Escape the room games were an online hit long before they became real physical games and spread across the world. If you haven’t yet done an Escape Room, the idea is simple, you are locked in a room and have an hour to solve various puzzles that will lead to clues to help you escape. Generally the rooms have different themes and they are hugely fun way to spend an hour with friends or work colleagues.
It took a few years, but now Escape Games are incredibly popular in Israel as well and new ones seem to be opening on a regular basis. During your gap year in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem you will have plenty of opportunity to do a few of them. A quick search on Google will help you find loads of them and they are a great way to get to know your roommates and challenge yourself while having loads of fun.
Perhaps the best place to start is Escape City in Tel Aviv. They have 10 fun escape rooms that are built on a great range of themes so you are sure to find something you enjoy. At the time of writing they were offering rooms based upon Greek mythology, the Ancient Egyptians, horror films, television shows and films, and much more. As an added bonus, Escape City is also home to Karaoke Rooms and Gaming Rooms. In the Karaoke Rooms you and your friends can put on the show of a life time and feel like true rock stars while in the Gaming Rooms you can watch a range of sports events, or have a huge PlayStation tournament with all your flatmates.
Those of you in Jerusalem won’t have such a large Escape City on your doorstep. However, there are a few rooms there, such as one simply called Escape Room, and they are excellent. Escape Room is particularly good if you are new to the concepts. It is very much like the original online games with a series of logic puzzles to solve that aren’t too difficult, but are sure to have you scratching your head from time to time.
Another company in Jerusalem has taken the concept and applied it to the entire city! Secret Room Jerusalem has a ‘Smart Quest’. You download a special app to your mobile phone and then it takes you on a trip through the centre of Jerusalem during which you’ll have to solve a number of riddles to find the next location. At the same time it will give you loads of interesting facts. If you are looking for a fun way to get to know the city, then this is certainly worth a try.
The last three or four years have seen the popularity of Escape Rooms explode across the world. They are a fantastic team building exercise and really enjoyable. If you haven’t yet done one, taking the time to do one of Israel’s many escape rooms with your gap year flatmates is sure to be an experience you’ll never forget.
