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Tourists with a taste for the gruesome will 

love our top Halloween excursions:

Everybody loves a spooky story – but how close are your clients willing to get to the center of a spine-chilling tale? Read on to discover 13 destinations famous for their frights, as well as the hotels we’d recommend your clients spend the night…if they can sleep, that is.

Spooky stories from EUROPE

Witchcraft, potions and cathedrals, oh my! Get introduced to York in the most spellbinding way possible with your very own witch guide. Traverse the cobbled streets of the Shambles, Low Petergate and High Petergate and lend an ear to the terrible tales of York’s witches; discover the imposing York Minster and the wicked history of medieval Stonegate. You can even opt to brew up your own (non-alcoholic) potion in a unique lesson in all things alchemy. Toil and trouble, let your imagination bubble!

13 Spook-tacularly Scary Destinations 

wE’Re dYiNg tO sHArE

Apparitions in Asia. UFOs in Europe. An all-American murder.

KNOWN FOR: Murder Mysteries; Royal Revenants

Gloomy. Grey. Teeming with grizzly tales. London surely is the place to be if you’re seeking thrills this Halloween! 

Saunter around Spitalfields in search of the Ten Bells Pub: formally known as ‘The Jack the Ripper’, this East End tavern is said to have been haunted by the ghost of Annie Champman, one of the Ripper’s identified victims. The bar’s guests claim to have witnessed unexplainable incidents such as tables and chairs flying across the room; meanwhile, members of staff say that the spirit of the old landlord stops by from time to time. To delve deeper into the Ripper’s gruesome history, try one of our walking tours.
 
For a royally good fright, head to the Tower of London – said to be haunted by sovereign spirits such as Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, and a headless Anne Boleyn.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: The Langham London 

KNOWN FOR: Horror Movie Inspiration

Hands up if you’ve seen the movie ‘The Ring’? Keep them up if you’ve seen the Japanese original…and hold them there if you know the legend of banshu sarayashiki, the inspiration behind this horror classic.
 
The story tells of Okiku, a servant at Himeji Castle who was falsely accused of stealing treasured plates promised as heirlooms to the next lord of the castle. As punishment, Okiku was tortured and pushed down a well, where some say they can still hear her counting dishes to this day. However, Okiku isn’t the castle’s only ghost: Sakurai Genbai, a master carpenter dissatisfied with the quality of his work in the castle’s keep, is said to have committed suicide there; meanwhile, the yokai Osakabehime – apparently no fan of the living – can be seen from a distance, drifting around the castle in her ceremonial kimono.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Hotel Nikko Himeji

KNOWN FOR: Catacombs

The City of Light has a dark side: around 65 feet underground lie Les Catacombes, an 1864-mile stretch of tunnels containing the remains of six million Parisians. 

Built to solve the issue of overflowing cemeteries during the era of Revolutionary Terror, the ossuary became the site of one man’s fateful end: after Philibert Aspairt entered the catacombs after dark by mistake, he became lost in the maze. His body was discovered 11 years later, though some say his soul still haunts the labyrinth.  

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Hotel Lutetia

Spooky stories from the AMERICAS  

KNOWN FOR: Vampires

Don’t believe that vampires exist? Think again. As one of America’s most haunted cities, New Orleans has inspired the creation of some iconic pieces of media (including Interview With A Vampire), but reality can sometimes be stranger than fiction. 

New Orleans is home to a community of real-life vampires who feast on actual blood – drawn consensually, of course, from willing participants via the use of single-use syringes or sterile blades. Say hi if you’re ever in town, but keep your wits about you!

RECOMMENDED HAUNT:  Bourbon Orleans Hotel

KNOWN FOR: Witches; Murder Mysteries

On the north coast of Massachusetts lies the city of Salem, infamous for the witch trials of 1692. Owing to a belief that women are inherently sinful and susceptible to damnation, an overwhelming majority of those accused of crimes such as ‘practicing the devil’s magic’ were female (73%), and of the 200+ people prosecuted, nineteen were put to death.

Less than two hours away in Fall River, the Lizzie Borden house operates as a bed and breakfast/tourist attraction on the site of a grizzly double-murder, in which Borden’s father and stepmother were brutally slain. While Lizzie was initially accused, she was later acquitted – leaving the crime unsolved, and the details of that fateful night open to speculation.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston

KNOWN FOR: Ghosts

Savannah, Georgia is a city revered for its coastal landscapes, tree-lined streets, and stunning architecture – but it’s also very, very haunted. The Moon River Brewing Company (previously the old City Hotel) is said to be frequented by the ghost of James Stark, a notorious gambler shot dead by a barfly sick of his drunken antics, and ‘Toby’, known for pushing revelers over at the bar.

Down the road, the beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery is the final resting place for musician Johnny Mercer and actress Edythe Chapman, but is also said to be where the spirit of six-year-old Gracie Watson roams peacefully.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Eliza Thompson House, Historic Inns of Savannah Collection

KNOWN FOR: Exorcisms…And Dolls?

Religion is a big deal in Mexico – and in recent years, Santa Muerte has gained quite a few fans. The patron saint of outcasts is the personification of death: a skeleton said to provide safe delivery of her devotees to the afterlife, she has also become linked to modern-day exorcisms carried out in the country’s capital. The cult of ‘Saint Death’ is thought to have around eight million followers, including pastors who claim to be capable of ridding the possessed of their demons.
 
Just 28km south of the city center, La Isla de las Muñecas is far from being an island paradise: visitors will encounter hundreds of dolls hung from trees by the isle’s former owner, Don Julián Santana Barrera. He had hoped to ward off the spirit of a young girl who had drowned in a canal, though it is said that Barrera later died in the same spot…perhaps at the hands of the spirit herself.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Hotel Isabel

KNOWN FOR: Paranormal Activity

Ah, Los Angeles: the land of glitz, glamour, and…ghosts?
 
The City of Angels (and demons, it would seem) is a popular stomping ground for the glamourous elite…including those who are no longer of this earth. Take the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, for example: once the residence of Marilyn Monroe, some claim to have spotted the starlet’s reflection in a mirror. Over on Long Beach, the Queen Mary ship (now a hotel) is said to be one of the most haunted spots in America – spend the night, and you might just encounter specters of high-society.
 
While not necessarily haunted, Hollywood Forever (previously known as Hollywood Memorial Park) is a popular spot for tourist groups wishing to pay their final respects to icons of the entertainment industry, including Burt Reynolds, Johnny Ramone and Judy Garland.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Hollywood Roosevelt

KNOWN FOR: Poltergeists

What’s worse than death? Being sentenced to life imprisonment at Port Arthur’s Separate Prison, apparently.
 
Until the 1800s, Port Arthur housed a number of Britain’s toughest criminals. Conditions at the prison were so bleak that inmates would do anything they could to avoid solitary confinement in this ‘hell on earth’ – even murdering their fellow prisoners in the hopes of being executed, if that’s what it took. The harshness of life at the Separate Prison (now a museum) meant that inmates would often fall ill before eventually succumbing to their sickness; others would go mad, forbidden from ever seeing another human face. Nightly tours take place at Port Arthur, during which guests have reported swinging lights, foul scents and even an encounter with a ghost awaiting execution.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Fox and Hounds Inn

Spooky stories from ASIA and PACIFIC

KNOWN FOR: Spirits

A major landmark and a symbol of China’s imperial dynasty, Beijing’s imposing Forbidden City is frequented by some 15 million visitors per year…and is also the apparent residence of several spirits.
 
Wandering the grounds is said to be an unsettling affair: of the areas where tourists are permitted to go, there have been alleged sightings of a wailing woman in white, a phantom flutist, and even ghost dogs. Watch your ankles if you ever pass through!

RECOMMENDED HAUNT:  Beijing Landmark Hotel

KNOWN FOR: An Evil Curse

Located between Jaipur and Delhi, the 17th-century ruins of Bhangarh Fort may be beautiful…but they are also cursed.
 
Legend has it that a wizard, rejected in romance, cast a spell upon the palace where the object of his affections had lived. Bitter after being scorned, the wizard condemned all inhabitants of the fort city to death, crushing himself with a boulder in the process. So spooky is Bhangarh Fort that it is ranked the most haunted place in India and, while it is possible to visit the site, tourists are not permitted to enter before sunrise or after sunset – rumor has it that those who do, will be lost to the ruins forever.

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Rajasthan Palace Hotel

KNOWN FOR: Spirits

Synonymous with one of the most famous horror stories of all time, Transylvania’s Bran Castle is perhaps better known as the residence of Dracula, the fearsome (and, thankfully, fictitious) character from Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece. While the book may have put Bran Castle on the map, it is said that the centuries-old property is haunted, making it popular with paranormal enthusiasts: 800,000+ tourists per year are spooked senseless within its walls.
 
For a quieter (and altogether more eerie) experience, Hoia Forest is said to be the site of some highly unusual phenomena, ranging from ghost sightings through to alien encounters – visit if you dare. 

RECOMMENDED HAUNT:  Conacul Ambient Cristian, Braşov

KNOWN FOR: Creepy Castles

Scotland’s capital is what gothic dreams are made of. With its dramatic landscapes, medieval architecture, and gruesome history, it’s easy to understand how Edinburgh could inspire the darker side of one’s imagination – but how many of the city’s scary stories do you think could be true? 

Among the most unsettling tales are those told of Edinburgh Castle’s ghastly inhabitants, such as a phantom piper, a headless drummer and the ‘Grey Lady’: thought to be 16th-century noblewoman Janet Douglas, the ‘Grey Lady’ can be seen wandering the castle, sometimes in tears – probably because she was burnt at the stake while her young son was forced to watch on.
 
Join a Ghost Bus Tour around Edinburgh’s spookiest spots to take in as many chilling tales as possible!  

RECOMMENDED HAUNT: Dalhousie Castle Hotel & Spa

rEad On iF yOu dARe!