Recently updated on January 14th, 2020 at 08:41 pm
With the gallons of sweets, fake blood and all manner of ugly masks and costumes, what better way to embrace this creepy time of year than by steering your travel plans to the most mystically mysterious, frighteningly fun and dauntingly dark corners of the world? From bone-filled catacombs to haunted castles, here’s our top 5 picks of the spookiest spots for Halloween travel – fake blood and ugly masks not necessary!
1. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
After seeing the sites of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Holyrood House and Arthur’s Seat, be brave and explore Edinburgh Castle, which is famed for its charismatic ghouls. Take for example, the headless drummer boy who appears whenever something dangerous is about to happen! Or how about the Lost Piper, who disappeared in the maze of tunnels underneath the castle, never to be seen again…
Visit Edinburgh Castle on our ‘Best of Scotland’ Itinerary.
2. Calico Ghost Town, USA
More than 100 years ago Calico was a booming silver mining town during the biggest silver rush California has ever seen. Today one third of Calico’s original structures still stand and the rest have been re-built to replicate the style of the Old West. Visit the Mystery Shack to see water running uphill, explore Maggie’s Mine and take part in some gold panning for old times’ sake; just don’t say we didn’t warn you that this place has a very eerie atmosphere!
Visit Calico Ghost Town on our ‘Golden West Contrasts’ Itinerary.
3. Nocturnal House, Australia
Even if you’ll be in sunny Australia this Halloween, there’s still some vampire fun to be had; no Halloween would be complete without some scary vampire bats. That’s what you’ll get to see at Nocturnal House in Alice Springs, you’ll also get to enjoy reserved seating at the Birds of Prey Presentation.
Visit Nocturnal House on our ‘The Great Australian Explorer’ Itinerary.
4. Catacombs of Paris, France
The Notre Dame may be a Gothic masterpiece, but in your free time in Paris, make sure you head below street level to explore the creepy Catacombs that lie beneath Paris’s celebrated monuments. Head down there and you’ll come face to face with walls made of skeletons; yes that’s right, bones instead of wallpaper and skulls instead of chandeliers! The Catacombs were built around 1786 as a result of overcrowded cemeteries which the government wanted to reclaim. By the time the relocation was over in 1860, around six million skeletons had been moved here. However horrid it sounds, the sight is really quite spectacular inside the Catacombs.
Visit the Catacombs of Paris on our ‘Contrasts of Europe’ Itinerary.
5. Mayan Temples of Uxmal, Mexico
Mayan people were known for building new temples over old ones, and this is no more visible than in Uxmal, Yucatan in Mexico where you can witness the mythical layers of civilisation before your very eyes. Dating back to the 10th century AD, you’ll learn so much about mysterious Mayan culture as you explore the staggering architectural bounds of its people.
Visit the Mayan Termples of Uxmal on our ‘Treasures of the Yucatan’ Itinerary.
Have you visited a spooky place recently? Let us know where and why it was eerie below!