Welcome to the Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026
Join Mark for a virtual treasure hunt across Europe, following the clues left for him by the Coffee Break team.
Thousands of learners took part in 2024 and 2025, and this year we are off on a new adventure. Over the course of a week you will meet four mystery cities, pick up some fascinating detail about each one, and practise your language at the same time.
It is a hunt for French, Italian, German and Spanish learners, and it is completely free. Solve all four and you could win.
How it works
- 1
Watch a clue
A new clue appears on this page at 1pm UK on each release day, in all four languages. Pick the language you are learning and watch. Each clue is a short poem that describes a European city without ever naming it.
- 2
Work out the city
Every clue points to one city. Some lines give themselves up straight away, others take a bit of digging. Write your answer down and come back for the next one.
- 3
Send us your four
The entry form opens here on Sunday 30 August with the final clue, and closes at 11:59pm UK on Monday 31 August. Name all four cities correctly and you win a free month of Coffee Break TV.
What you can win
Name all four cities correctly and you get a free month on Coffee Break TV, our on-demand video platform, in the language of your choice.
Everyone who gets all four right also goes into a prize draw. We pull one name out of the hat for each language, and that winner takes the complete collection of Coffee Break courses in their language.
Get the bonus clue
With every city we send subscribers an extra clue by email: roughly how far it is from the last one, and in which direction. It is not in the videos and it is not in the podcasts. It is only in the emails.
Sign-up form to be added.
The clues
Clue 1
Arrives Monday 24 August, 1pm UK
Clue 2
Arrives Wednesday 26 August, 1pm UK
Clue 3
Arrives Friday 28 August, 1pm UK
Clue 4
Arrives Sunday 30 August, 1pm UK
Questions
What is the Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt?
It is a free annual adventure from Coffee Break Languages. Mark follows a trail of clues across Europe, and you follow it with him. Four clues, four mystery cities, one week. Your job is to work out where each clue is pointing.
Who can take part?
Everyone. You do not need to be a Coffee Break customer, and you do not need to go anywhere. The whole thing happens on this page and on our podcast feeds and YouTube channels.
How do I take part?
Watch or listen to each clue as it appears, on Monday 24 August, Wednesday 26 August, Friday 28 August and Sunday 30 August, all at 1pm UK. Work out the city each clue describes and note it down. When the form opens on Sunday 30 August, send us all four.
Are the clues the same in each language?
The four mystery cities are the same in all four languages, but each clue is written natively rather than translated, so it rhymes and reads properly in that language. That means the imagery can differ between languages even though the answer does not. If you are learning more than one, watching two versions is not cheating, and it might even help.
Is there a version for other languages?
This year the hunt runs in French, Italian, German and Spanish only. We may add others in future years.
What level of language do I need?
The clues sit at around intermediate level, but do not let that put you off. Each episode gives you plenty of support, and the cities themselves are all places you are likely to have heard of.
Is there a bonus clue?
Yes. If you sign up for the Treasure Hunt emails, we send you an extra clue with each city: roughly how far it is from the last one, and in which direction. It is not in the videos or the podcasts, only in the emails.
How do I submit my entry?
The entry form appears on this page when the fourth clue lands on Sunday 30 August, and not before. You then have until 11:59pm UK on Monday 31 August to send it. One entry each, please.
Is there a cost?
None. All we ask for is your curiosity.
Can I do it with friends, or with my class?
Please do. Solving the clues together is half the fun. Entries and prizes are individual, though, so everyone taking part needs to submit their own form.
When are the cities revealed?
Mark reveals all four cities, and the hidden spot the final clue points to, in a video on this page on Tuesday 1 September at 1pm UK. A second video on Wednesday 2 September goes through every clue line by line and explains how each one worked.
I'm a teacher doing this with my class. Do I qualify for the free month?
Yes. Tick the teacher box on the entry form. We would love to hear how you use the free month with your students.
Terms and conditions
1. Eligibility and entry
1.1. To take part in The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026 ("the Competition"), participants must complete and submit the official entry form, giving their name, the language they are learning, their email address, and their guesses for all four mystery locations.
1.2. Each participant may submit only one entry.
2. Submission deadline
2.1. All entries must be received by 11:59pm UK / 6:59pm Eastern on Monday 31 August 2026. Entries submitted after this time will not be eligible.
3. Entry requirements
3.1. To qualify, entries must give the correct names of the four specific cities. A country name on its own, without the city, will be marked as incorrect. Entries should be written in English, and only the city should be given.
4. Prize and redemption
4.1. Participants who correctly identify all four locations ("Successful Participants") and who are not existing members of Coffee Break TV will be awarded a free month's subscription to Coffee Break TV, giving unlimited access to its library of video content in French, German, Spanish or Italian. Participants indicate their preferred language on the entry form.
4.2. Successful Participants who are already members of Coffee Break TV will qualify for a $25 / £20 voucher which can be redeemed against courses in the Coffee Break Academy.
4.3. Participants will be notified by email at the address given on their entry form, and will receive instructions on how to redeem their prize.
4.4. To redeem the prize, Successful Participants must create an account on Coffee Break TV.
4.5. The prize is non-transferable, non-exchangeable, and has no cash value.
5. Subscription details
5.1. New subscribers redeeming the free month may be asked for payment card details on redemption. No charge is incurred, provided the coupon code instructions are followed.
5.2. After the free month, subscriptions renew automatically at USD $24.99 (or local equivalent) per month. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. To make sure no payment is taken after the free month, the subscription must be cancelled.
6. Prize draw
6.1. Successful Participants are automatically entered into a prize draw for the chance to win all current courses available in their chosen language from the Coffee Break Academy.
6.2. There will be four winners in total. Successful Participants are grouped by the language given on their entry, and one winner is drawn at random from each language group (French, German, Italian, Spanish).
6.3. Winners will be announced by email and in the reveal video published on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
6.4. Winners must respond to the notification email within 7 days. Unclaimed prizes may be reallocated or withheld at our discretion.
6.5. The prize draw prize includes all current courses available on the Coffee Break Academy in the chosen language, excluding future publications and certain cohort-based courses. It also includes lifetime membership of Coffee Break TV for that language.
6.6. The courses excluded are: any course not yet published, the Coffee Break French Masterclass, the Coffee Break Spanish Masterclass, the Coffee Break Italian Masterclass, and Guided Learning: La penúltima voluntad.
7. Disqualification
7.1. We reserve the right to disqualify any entrant or withdraw any prize if the entrant is found to engage in unsafe, illegal, inappropriate or unsociable behaviour.
8. Additional terms
8.1. Courses will be added to winners' accounts within seven days of the draw.
8.2. The decision of Coffee Break Languages is final and binding in all matters relating to the Competition.