Not sure how to spend the scariest night of the year? Forget the usual trick-or-treating and discover Halloween experiences that will give you goosebumps.
Whether you’re at home or on vacation, the night of October 31 is not something to be taken lightly. For centuries it’s been celebrated as a time when the dead walk among the living. Discover the dark side of the city you’re in, explore the world of ghosts and ghouls and immerse yourself in some seriously spooky surrounds. If you think Halloween is for kids in oversized superman costumes and trick-or-treating, we have experiences that will make you think again.
Read on to discover 8 things to do this Halloween that’ll make your skin crawl.
1. Get chills at an amusement park
Amusement parks are ideal for celebrating Halloween with the whole family and getting your fill of thrills. Here are some of our favorites:
- USA: Universal Orlando Resort in Florida hosts the “Halloween Horror Nights” from the end of August to 3 November, bringing 10 haunted houses to the park, including the terrifying Haunted House dedicated to A Quiet Place. If, on the other hand, you prefer an atmosphere suitable even for the very little ones, then Legoland California with its Brick-Or-Treat is the right place for you.
- France: The Disney Halloween Festival at Disneyland Paris is unmissable. Here you can meet villains and baddies from your favorite cartoons during the month of October.
- Spain: Parque de Atracciones in Madrid offers you an autumn haunted by demons, monsters, aliens and ghosts. Additionally, 2024 brings two thrilling new features: the Scream Show and the Nickelodeon Halloween Party, dedicated to the little ones. Parque Warner also offers a special Halloween program, with mysterious mazes, scare zones, and shows for the whole family.
- Netherland: In Toverland the nights come alive with monstrous parades, five scare zones and other chilling experiences.
- Italy: Mirabilandia’s Halloween Horror Festival is sure to terrify even the bravest, with horror tunnels for both adults and children and other adrenaline-infused activities and attractions under a new ghostly light.
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2. Discover the dark side of the city
Many don’t realize that some of the most charming and cosmopolitan cities around the world hide a dark past, made up of gruesome crimes, haunted locales and unsolved mysteries. It’s a great way to see another side to a city you’re visiting or the place you live. Here’s a list of some sinister cities:
- New Orleans: Join one of the ghost, spirit and vampire tours where you’ll uncover the secrets of the most mysterious and haunted city in the United States.
- Prague: Elegant and gothic, the historic center of Prague is haunted by ghosts tormented by tragic stories. With a ghost tour of Prague featuring legends and mysteries, you’ll see this beautiful city in a new and eerie light.
- Munich: This German city has its fair share of blood-thirsty stories, which you can discover on a tour of the most chilling crimes in Munich’s history.
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3. Visit a creepy castle
Castles have long been synonymous with the sinister. They’ve been the backdrop of many a gothic film and are known for their ghostly visitors, often tortured souls desperate for vengeance and ready to terrify any innocent guests they stumble upon.
- Bran Castle in Romania: Also known as Dracula’s castle, while there’s no evidence that blood-thirsty Vlad the Impaler, nor any vampire for that matter, ever lived here, it still lives up to its name. Its fourth floor is entirely dedicated to nightmarish creatures from Roman mythology.
- Edinburgh Castle in Scotland: This fascinating medieval fortress is said to be inhabited by several ghosts, including the Lone Piper, who apparently is trapped in the basement playing his sorrowful song for all to hear.
- Mafra Palace in Portugal: Legend has it that the lower levels of the palace are inhabited by giant, man-eating rats.
- Muiderslot in the Netherlands: This castle is believed to be haunted by the spirit of Count Floris V, who was betrayed and killed by his hunting companions.
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4. Go deep into Europe’s catacombs
Beneath some of the largest European cities lies a fascinating underground world made up of catacombs, bunkers and secret passages. Exploring them is an electrifying and macabre experience that sheds new light on any city. Rome’s catacombs seem endless, with over 50 tunnels extending around 150km and covering a time span that goes from the end of the 2nd to the 9th century. Although less extensive, the catacombs of Naples are equally impressive and explore the city’s history and connection with death. Other famous catacombs include those of Paris, which are much more recent (built between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century) and preserve the bones of six million people.
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5. Experience an eerie cemetery
Not quite creepy enough for you? Then we have something that will scare even the bravest. Visiting a cemetery on Halloween is not for the faint of heart. Inextricably linked to death, one can only imagine how many bodies have been buried here and how many souls might still be trapped to this patch of earth.
Genova’s Staglieno Cemetery is one of the most fascinating (and largest) of its kind in Europe and is known for capturing the attention of Mark Twain, Friedrick Nietzche and Ernest Hemingway. St Mary’s Church in Whitby is also adequately eerie for a Halloween visit. Perched atop a 199-step stone staircase, this cemetery is said to have inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. Don’t miss the Huntrodd memorial dedicated to a couple born on the same day in 1600, who died the exact same day 80 years later. Pretty disturbing, right?
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6. Dare to enter a haunted place
Castles, catacombs and cemeteries aren’t the only places with the power to scare. Forests, abandoned houses and other possessed properties can be equally petrifying. Below are some of the most haunted places in Europe:
- The Black Forest in southern Germany is not only a beautiful vacation destination, it’s also the setting for legends about werewolves, beheaded knights and witches… You might not want to linger here long after dark!
- The Hoia Forest in Transylvania is arguably even creepier. Not only do the trees have unusual shapes after becoming contorted over the years, in the middle of the forest lies a strange patch of barren land said to be a portal to another world. They say the people who’ve passed through it never returned…
- The stations in London’s Tube are rumored to house tortured spirits. Apparently at Farrington Station the cry of a young woman killed here in the 18th century can still be heard. Moreover, at Elephant & Castle station a woman is said to enter every day only to disappear into thin air.
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7. Feel the fear at a museum
A visit to a quietly terrifying museum adds an educational aspect to your Halloween. Below are some of our frightening favorites:
- The Dungeons of Amsterdam and London show you the dark history of these two capitals through special effects, artifacts and live performances. Raucous laughter and high-pitched squeals are all part and parcel of the audience experience.
- The Jack the Ripper Museum in London is also worth a visit, especially if you’re the type who’s fascinated by murder cases. It tells (in gruesome detail) the story of this infamous London serial killer who killed several women in the East End in 1888.
- The Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans has all kinds of bizarre 19th-century medical objects on display, while the ghost of the first owner, who conducted Voodoo experiments, is said to roam here in spirit form.
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8. Pick pumpkins for Halloween
Looking for things to do on Halloween that are also suitable for the little ones? Then head to a pumpkin patch! With pumpkin fields being fairly easy to find in the UK, it makes for an unmissable activity if you happen to be in London in October. Crockford Bridge Farm, just an hour southwest of central London has thousands of pumpkins on display and gives you the opportunity to pick your own and stroll around the farm enjoying the festive atmosphere.
If there’s one country known to take Halloween and their pumpkins seriously, it’s the United States. If you want to know just how seriously and you’re in New York during this time, we suggest taking the Maple Leaf train to the Hudson Valley, where you can discover the magical Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze®. On this immersive experience you’ll walk among over 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins all eerily illuminated.
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