These 14 Halloween Destinations in Europe Are So Spooky, You'll Need Extra Candy

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Do you love Halloween but are fed up with celebrating it the same way every year? If you answered yes to that question, you’ve landed in the right place. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with celebrating Halloween at home or attending the annual family Halloween party, there is so much more to see and learn.

Take Europe, for example. Across Europe, you’ll find unique Halloween traditions, ghost tours, wild parties, and more. To show you what you’re missing, we’ve compiled a list of 12 of the best places for Halloween in Europe. These entries were selected because they offer Halloween events, unique activities, a spooktacular experience, and endless Halloween entertainment.

Edinburgh, Scotland

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I might be biased because I’m from the United Kingdom, but I firmly believe Edinburgh, Scotland’s historic capital, is one of the world’s most fascinating cities. While it may not seem like the most obvious destination for Halloween celebrations, its medieval Old Town is the perfect setting for spooky and ghoulish Halloween vibes, and the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain is still celebrated today in Scotland and Ireland.

The city also hosts various Halloween events and traditions, including an annual Samhuinn festival (or modern Samhain) that features fire displays, parades, dance, and live music. Meanwhile, don’t be surprised to see the city’s streets adorned with decorations and the best nightclubs and bars hosting Halloween-themed parties. From personal experience, I can also tell you the Edinburgh Dungeons and Edinburgh ghost tours are well worth experiencing, too.

York, England

Another epic place to spend Halloween is York, a four-hour drive from Edinburgh in Northern England. York is a historic city known for its medieval streets, impressive architecture, and haunted nature. In fact, it is generally considered to be the most haunted city in Europe. Here, you can enjoy many Halloween-themed activities, such as ghost and dungeon tours.

The Shambles, a 14th-century street in central York, is a popular place to participate in Halloween ghost tours. At Halloween, the street is covered in Halloween decorations. You’ll also find Halloween-themed parties across the city and exciting events, such as the Northern Horror Film Festival. You might even encounter some spirits if you stay in one of the city’s medieval properties.

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels, the Belgium capital, doesn’t have a long history and connection with Halloween, but its dedication to becoming a Halloween hotspot is unwavering. As a result, it’s arguably one of the best up-and-coming places to spend Halloween. The city features Halloween decor, parades, parties, and ghost tours at Halloween.

Therefore, you won’t struggle to find something to do. Highlights of a Halloween city break in Brussels include guided crime scene tours, candlelight Halloween musical performances at Concert Noble, and fireworks displays at Place Morichar. For a scary evening of drinking, visit the gothic horror bar Le Cercueil. You’ll also find Halloween-themed events away from the city at Pairi Daiza, Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, and Walibi.

Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry isn’t an obvious place to spend Halloween, but it hosts Europe’s largest Halloween festival, so you don’t want to miss out. Halloween is big business in Derry, also known as Londonderry, because it links to Celtic traditions, particularly Samhain, a festival that celebrates the end of the harvest season and the start of winter.

Therefore, every October, this beautiful walled city offers Halloween enthusiasts an evening of spooky fun. If you visit on October 30th and 31st, you can enjoy wild parades, costume competitions, carnival entertainment, and scary ghost tours. As expected, you’ll also witness the streets decorated with Halloween-themed decorations. To learn more about the folklore and history that ties to Halloween, follow the Awakening the Walled City Trail.

Venice, Italy

Like Belgium, Italy isn’t too big on Halloween, but one place you’ll find plenty of ghostly fun is Venice. Venice makes our list for several reasons. First, in October, Venice can get quite misty during the evening, helping create a haunting Halloween-like atmosphere. Second, the city is well known for its haunted destinations, such as the island of Poveglia.

It’s believed over 100,000 people died on the island. Finally, Venice hosts many exciting Halloween events for visitors, including nightclub and bar parties, ghost tours, and parades. Many of the city’s main streets and tourist attractions are decorated in Halloween decorations to up the ante. Oh, and make sure you take a gondola trip during your visit.

Transylvania, Romania

Transylvania has to be included on this list because it is the legendary home of Count Dracula. Bran Castle, built in Bran in the 14th century, is often called Dracula’s Castle. Now, let’s face it: can a Halloween experience get any better than exploring the castle the most famous vampire of all time calls home?

Actually, it can because the rest of Transylvania’s ancient castles and its dense, gloomy forests only enhance the eerie Halloween vibes. If you visit Bran Castle, you’ll learn the myths and legends of Count Dracula, as well as the murderous ways of Vlad the Impaler. This is the perfect Halloween trip if you want to experience something completely different.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Must Visit Cities in the World Amsterdam — © sborisov / Adobe Stock

If you’d prefer to stick to a more traditional approach, consider visiting Amsterdam, the Netherlands capital, to experience Halloween. Amsterdam is renowned for its vibrant architecture, rich culture, unique traditions, and wild parties. Therefore, it comes as no surprise the city is one of the best places in Europe for Halloween.

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In Amsterdam, you can expect lively parades, costume competitions, colorful decorations, and wild nightclub Halloween parties. Notable points of interest for your Halloween adventure include the Amsterdam Dungeons, the Amsterdam Halloween Parade, Nieuwe Kerk, and the Rave to the Grave Boat Party. Amsterdam doesn’t only do Halloween in one night, either. Instead, you can expect Halloween events to occur over five or six days.

Oslo, Norway

The next European Halloween destination on our list is Oslo, Norway’s picturesque capital. Norway was late to the game celebrating Halloween, but it caught up quickly. For starters, the city’s already vibrant streets are given a spooky makeover, with many shop, bar, and restaurant windows displaying classic Halloween decorations.

Secondly, the city has brilliantly ensured it offers something for every kind of traveler. Groups of friends can dance to ‘Thriller’ at one of the many nightclub parties. Couples and paranormal enthusiasts can go on a ghost tour exploring 1,000 years of history.

Families can attend a Halloween-themed musical at Folketeateret, a special Halloween event at Vigeland Museum, or other events that involve lanterns and pumpkin carving. What’s not to like?

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a historic city in Central Europe famed worldwide for its winding medieval cobblestone streets, impressive castles, and vibrant nightlife scene. The city’s medieval Old Town and 20 castles create an exciting Halloween atmosphere. Better yet, the city hosts many exhilarating Halloween-themed events and activities, as well as other ghostly attractions.

For example, you can go on a ghost tour that explores the city’s gruesome past and most haunted locations, participate in the Prague Parade of Ghosts, shop for a costume in one of the city’s many Halloween shops, and rock the night away at a Halloween-themed party in one of the bars and nightclubs near Charles Bridge.

London, England

London’s history is teeming with tales of horror, gruesome deaths, and bloodthirsty monarchs. One of the city’s most infamous stories is that of Jack the Ripper, the mysterious serial killer who brutally murdered at least five women in Whitechapel during the late 19th century. To this day, Jack the Ripper’s identity remains one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

However, there just might be a ghost who holds the answer at the Ten Bells Pub in London’s East End. This place, often referred to as the ‘Jack the Ripper Pub,’ has long been tied to the case. Two of the Ripper’s victims were connected to the pub, and one of them, Annie Chapman, is said to still haunt its premises.

Chester, England

If you’re looking for a hidden gem destination in the UK for next Halloween, consider booking a weekend getaway to Chester, a 2,000-year-old Roman fort surrounded by towering city walls. I live near Chester, so I can tell you from experience that it’s a great place to spend Halloween, especially if you love ghost stories and epic parties.

The city’s rich medieval history, breathtaking architecture, and winding cobblestone streets are the perfect setting for an evening of ghosts, ghouls, and gruesome tales. On a Chester ghost walk, you’ll visit the city’s most haunted locations, including Stanley Palace, the King’s Head Pub, and the Chester Roman Amphitheatre. You’ll also find bar and nightclub Halloween parties, the Chester Halloween Ball, family-friendly parties, and night-time parades in Chester.

Vigo, Spain

Another excellent place to spend Halloween in Europe if you’re looking for off-the-beaten-track celebrations is Vigo, a coastal city in northwest Spain. Vigo might seem like a random addition to this list, but it has a long history of celebrating Halloween, as it’s situated in Galicia, a northern region of Spain with deep Celtic roots.

As a result, the city, as well as other locations in Galicia, celebrate Halloween on October 31st with events called the Night of the Pumpkin and the Night of Samaín. In Vigo, most of the action can be found in the Old Town. You can expect colorful parades, street parties, beautifully decorated buildings, lively parties, and traditional festivities like Magosto.

Hamburg, Germany

In Germany, Halloween traditions are very different. For example, one Halloween tradition, called ‘hiding of the knives,’ sees German families hide all the knives in their house to make sure their relatives don’t hurt themselves when they return. Luckily, Germany has also adopted the American Halloween culture, which includes Halloween attractions, parties, parades, trick-or-treating, and costumes.

Hamburg is one of the best places in Germany to experience Halloween. Here, you’ll find Halloween-themed parties, movie nights, parades, and decorations across the city. Highlights include Hamburg Dungeon tours, Hamburg ghost tours, and the XXL Halloween Party Hamburg. You’ll also find many bars and nightclubs running Halloween-themed events and parties.

The Catacombs of Paris, France

If there were ever a single place destined to be the most haunted on earth, it would surely be the Catacombs of Paris, where the remains of over six million people rest. Hidden beneath the lively streets of Paris, this underground maze offers a grim glimpse into the city’s past.

The winding tunnels are lined with meticulously stacked bones. Walking through these dimly lit corridors is a chilling experience on its own, but it gets even spookier—many visitors claim to have encountered eerie sights and sounds, from ghostly whispers to strange apparitions. It’s no wonder the Catacombs have served as the backdrop for horror films like *As Above, So Below*.