Beyond the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds are the ruins of the abbey, creating a stunning visual of ruins and flowers with a cathedral in the distance. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
It can be intimidating to visit a city for the first time. It’s easy to search for “how to see a city in three hours” guides, only to end up overwhelmed by the sheer number of attractions, landmarks and experiences competing for your attention.
One of the most unique ways I’ve found to explore a new destination is through an app called Questo.
Questo is a mobile app that combines historical fiction with self-guided walking tours, placing players into pivotal moments in a city’s history. Along the way, you solve riddles, complete missions and uncover secrets using real-world landmarks as your clues.
With quests available in more than 1,000 cities across six continents, each adventure features its own storyline and route to follow.
The game is best played with one to four people, making it perfect for couples, families or friends traveling together. Players can choose between a relaxed adventure mode or a timed, escape room-style challenge.
For our visit to Bury St Edmunds, the quest cast us as commoners living under the strict rule of the Benedictine Abbey during the 14th century. Our mission was to rally support, collect written demands and help spark the uprising that would become the Great Riot of 1327.
Our adventure began outside St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, where our first challenge was to locate a memorial tablet listing members of a family buried in an underground vault. After finding it, we added together the ages of everyone listed and entered the total into the app.
With the puzzle solved, we took some time to admire the cathedral itself, including the stained glass depicting the Last Judgment, the impressive organ, the bishop’s throne and especially the vaulted ceiling beneath the 150-foot Millennium Tower.
From there, our journey took us through the heart of Bury St Edmunds.
No two challenges felt the same, although many revolved around closely observing a landmark and drawing conclusions from what we found. Answers ranged from key words and numbers to multiple-choice selections.
Some puzzles required us to collect letters from our surroundings. In one challenge, we matched city names on a large sign to gather the letters needed to spell the word “riot.”
Others had us searching for important dates, whether the year a building was constructed or the year of the birth or death of a notable figure. Thankfully, the clues were always specific enough that we never felt lost or unsure of what we were looking for.
My favorite challenges were the ones that encouraged observation and deduction rather than simple fact-finding.
One puzzle asked us to examine a decorative crest outside a building and determine its original purpose. There wasn’t a sign explaining the answer, but after noticing theatrical masks and musical instruments in the design, we correctly concluded it had once been a theater.
Bury St Edmunds Market Cross used to be a theater from 1734 until 1818, when it became a town hall. In 1972 it was turned into an art gallery. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Often referred to as the Boer War Memorial, the Suffolk Regiment South African War Memorial was unveiled in 1904 to honor the 193 men who died during the war. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Another memorable challenge involved figuring out how St. Edmund had died based solely on the imagery displayed on the Guildhall crest.
We were stumped until a passerby overheard our conversation and casually mentioned that St. Edmund was martyred by arrows. Looking back at the crest, the symbolism suddenly became obvious, and it became one of our favorite moments of the day.
By this point, we were ready for a short break, so we stopped in Market Square for a pair of piña coladas at Edmundo Lounge before setting off again.
Piña coladas are among the menu offerings at Edmundo's Lounge in Bury St Edmunds along the Questo journey route. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Our final stretch took us into the beautiful Abbey Gardens.
One of the last puzzles asked us to identify an animal featured in a statue of a book. This time, the answer was a wolf, believed to have guarded the severed head of the king.
Walking deeper into the gardens, we were greeted by rows of vibrant flowers framed by the towering cathedral in the background. It was easily the most picturesque part of the entire route.
The final challenge brought us into the ruins of the old abbey. Using a scale model nearby, we had to identify which section of the abbey we were standing in.
By comparing the model with the ruins around us, we worked out that we were standing in what had once been the dormitory.
Just outside of the Grounds Café inside the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds is the Legend of St Edmund Book carved from oak by Den Humphrey. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Standing at 150 feet tall, the St Edmundsbury Cathedral Millennium Tower's vaulted copper ceiling was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' Spirit of Ingenuity Heritage Award for Pure Conservation of an Historic Building in 2010. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Next to St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds is the Norman Tower, with gargoyle and serpent details adorning its main facade. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
We completed the entire quest in just under an hour, placing us 90th worldwide.
Questo proved to be a fun and engaging way to experience a new city beyond the usual walking tours or guidebooks. The puzzles kept us actively involved and the historical facts revealed after each challenge helped bring the city’s past to life. Before we knew it, we’d covered more than 2 kilometers.
One feature I’d love to see improved is the ability to revisit completed quests. While the app provides a summary once you finish, there’s currently no way to access the information cards afterward if you close them. If you plan to write about your experience or simply want to remember what you’ve learned, it’s worth taking screenshots of the story and recaps as you go.
I’d happily recommend Questo to anyone looking for a different way to discover a new destination.
The concept is simple, but it transforms sightseeing into something far more interactive. Instead of passively reading plaques or following a guide, you’re constantly observing, thinking and connecting the city’s history with the places right in front of you, making the experience far more memorable. On the QT
Address: Bury St Edmunds (starting point: St Edmundsbury Cathedral/Angel Hill)
Hours: Any (midday recommended)
Cost: 5 pounds
Information: Online: questoapp.com
