The Best Haunted Tours

Boo! It's Halloween, that spooky time of year when the idea of scaring ourselves becomes weirdly appealing. In honour of the traditions that accompany the 31st of October, we’ve put together a list of some of the spookiest experiences to be had with ToursByLocals guides throughout Europe and North America. We invite you to get scared with us...if you dare!

Starting with Europe:

London, England

Burnings at the stake, public hangings, plague pits, martyrs, a 12th Century church dedicated to a man who was flayed alive... The City of London is just crammed with all sorts of horrible historical happenings. Our guide Graham is just the person to take you on a ghostly romp through some of London’s more infamous neighbourhoods on his "London Horror!" black cab tour. Read more about London Horror Tour

Venice, Italy

See the darker side of Venice, away from the ethereal beauty of the canals, and into the city's dark past: pacts with the devil, a cursed hunchback, ghosts, murders and mysterious disappearances...Hearing tales of the city after dark will send chills down your spine, and leave you with a slew of ghostly and ghastly stories to take home. View Venice Ghost Tour

Transylvania

The most famous of all of Europe’s ghost stories is without doubt the legend of Vlad the Impaler…known to most of us as Count Dracula. Transylvania is awash in folklore and synonymous with tales of the immortal vampire. Our guides in Bucharest will take you to Dracula’s Castle…if you dare. See the Transylvania Haunted Tour

…and moving to the Americas:

Saint Margaret's Village, Belize

Travel into a haunted jungle, and into caves that legend tells us lead to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. Join your guide Linsdale and venture into 3000 years of pristine Mayan artifacts, human remains, and history, literally littering the floor of a cave tucked inside the Belize jungle. View Belize Haunted Forest Tour

Mexico City, Mexico

Downtown Mexico City is a place of wonder and mystery, a place whose legends have grown, as it stood its ground for over 500 years. It's a city filled with history and stories, and its ghost stories are some of the most interesting! In this tour, as you walk along downtown's atmospheric alleys and markets, you'll discover how seemingly mundane spots are somehow imbued with supernatural belief... Read more about Mexico City ghost tour

New York City

You have to figure that the city that never sleeps probably has a few good ghost stories to share. New York City’s densely packed population has been living on the island of Manhattan for over 400 years - plenty of time for more than a few blood feuds to simmer. With our guide Robin, you can walk the streets of Five Points, Chinatown and Little Italy to learn about some of the most feared and ruthless gangs in Manhattan. Read about New York Mobster Tour

Charleston, South Carolina

Head further south down the east coast and you hit Charleston, South Carolina, another famously “haunted” city with many a story to tell. There’s no one better to tell them than our guide Eric, a noted historian and extremely entertaining story-teller. In Eric’s words, Charleston's ghost tales will “scare you, touch you, and even make you laugh.” View Private Charleston Ghost Tour

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio may not come to mind the way a place like Transylvania does when thinking of spooky destinations, but this city has more than its fair share of ghost stories. From bodies stolen from graveyards to mysteriously sunken prison islands, Columbus provides the perfect background for scary tales. Our guide William is here to walk you through its darker streets...and perhaps enjoy a beer or two while you're at it. Check out Haunted Columbus Tour

So there you have it: a collection of unique experiences designed to scare and delight you…just in time for Halloween.