dickens met the colourful characters that would crowd his novels.
From people who played this quest
Good times. In their words.
4.66 / 5
70 player ratings
Selected player reviews. Original words and ratings.
Most relevant starts with detailed five-star reviews. All ratings remain available.
From your phone to the streets
A walk that turns into an adventure.
- 1
Open the app. You’re on your way.
Choose your pass, then open your quest in the Questo app. It guides you from the starting point.
- 2
Get outside. Follow your curiosity.
Discover real places and their stories on foot. Stop for a coffee or a photo, then pick up where you left off.
- 3
Crack a clue. Share a little victory.
Look around for answers, solve puzzles and enjoy the “we got it!” moments.
CHOOSE YOUR PASS
How many are playing?
Get this questNo booking slot · play any dayFull refund until you start playing
BRING YOUR WHOLE GROUP
One city. Rival teams. Great stories together.
A school trip, a team day or friends out together. Turn your next outing into a little friendly competition.
Everyone for themselves
One player per phone. Solve clues on your own and race for the top spot on the final leaderboard.
Can a team share one phone?
Yes. Play together on one phone per team, or use your own phones and join the same team in the app. We recommend your own phones so everyone can take part.
Your walk, at a glance
London
A · Start
48-49 Doughty St, Holborn, London WC1N 2LX, UK
B · Finish
145 Fleet St, London EC4A 2BU, UK
Start and finish only. Discover the stops as you play.
The people behind the adventure
Created by Annemarie Lopez.
A route that brings places and playful storytelling together.
Made by Annemarie Lopez
WHAT MAKES A QUEST DIFFERENT
Your adventure, with a playful twist.
1 / 4
Experience
- This quest
- Discover places through stories and clues in the app
- Guided walking tour
- Hear stories and ask a guide questions
2 / 4
Pace
- This quest
- Pause for a photo, a café or a longer look
- Guided walking tour
- Usually follows the guide’s schedule
3 / 4
Company
- This quest
- Explore with your own people or on your own
- Guided walking tour
- Private and shared group tours are available
4 / 4
Guidance
- This quest
- Directions and challenges in the Questo app
- Guided walking tour
- Live interpretation from a guide
Features and terms vary by experience. Check the details before booking.
Good to know before you play
- Best during the day
- Kid friendly
- Best for couples
- Recommended activity for families
A little clarity before you go
Frequently asked questions
Where can I discover Charles Dickens's London on foot without joining a guided tour?
This self-guided quest leads you through the Holborn and Fleet Street streets that inspired Dickens, with stops such as Staple Inn, the site of Furnival's Inn, Lincoln's Inn Fields and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Your phone tells the story of each place and sets puzzles, so you can start whenever you like.
Where does the walk start and finish?
It starts at the Charles Dickens Museum and finishes back there, so it works as a loop. Along the way you pass places like The Maughan Library, Hodge the Cat Statue, Ye Olde Mitre in Holborn, Vine Hill and Mount Pleasant before returning to the museum.
How long does it take and how far is it?
Plan on about an hour for roughly 3.5 km of walking, plus any time you spend lingering at stops. It is best done during the day. You can pause the quest at any point and pick it up again later.
Is it good for kids?
Yes, it is tagged as kid friendly and recommended for families. The puzzles use literary clues and details you can see around you, so it suits children old enough to follow a story, read clues and comfortably walk about 3.5 km.
Can we play as a group, and do we need to book a time?
One ticket covers your whole group, up to the number of devices stated for the quest. There is no fixed start time and no guide to meet, so you can begin at the museum whenever suits you and walk at your own pace.
Is the Chasing Dickens quest self-guided?
Yes. The Questo app guides you from clue to clue without a tour guide or fixed departure. You can start when it suits you, pause and continue at your own pace.
Where does the Chasing Dickens quest start and finish?
It starts at the Charles Dickens Museum on Doughty Street and finishes at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street. The route is approximately 3.5 km and includes 12 location-based puzzles.
How many tickets does our group need?
This classic quest sells access per device and player. Each person who wants to solve clues on their own phone needs their own access.
Keep exploring
Every quest. One year.
Explore the annual passGive them a story
A day out, gifted.
Explore Questo giftsKeep exploring London
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Literary London
Walk between Dickens’s home and Fleet Street
The route connects places associated with Dickens’s life and work, from his Doughty Street home to the inns and legal streets around Fleet Street. The aspiring-writer storyline is fictional; the London literary setting is real. Playable languages: English.
