Six Spooky Halloween Holiday Destinations

As we approach All Hallows Eve, it’s time to take a look at some of the world’s more macabre holiday destinations.

If you’re considering cheap holidays with a spooky theme this Halloween, then why not take a look at this list of decidedly creepy and atmospheric destinations suggested this week by Skyscanner. Europe is chock-a-block with ghoulish legends and murky history, and many of its countries’ most historical cities are packed with monuments, buildings and structures illustrating its bloody past. The New World too has its share of the macabre, as you will see:

1. Bran Castle, Romania

What could be more spooky than Dracula’s actual castle? Not the Dracula of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel – although he was inspired by this very place – but home to Wallachian ruler Vlad Dracuul, or “Vlad the Impaler”, a name he earnt through his penchant for grisly mass punishments. This stunning fortress lies on the border between the Romanian regions of Transylvania and Wallachia.

2. Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh is famous for many things and a tourist centre for many reasons, but here we focus on its Cadies and Witchery Tours, where crowds are led through its winding cobbled streets and fed all the legends of hauntings and horror that their guide can recall. Thrills and shocks are guaranteed. Further south in England, the city of York also offers atmospheric Ghost Tours for visitors.

3. The Catacombs of Paris, France

Away from the bright lights of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysée, there can be found the Catacombs – an underground ossuary that has been attracting visitors for centuries. The huge tunnel network cannot fail to spook, containing as it does the remains of six million people.

4. The Sedlec Ossuary of Prague, Czech Republic

After visiting Prague’s ramshackle Old Jewish Cemetery in the Old Town, take a trip to its ossuary – otherwise known as a “bone church”. Lying beneath a normal place of worship, Sedlec Ossuary is decorated throughout with human bones!

5. Salem, Massachusetts, USA

Site of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, this town celebrates Halloween like no other in America with a creepy cavalcade of fancy dress costumes, Halloween parades and themed parties. There are also several witch trials museums, as well as a chance to visit the “Witch House” where the horror occurred.

6. Santiago Sacatepéquez’s Day of the Dead Festival, Guatemala

Taking place just after Halloween on 1 November, this Guatemalan town’s cemetery hosts a carnival-style party with a macabre theme. Honouring all those friends and relatives who have passed away, locals surround household altars with flowers, food and drink before taking to the streets in a mass celebration of life – and death.