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
Shadows of Prohibition: The Montreal Escape
4.36Player rating
A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE CITY
Play at your pace · usually 90 min 2.6 km Montreal App-guided
Play in
EnglishFrench
The experience
About this quest
Montreal, 1920s. The air is thick with smoke, whispers, and forbidden drinks. You wake up under blooming cherry trees, a stranger’s jacket draped over you - and a wallet inside that could get you killed.
Al Capone’s friends don’t forgive easily. Follow the hidden trails of the city’s Prohibition past, solve puzzles to uncover secret bars and forgotten deals, and escape the night’s deadly mistake. Grab your friends or family, walk the misty streets, and piece together the clues before it’s too late.
This isn’t just a stroll - it’s a real-world mystery where your wit and nerve will shape your fate. Will you slip away unseen... or become part of the legend?
Is this for you?
Who it's for
Friends, couples and families who enjoy escape rooms and gangster-era history will get close to two hours of outdoor puzzle-solving, following a 1920s bootlegging story from Sakura Garden through Chinatown's Parc Sun-Yat-Sen to Place des Arts. You solve every clue from the street and never need to go inside a bar, church or shop. Anyone wanting a live guide to question, or not up for 2.6 km on foot, should pick something else.
What makes this quest special
Highlights
Discover or rediscover the cultural heart of the city in a brand new light.
Dive into a mythical era ridden with gangsters, bootleggers and worse, jazz musicians.
Visit popular and unknown locations around the town center.
Follow the journey of a sympathetic drunkard stranded in his own city.
From people who played this quest
Good times. In their words.
4.36 / 5
149 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
Montreal
A · Start
200 Rue De La Gauchetière O, Montréal, QC H2Z 1X7, Canada
B · Finish
185 Rue Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H2X 1Z9, Canada
Start and finish only. Discover the stops as you play.
The people behind the adventure
Created by Alexandre Matte-Deschênes.
A route that brings places and playful storytelling together.
Made by Alexandre Matte-DeschênesWHAT 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
- Don’t enter the places, not part of the experience
A little clarity before you go
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Prohibition tour in Montreal?
Yes. This self-guided walk follows Montreal's 1920s Prohibition past as a mystery story. You trace secret bars and shady deals across downtown and Chinatown, solving puzzles at each stop while escaping Al Capone's friends. You play on your phone, with no guide and no fixed departure time.
Is this an outdoor escape room in Montreal?
It works like an escape game played in the open air. The app leads you through 11 stops and sets puzzles based on what is in front of you. Everything happens outside, and you do not need to enter any of the places on the route.
Where does it start and finish, and how long does it take?
It starts at Sakura Garden and finishes at Place des Arts, so it does not end where it began. The route covers about 2.6 km, and most players take close to two hours, walking and puzzles included.
Can we play as a group?
Yes. One ticket covers the whole group playing together, so friends, couples or a family can share the same phone and solve the clues as a team as you walk.
Do we need to book a time, and can we pause?
No booking is needed. You can start whenever suits you, and if you want a break for food or a drink, pause the game and continue later from where you stopped.
What’s the idea behind Shadows of Prohibition?
You wake up in 1920s Montreal, with a wallet that’s not yours and serious trouble brewing. You follow clues, discover speakeasies, dodge gangsters, and try to unravel what went wrong—all before it’s too late.
Is this more for mystery lovers or history buffs?
BOTH. If you love mystery, you’ll dig the sneaky clues and shady characters. If you like history, the Prohibition era, jazz, and Montreal’s past are woven into the storyline. Great combo.
Could this be a cool date night idea?
Yes! It’s atmospheric—nighttime or dusk adds to the mood. Solving puzzles together, walking past old bars, getting chills from the story… it’s something different and memorable.
Keep exploring
Every quest. One year.
Explore the annual passGive them a story
A day out, gifted.
Explore Questo giftsKeep exploring Montreal
More adventures in Montreal
Prohibition-era Montréal
Why American Prohibition sent nightlife north
When alcohol was prohibited across the United States from 1920 to 1933, Québec followed a different path: beer, wine and licensed drinking remained available under provincial regulation. Montréal’s clubs and cabarets attracted visitors from across the border and strengthened its nightlife reputation. This quest uses that real contrast as its setting; the Al Capone connection and missing-wallet escape are fictional. Playable languages: English, French.
