Ghost tours and spooky trips in Europe
Every older city has its myths, scary stories and secrets - some more than others! If you are curious and want to experience or simply just want to learn something while travelling, check our selection of destinations for a ghost tour or scary trip while travelling in Europe...
Where are the scariest places in Europe?
Here are our top 5 spooky travel destinations:
- Edinburgh ghost tours (UK)
- Tracing the legend of Dracula in Transylvania (Romania)
- Underground cemeteries in Paris (France)
- The Puzzles of Ancient Rome (Italy)
- Tranquil Stuttgart? No way! (Germany)
1. Edinburgh ghost tours (UK)
The best ghost tour in the UK is an evening tour through the medieval city of Edinburgh, where you can visit the (allegedly) largest graveyard in the world or the more than 400-year-old underground vaults. This is the best city in Scotland for a ghost tour! With its history, the ambience, the medieval alleys and buildings, you really feel transported back in time and magically drawn to the creepy and ghost stories.
2. Tracing the legend of Dracula in Transylvania (Romania)
Bram Stoker described the landscape of Transylvania, surrounded by forests and the mountains of the Carpathians, in the nowhere of Romania, as a 'place of bloodthirsty dreams'. Of course, this has been a lingering image of the region, but in fact, if you visit the area and the Dracula Castle 'Bran', there are many scary stories and guided tours to take you away. However, Romania is also a diverse, scenic and thoroughly interesting country that is well worth a visit! **Fun Fact: Romanians themselves did not know the story of Dracula when the first vampire/scary tourists arrived in the 70s because the book was only published here after the Cold War in the 90s!
3. Underground cemeteries in Paris (France)
The 'Catacombs' have their origins in the ancient history of a Paris that was then called 'Lutetia': the Romans quarried limestone here and turned the city's underground into a stone quarry. The underground cave system still has passages and branches that are completely unknown! The underground cemetery was then used as an emergency solution to a problem of the time after the stone quarrying ceased: the cemeteries of Paris were overcrowded and the stench polluted the city! The 'Cimetière des Innocents' cemetery was dissolved in 1780 to remedy the problem and the bones were moved to the catacombs, more and more cemeteries followed and so the bones of more than 6 million people are now in the Paris Catacombs!
4. The Puzzles of Ancient Rome (Italy)
Go on a voyage of discovery of centuries-old puzzles/riddles in the heart of the eternal city; Rome. An evening walk is recommended anyway because then the illuminated monuments and sights work particularly well. There are various tours here, some following in the footsteps of the film 'Angels & Demons' - others famous legends or eerie sections of history and still others exploring the darkside of Rome. The almost 3000-year-old history of this city, the founding of which itself is surrounded by a legend (the story of Romulus and Remus), is truly noticeable around every corner and as you walk through the cobblestone streets, you can't help but marvel at how close that bygone time feels here.
5. Tranquil Stuttgart? No way! (Germany)
The Stuttgart Ghost Tours are a national insider tip for the curious who want to tour while visiting Germany. The history of Stuttgart, in the south of Germany, dates back to Roman times, and even from a time before that the first signs of settlement have been found from the 7th century. So there is much to discover in the city of wine lovers! The nightly ghost tours take you on a journey back in time and tell you about spooky events here that don't reveal themselves at first glance. A city tour, but different! Afterwards you can relax and enjoy your wine or beer in one of the rustic pubs.
There are definitely more eerie places in the world that may give you goosebumps, such as the island of Hashima in Japan, the Isla de las Muñecas in Mexico, or Port Arthur in Australia to name a few more. If you're curious then add these additional places on your future travel bucket list. Compare great flights deals and book with BudgetAir Australia.
