I was extremely excited to play games in Spain as Barcelona was my favorite escape room city in the world. This was one of the most ambitious trips I took with 31 escape rooms across the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Vittoria, Bilbao, Pamplona, Berga and Andorra! If you haven't played any escape rooms in Spain before, have a look at my post, Best Escape Rooms in Barcelona: A Traveller's Guide, as that will help you to maximize your itinerary.
Special thanks to Dan, Ana, Rich, Kiki, Summer and Jonathan for all the planning and to Sir Ken Ferguson (from the University of Oxford) who is now my escape room BFF.
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| Partial Map of Spain: Red Dots = Escape Rooms Played |
In the past, I got around Barcelona by metro or taxi. However, this trip involved a lot of driving (1,500 miles according to Google) that had us venture up to the north of Spain and even Andorra. The good thing was that it was all worth it and I am so grateful for the group of friends on this trip as it was an experience of a lifetime!
Horror Themed Games
There was a higher proportion of horror games played than normal on this trip. "La Casa", "La Santa" and "Tú también soñarás" were among my favorites with amazing sets and some terrifying moments. I am not a horror fan by any means but appreciates the cleverness of those games. For those who really dislike horror, I would recommend skipping these as there are plenty of non-horror games available in Spain.
Spain Escape Room Recap
I gave 11 rooms a 4.5 star ratings or higher which is quite incredible after playing over 500 escape rooms around the world. I tried to be as objective as possible but I believe that some of the ratings are lower due to playing so many world class rooms in one trip.
Escape Barcelona: CyberCity 2049
This game was amazing with its Blade Runner/The Matrix vibe. A wonderfully immersive set with some tense moments that made us feel like we were in our own movie. Also, take your time in exploring the world with side tasks. If you are in Barcelona, this is a must play. ★★★★★
Escape Barcelona: Tomb of Akasha
Another movie like experience with a decent amount of climbing and physical movement. There were some video game moments that got us running around and once again the set was large and sprawling. ★★★★★
Enigmik: La Cerveseria [The Brewery]
What kind of game was The Brewery? At first I wasn't sure what to expect as I am not a beer fan but it was one of the most thematic and unique games I played. You start off in a bar and then head into the world of beer-making with some enjoyable puzzling. ★★★★★
Insomnia Corporation: La Casa [The House]
La Casa had one of the most interesting escape room starts ever. We drove to a "hotel" and explored the premises for a while and were then told to drive to another city. On the way to this city, we received a text with the exact location of a house in the middle of farmland. Then the real game started there. ★★★★★
Unreal Room Escape: Distrito 111
Just like Unreal's La Mina, Distrito 111 was such a fun experience. This post apocalyptic world had some fulfilling physical elements that made the experience top notch. ★★★★★
Virus Escape Room: Tao Japanese Message Center
There was something in this game that jumped out versus any other escape room I played. There are plenty of light hearted moments and this game would be better if the intro (with broken Japanese-English) were modified. ★★★★½
Mayto Kingdom: Tú también soñarás [You'll Dream Too]
The "IT" movie inspired game was the #1 escape room for the 2021 TERPECA's. I played the game without seeing the movie and still appreciated the experience. Another sprawling set that kept us on edge for a good portion of the time. ★★★★★
Blindhouse: The Rebellion (Hybrid Version)
This game was based on the film series "Underworld" where vampire and werewolves battle each other. We played the 2.5h full version which combined their two games and the midpoint transition was seamless. The set was enormous and the varied puzzles should satisfy a wide variety of players! ★★★★★
Distrito Siete: Noche de perros [Dogs Night]
This game took place in "Texas" which is always funny in terms of seeing how others interpret what life in America is like. The game started off in an American diner and expanded from there but didn't quite end on a high. It was still loads of fun. ★★★★½
Madrid
Shock Creations: La Santa
La Santa took place in a realistic looking church, complete with high ceilings and stained glass. The payment method at the start of the game was hilarious and you spend a good amount of time avoiding scary stuff. There were huge Hollywood like action sequences that took place that unfortunately some of our players didn't see and overall it was quite a memorable experience. ★★★★★
Madness Toledo Escape Room (Mad Mansion): The Mystery of Scum Island
I never played the computer game "Monkey Island" but you could see how this escape room was inspired by a 1990's point-and-click game. I have a soft spot for light hearted themes so I might have enjoyed this game more than most players. ★★★★½
Bite The Fly: Bites Motel
One might notice that many of the games we played were based on pre-existing IP but not officially licensed to do so. I wonder if being able to that do in Spain made for a vastly different experience when compared to the US. As you might have guessed, this game was modeled after the "Bates Motel" from the movie "Psycho". The astounding part was that a HUGE city area was built but not really part of the game. ★★★★½
Other Escape Rooms In The Area
Some other rooms that are worth playing or reviewed in a previous post:
In Barcelona:
- Abduction: Enterprises and The Exam (Enterprises is based on BATMAN! and one of my favorite escape rooms all time)
- Catelepsia, a 2-player game in coffins
In Madrid:
- Colors Escape Room: Yellow Experience, a Goonies inspired game
- Colors Escape Room: Blue Experience, played in 2022 and was a greatly reduced version of Atrincherados (Trenches) in Barcelona, played in 2019
- Clue Hunter: Megachef for large groups interested in puzzle stations with a cooking theme
Northern Spain
- Way Out: Hello Hotel
- Mayto Kingdom: La Cámara del Espíritu y el Tiempo (Dragon Ball Z)
We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Spain to play world class escape rooms!