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7 literary escape rooms you have to try

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Have you heard of escape rooms? In recent years escape games have boomed in Spain, and there are now hundreds of them all over the country. These live escape games involve locking a group of people in a room, where they have to solve a series of challenges and puzzles to get out before time runs out (usually 60 minutes). The themes of these rooms are more and more varied, and each one is set in a completely different world. You'll never find two rooms alike!

Luckily, Spain already has a few escape rooms inspired by books, and today we're bringing you a selection of them. Fancy giving them a go?

Statue of Don Quixote outside the Cervantes House Museum in Alcalá de Henares

01 · ESCAPE ROOM

El Misterio del Quijote (The Mystery of Don Quixote)

In 1605 Miguel de Cervantes wrote the first part of his famous Don Quixote, and yet a great mystery about its first edition remains unsolved: the riddle of Chapter 43. According to some historians, the manuscript of that first edition jumped from chapter 42 to chapter 44. What happened to chapter 43? Why did it disappear? What was hidden in its pages? Even today, more than 400 years later, the answers remain unknown, although that may be about to change.

Evidence has been found that chapter 43 could be in the Cervantes House Museum in Alcalá de Henares and, what's more, that this information may have fallen into the wrong hands. Your mission is to slip into the house museum disguised as tourists and get hold of the manuscript before the guide notices you're missing or, worse still, before someone more dangerous beats you to it. Hurry, you only have 60 minutes!

Book: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes
Where: The Rombo Code (Madrid, Seville, A Coruña and Jaca)
Players: 2-6 players. Rombate mode available (2 rooms, 7 to 12 players)
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 60 minutes

02 · ESCAPE ROOM

La biblioteca mágica (The Magic Library)

Fans of the Harry Potter series can't miss this literary escape room inspired by J.K. Rowling's magical world. In this magical adventure, the Jouars School of Magic is moving somewhere new, but with so many teleportation spells flying about, lots of objects have gone missing. One of them is the famous Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in existence. The school's Dean has also vanished without a trace and, to top it all, some very strange things are happening in the library. In this escape room full of magic you'll come across wizards, witches, potions and spellbooks that will give you more than a few headaches. A great magical challenge that can be adapted to different levels. And not suitable for Muggles!

Book: Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
Where: El Cubo Escape Room (Madrid)
Players: 2-12 players
Difficulty: Adaptable
Duration: 60 minutes

Model of Hogwarts at the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London

03 · ESCAPE ROOM

El Estudio de Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes's Study)

The famous detective Sherlock Holmes has gone off to London to solve an urgent case, but he's left a document that's vital to the investigation in his office! Your task as a team of detectives is to get into Holmes's study and find the secret file. However, the detective has installed a security alarm that goes off 60 minutes after it's activated. Can you crack the puzzles and find the document before time runs out? It's time to unleash the sharp detective inside you!

Book: Sherlock Holmes stories, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Where: Experimenta El Reto (Seville)
Players: 2-6 players
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 60 minutes

04 · ESCAPE ROOM

Wonderland

Have you always wanted to travel to Wonderland? You might regret that wish when the Cheshire Cat lures you into the strange world created by Lewis Carroll and you discover he's left you trapped inside with your teammates. Will you make it home? Did you think Wonderland was just a children's story? Get ready to discover a magical world with a touch of madness, where you'll have to use all five senses to escape and get back to your own world. (This room can be adapted for groups of children.)

Book: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
Where: The Room Escape (Valencia)
Players: 2-6 players
Difficulty: High
Duration: 60 minutes

05 · ESCAPE ROOM

Asalto al Nautilus (Assault on the Nautilus)

Have you ever dreamed of going aboard the most famous submarine in the world, the Nautilus? In this escape room inspired by Jules Verne's novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, you'll travel back in time to the Second World War and have to flee the Japanese Empire in the most famous submarine in literature. But Captain Nemo and his crew have vanished, and you don't know how to get inside the Nautilus. You'll have to get past every security measure and work out how to start the submarine before the Empire reaches you and seizes control of the Nautilus and its secrets. Time is running out!

Book: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne
Where: Yurmuvi (Oviedo – Asturias)
Players: 2-6 players
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 60 minutes

06 · ESCAPE ROOM

El Misterio de Miguel de Cervantes (The Mystery of Miguel de Cervantes)

La Mancha always has been and always will be the land of Don Quixote, so this region simply had to have an escape room devoted to his creator, Miguel de Cervantes. The writer has always been surrounded by many unknowns but, it seems, in the town of Alcázar de San Juan, where he sometimes stayed, clues have been found that may help unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his life and death. Dare you set off on a journey towards the truth? Will you be able to uncover the writer's secrets?

Book: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes
Where: Escape Alcázar (Alcázar de San Juan – Ciudad Real)
Players: 2-5 players
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 60 minutes

07 · ESCAPE ROOM

La fuga de Drácula (Dracula's Escape)

The evil Count Dracula has left his castle in Transylvania and is spreading his reign of terror across Europe. Meanwhile Doctor Van Helsing, one of his fiercest enemies, has decided to take advantage of the Count's empty castle and has asked for your help on a very special mission. But watch out! It seems Dracula has found out about your visit and is heading back to the castle. You'll need to hurry and complete your mission before he arrives, because if you don't…

Book: Dracula, by Bram Stoker
Where: Yurmuvi (Gijón – Asturias)
Players: 2-6 players
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 60 minutes

So, are you up for it?

Pick a room and put your favourite book against the clock

What do you think of these literary escape rooms? Have you tried any of them? If you're passionate about literature and you also love escape games, this is without doubt one of those experiences you should try at least once. If you've never done an escape room, what better theme than a literary one to get you started? If you know of other escape rooms inspired by books that you think deserve a place on this list, tell us in the comments! We'll look into them and add them to the post.

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