Chase the spooky season

Find Gothic architecture and unsettling history in Scotland’s foggy and mysterious capital. Its Medieval downtown also inspired many locations in the Harry Potter universe.

• Choose Edinburgh for its haunted sites and Celtic Samhain legends
• See Greyfriars Kirkyard, a 16th-century graveyard rich in ghost tales
• Explore the underground streets of the haunted Real Mary King’s Close
• Visit the Edinburgh Dungeon for a theatrical walk-through
• Take a day trip to St. Andrews for its haunted cathedral ruins

Join Europe’s biggest Halloween festival in Derry, a 40-year tradition with ancient Gaelic roots. This event draws thousands from around the world to celebrate the spooky and macabre with haunted ghost tours, art performances, and live music.

• Celebrate Halloween with a huge, vibrant carnival: Oct 28-Nov1
• See Boom Hall, a riverside estate with a tragic past
• Visit St. Augustine’s Church for its burial site and ghostly bells
• Take a guided ghost tour along the banshee-haunted city walls
• Try to spot the headless coachman along the shadowy Southway pass
• Head to Belfast for a day to see its Victorian prison

Dive into Dracula’s lore, explore medieval towers, and enjoy scenic autumn surroundings in Brasov, Romania. This Transylvanian town in the Carpathian Mountains is best known for Bran Castle, said to have inspired Dracula’s castle.

• See the scorched Black Church and learn its tragic history
• Walk the ramparts of the white and black towers, eerie at dusk
• Explore the medieval Old Town for its Gothic alleys and seasonal fog
• Visit nearby Bran Castle, the cliffside fortress linked to Dracula

Explore York, Europe’s most haunted city, with centuries of dark history linked to plagues, prisoners, and criminal networks. Thousands of years of history took place on these spooky streets.

• Tour the York Dungeon, with notorious former inmates like Guy Fawkes
• See The Shambles, a shadowy street said to inspire “Diagon Alley”
• Stop for a pint at The Golden Fleece, supposedly haunted by 15 ghosts
• Visit York Minster, a massive Gothic cathedral with eerie crypts
• Take a day trip to Whitby for Bram Stoker history and Dracula lore

Prague’s Gothic details, foggy autumns, and wealth of eerie folklore make it the perfect Halloween destination. Its cobblestoned streets are lined with buildings that are hundreds of years old, with still-functioning pubs and shops.

• Explore the packed Old Jewish Cemetery, with over 100,000 burials
• Hear the lore about the Powder Tower’s headless guards
• Visit the dark Hradčany Alley, said to be haunted by a murdered monk
• See the 1621 Execution Memorial in the Old Town Square 
• Take a day trip to the “Skull church” of the Sedlec Ossuary

Nuremberg is a great October retreat thanks to its macabre history, moody medieval architecture, and abundance of walking ghost tours. The crisp autumn air and forests of orange and yellow leaves in Germany around this time of year add to the ambiance.

• Tour the medieval dungeons and torture chamber, below old City Hall 
• See the “Hangman’s Bridge” over the Pegnitz
• Visit the imposing Nuremberg Imperial Castle, eerie in the evenings
• Learn about the dark historic trials of the Hauptmarkt central square
• Head to the ghostly Burgruine Wolfstein ruins

Oaxaca offers a traditional, artistic Day of the Dead celebration that blends indigenous and Catholic beliefs. This is a day when people gather to honor and remember their loved ones who have died, with parades, sweets, and decorated ofrendas.

• See the central plaza (Zócalo) fill with community altars and flowers
• Enjoy the block parties and street art of the Jalatlaco neighborhood
• Join the energetic parades starting November 1st
• Taste traditional dishes like Pan de Muerto, a sweet bread
• Visit nearby San Agustín Etla for its La Muerteada parades

Join the massive, high-energy Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, where major parades march through the streets and large ofrendas take over plazas.

• See the Monumental Ofrendas in the historic center
• Watch the elaborate Day of the Dead parade, with huge puppets
• On Nov. 2nd, head to San Andres Mixquic for “The Lighting”
• Boat alongside floating performances on the Xochimilco Canals
• While in Xochimilco, see the creepy, mysterious “Island of the Dolls”

Immerse yourself in a quieter, more indigenous Day of the Dead celebration in Patzcuaro and its surrounding Pueblos Magicos. These “magical villages” are specially designated by the Mexican tourism board for their upkeep of traditional festivals and crafts.

• See Patzcuaro’s Plaza Grande for folk performances and parades
• Shop in artisan markets for themed pottery and local foods
• Stop at the historic Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud
• Travel to nearby Janitzio Island, the spiritual heart of the event
• Visit Santa Fe de la Laguna, the inspiration town for Coco