QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

An escape room is a game where you and your team are locked in a room. Your goal? Escape as quickly as possible by solving puzzles. You usually have 60 minutes to escape. The puzzles in the rooms are very diverse, ranging from real brainteasers to practical tasks. By combining the different skills of your team members, you’ll progress further and further in the story. The room is designed in such a way that you feel like you’re in another world. In this sense, the term “escape room” can be misleading. An escape room often consists of multiple rooms, which you discover as the game progresses. You’re the main character in an adventure set in another world, with just one goal: escape within the given time.

People of almost all ages can participate in an escape room at De Gouden Kooi, including children. We've hosted many groups with younger participants. Based on these experiences, we offer the following advice regarding the age of players:

• Children from 8 years old can easily play the game. This age is not an absolute minimum: if you wish to come with your family, with children aged 7 and 9, the 7-year-old will also have a great time.

• Children under 12 years old are preferably accompanied by at least one adult.

• Children from 12 years old can play the game without adults.

   

In any case, we monitor the game remotely and can assist the children with tips and hints when necessary.

Our escape walk experience is suitable for all ages. Families, team buildings, friend groups... The activity is accessible and fun. For teams younger than 14 years old, at least one adult supervisor is required.

An escape experience is ‘the next level’ compared to a normal escape game. An escape experience is perfectly playable by everyone, but also those who expect a little more from an escape room will certainly get their money’s worth. An escape experience is not more difficult than an escape game. An escape experience takes place in a larger space and gives you more time to escape. There is a thorough focus on the story, the finish of the decor and the special effects. The experience and immersion is key. In addition, our escape experiences take place in a different location than the escape rooms. You can find De Gouden Kooi on two locations in the centre of Mechelen: our 4 Escape games are located at Gerechtstraat 10 (street behind the justice building). The address for our Escape experiences is Haverwerf 7 (square across from Vismarkt).

Want to know more? We have neatly listed all the differences in our blog.

If you play one of our escape games, you get 60 minutes to escape the room. If you play an escape experience, you get 70 minutes. We like to give you an introduction at the start and get you excited about the story of the room you’ll be playing. So, expect to spend about 1.5 hours with us.

We strive to make the various riddles and puzzles language independent. In the unlikely event that language still plays a role, for our Escape games, we ensure that both Dutch, French and English people can play the escape game perfectly. For our Escape experiences, Dutch and English language is ensured. Basic knowledge of these languages is sufficient to be able to play the game.

The escape walk is available in Dutch. If one team member speaks Dutch, the walk can also be done by non-Dutch-speaking groups.

No. All of our rooms are absolutely unique. The stories and puzzles are all original and carefully designed by the team of De Gouden Kooi.

No. Any room that you book is reserved for your team alone. No other people are added to the room if your team does not reach the maximum capacity.

You can play our escape games and escape experiences every day of the week and every day of the year. So we are open 365 days a year.

Our escape walk experience can be booked during the weekend, on public holidays and vacation days. We close the walk just after the autumn break and will be open again from the spring break.

The easiest way to know when the escape games or experiences are still available is to consult our online booking system. There you can see when adventures are still available and book directly if you want.

Is there a day or time when we have not opened a time slot for our escape walk and you would still like to come? Please contact us for more information. We are happy to add times for you. We open when at least 3 consecutive walks are booked.

We kindly ask you to be present at the exact time of your booking (check your booking details). There's no need to arrive earlier.

For playing an escape room, all you need is your common sense. We provide everything else. If needed, you can borrow a pair of reading glasses from us.

For the escape walk, we aim to offer lifelike experiences and try to avoid digital tools as much as possible. No VR, AR, Facebook pages to scour, or Wikipedia to browse... Instead, you’ll enjoy a fun walk through Mechelen, using both your brain and your hands. Any tips you might need during the walk will be provided digitally. Therefore, you will need a device that can access the internet and read QR codes (most smartphones can do this easily through the camera without needing an extra app). In other words, don’t forget your smartphone (one for the whole team is enough).

Each escape room and the walk can be played with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people.

The maximum is 6 players and we prefer not to deviate from that. We want the quality of your experience to be tip top throughout the entire game.
The puzzles were specifically developed for a maximum of 6 people. With more people, a bit of the experience is lost and not everyone always has something to do, which is simply not so much fun. 

Of course you can play our escape rooms in multiple teams. You can book 2 or more escape rooms at the same time and then receive a joint explanation for the game. This way you can make it a competition: "Which team has the best time?". Fun guaranteed!

You are expected at the booked start time at our location on Haverwerf (near Lamot, opposite the Vismarkt).

Your dog can certainly come along, but cannot enter our police station for the start and the end of the walk. The dog must wait outside. It would be a pity if 1 walker stayed with the dog and missed the start and finish as these really are an essential part of the whole experience. But if you really like taking your dog on a walk, we can’t stop you, can we?

Your safety and the safety of our employees comes first. Different initiatives were taken to guarantee your safety. These are the most important ones:

• A fire detection system is in place in the building and in the escape rooms.

• There is an emergency button in every escape room to be able to leave the room at any given time.

• Fire extinguishers are placed in the building.

• Emerceny lighting is installed.

• All electric locks will open if there’s any sign of emergency.

• The local firebrigade did check our premesis.

   

These measures (and others) guarantee your safety so you can safely play an escape room at De Gouden Kooi.

No, the game is suitable for everyone. Both young and old can participate in one of our escape rooms. Physical effort is not required. The puzzles are designed to exercise your brain, not your muscles. Depending on the escape room, you might occasionally need to crawl or climb a staircase.

The escape rooms are generally not wheelchair accessible. However, we have hosted players in wheelchairs before. Since everyone's mobility is different, we recommend getting in touch with us so we can discuss which escape room is best suited to your needs.

Not sure if a particular escape room is suitable for you? For example, if you suffer from claustrophobia, have back issues, or are heavily pregnant, please contact us in advance for personalized advice.

During our escape walk experience, you'll walk from puzzle to puzzle through the center of Mechelen. The puzzle locations are all accessible for wheelchair users, but not all puzzles can be solved exclusively by wheelchair users. Some puzzles require physical skills that a wheelchair user might not have. Therefore, a team with wheelchair users must consist of at least two mobile persons.

You can book an escape game online by using our online booking system. Please do not hesitate to send us an email or give us a call at (+32)015/67.68.67 if you don’t succeed.

Yes, it’s definitely possible. A gift card for an escape room is the perfect gift for a birthday or any other special occasion. You can easily order the gift card online and personalize it. You can add a fun message, for example, for a birthday or a bachelor party. On this page, you’ll find more information and be able to order a voucher for your special occasion.

Yes, that’s definitely possible. Unfortunately, our booking system cannot automatically process this voucher.

Here’s how you can redeem a Mechelenbon.
Here’s how you can redeem a BEFEB escape room voucher.

You can find the rates for our escape rooms or walk on the detailed page of each escape room or walk.
For the prices of our B2B offerings, you can click here.

Yes. Because the walk starts and ends with an immersion in the story, advance booking is mandatory. Be sure to check out our online booking calendar. There may still be spots available today.

Borrow an umbrella at our place and go for it! In case of last-minute cancellations, there is no refund. Our regular sales conditions apply.