5 Mind-Expanding Activities In Prague

For those who thrive under pressure, then Mind Maze will surely get your heart pumping. You have an hour to find your way out of one of their locked rooms. All the tools you need for escaping are within your mental reach. But finding the right combination is easier said than done. The rooms, outfitted to look like an alchemist’s chamber or the enemy’s secret lair, are filled with a bunch of stuff, and it’s up to you to determine which will help you break free and which are meant to lead you in circles. The solution involves connecting the dots, deciphering codes and solving puzzles. Nothing is as it seems. Useless-looking items might just hold the key to your freedom. The clock is ticking. Games are 1,200 CZK for two to five players. www.mindmaze.cz

Contrary to what its name might imply, the Puzzle Room has little to do with jigsaw pieces. Rather it’s another escape game where players are shut in a room designed to look like, for example, Rabbi Loew’s secret study, and given 60 minutes to get out before Golem, the 16th-century rabbi’s mysterious clay creation, shows up. However, a six-pack (and we aren’t referring to beer) won’t do you much good here. The clues hidden in Loew’s study – riddles, locked boxes, peculiar sounds and misleading objects – will take brain power to decode. If you prefer to be locked in a different time period, the staff can arrange that, too. Their only warning: Get ready for a wild ride! Games start at 1,000 CZK for two players. www.puzzleroom.cz

At Czech Trap, organizers promise not just a game, but an experience. You can be a hero and change history! Who wouldn’t jump at such an opportunity? The premise is simple: It’s the 1970s again, and you’re in Czechoslovakia, where neighbor turns against neighbor, and any hint of resistance against the communist regime could get you arrested. A print shop director has been outed as a member of the resistance movement, and you and your team have been tasked with finding incriminating material in his office before the secret police arrive to search the premises. You have just an hour to find keys, solves puzzles, look for connections and uncover hidden rooms before the clock runs out. Games are 1,000 CZK for three to six players. www.czech-trap.com

After finding success in Budapest and Berlin, Trap brought its escape game recipe to Prague at the beginning of last year and quickly became a hit with locals and tourists alike. The company now has two locations in the city to meet the growing demand. Lukács Tóth of Trap explained that being a larger company has advantages. They already have many thoroughly tested games, although some themes are unique for each location. He says that Trap will continue developing and and opening new games as long as escape games are still popular, a trend that is just getting started. Teams can choose between the Tomb Room, the Secret Agent’s Office or the Boom Room and have an hour to work through clues and find their way out. Games start at 1,000 CZK for two players. trapprague.com

Cryptex also opened in early 2014. While they also offer a “defuse the bomb” theme, you can also choose the “lost treasure” game, where you have to to locate a misplaced stash of booty. The rooms have an authentic look, making you feel as if you’re really inside an adventure story. According to Viliam Görföl, Cryptex’s aim is to be the most difficult escape game in Prague. Only about 10 percent of teams manage to solve the puzzle within an hour. Escapees can request help via walkie talkie, and you’re likely to need it. Görföl is confident that escape games will continue to increase in popularity as more people become aware of them. Games are 1,200 CZK for two to five players. cryptex.cz