Prague's spooky Charles Bridge at night

Change is in the air in October. This is the month when the clocks change, nights grow longer, the days turn colder and Halloween heralds the supposed return of the dead to the land of the living. So with the seasons in transition and the elements in turmoil there’s no better time to face your fears and brave a visit to some of Europe’s most sinister spots and eerie experiences…

Haunted Walking Tour – Prague

Prague’s tangle of bridges and cobbles are undoubtedly picturesque but they become almost ominously atmospheric when viewed during a tour of the city’s haunted sights. Prague’s Haunted Walking Tour leads you through the dark, intertwining streets, alleyways and ancient bridges of the Old Town, including the Charles Bridge, the Little Quarter, and Josefov, the old Jewish ghetto.   During the tour, secrets regarding the city’s bizarre architectural plan and mysterious ancient brotherhood societies are revealed as participants try to catch (or avoid!) a glimpse of the many roaming spirits.  Some are said to have seen the wandering souls of St. John of Nepomunk and ten executed lords haunting the Charles Bridge, and the ghost of a Swede, killed during the 30-Years War, riding through the Old Town on horseback with his severed head in a burlap sack.

Jack the Ripper Walk – London

For a gory alternative to the traditional tours and attractions in London, follow in the footsteps of London’s most notorious criminal, Jack the Ripper. A serial killer who slaughtered the prostitutes who plied their trade in the city’s East End, his identity was never discovered and the mysteries of his methods and motives remain unsolved. The Jack the Ripper Walk leads its followers through the back alley locations where the slasher stalked and butchers his victims, showing the sites where the murders took place and recounting the attacks one gory detail at a time. The walk is led on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday by  Donald Rumbelow – an internationally recognized authority on Jack the Ripper – and concludes at the site of what is believed to have been the Ripper’s last murder.

Edinburgh Castle and Dungeons – Scotland

Majestic Edinburgh Castle may be the Scottish capital’s most recognisable landmark, but it’s also one of the country’s most haunted sites. In fact, a 2001 study conducted as part of the largest paranormal investigation in history, found that 51% of its test subjects experienced strange occurences in well-know haunted areas of the castle and its dungeons.  Shadowy figures, sudden drops in temperature and the inexplicable tugging at clothing are everyday experiences within its grounds, which is said to be haunted by a headless drummer boy and a lone piper who is sometimes heard to play an eerie tune in the series of tunnels that connect the castle to the Royal Mile.

Reina Sofia Museum – Madrid

Madrid’s premier art museum and home to masterpieces by Picasso and Dali, the Reina Sofía Museum is also thought to be haunted.  Some say that the location’s paranormal activity is due to the fact that the building was originally a hospital that stood over a basement-level cemetery. In fact, tombstones can be seen in the building’s catacombs and skeletal remains were found during recent renovations.  Strange occurrences have been reported by employees and guests over the years, including apparitions, footsteps and voices in vacant areas.  Museum staff members have witnessed elevators functioning by themselves and the museum alarms sounding spontaneously.   Whether it’s the ghosts of patients past or Picasso himself, visitors can tempt paranormal fate while taking in the museum’s fabulous collection of 20^th-century art.

The haunted Dragsholm Slot Castle

Dragsholm Slot Castle – Seeland, Denmark

One of Denmark’s oldest castles, Dragsholm Slot can be toured year round but it’s only the most courageous of visitors who should consider bedding down for the night in its on-site hotel – they may be woken by an uninvited guest. Of the many otherworldly inhabitants of this castle, three ghosts appear most frequently: the mysterious Grey Lady who prowls the castle each night; the White Lady, who roams the corridors in shrouds of white; and the Earl of Bothwell, who rides through the courtyard in his horse and carriage. Although the figures are presumably harmless you might need some help dropping off peacefully, so consider starting your night with the hearty five-course dinner and generous complement of wine served each night in the Castle Kitchen restaurant.

Museum of the Souls of Purgatory – Rome

For an off-the-beaten-track site in the Eternal City, consider the grandly named Museums of the Souls of Purgatory, founded just over 100 years ago by Father Victor Jouet and located in the Chapel of the Virgin Mary of the Rosary in the Church of the Sacred Heart in the Prati in Rome.  This small collection of objects and photographs purports to show tangible evidence of contact made with the living by the condemned souls trapped in purgatory. It was gathered by Father Jouet, who was inspired by a curious circumstance. After surveying a site that was destroyed by fire in 1897 he found the image of a face seared into the charred wall. He deemed it to be the indentation of a figure trapped in purgatory and from thereon in he committed himself to finding similar examples. In addition to this original design, the museum’s tiny collection includes further examples he assembled, including images of handprints on books which he attributed to damned souls. Visitors will find the Chapel at the far right side of the church behind a door marked il museo (the museum).  Admission is free.

Instruments of Torture Museum, Gravensteen Castle – Ghent

For the tourist who is interested in the most gruesome elements of the Middle Ages, Gravensteen Castle, which dates from the last half of the 12^th century, is the place to be. This impressively imposing structure features massive fortress walls, the oldest dungeon in Western Europe, is partially surrounded by a moat and it served throughout history as the seat of the Counts of Flanders, a courthouse, and a prison. The torture museum is divided into four main sections: imprisonment; the insane; torture and interrogation; and execution and punishment.  In addition to visiting the dungeon and torture chambers, patrons are able to view a variety of weapons, swords and torture equipment, including a guillotine with original blade, spiked collars, and beds used to manually stretch prisoners.  More information can be found at the Visit Ghent website.

Catacombs – Paris

The rapid expansion of Paris in the Middle Ages, coupled with the realisation that unsanitary burial practices and overcrowded cemeteries were causing disease and infection led to some six million corpses being transferred to the catacombs of Paris between the end of the 18^th and middle of the 19^th century. Now open to the public, visitors tour the labyrinth of underground galleries, corridors and quarries that are lined with countless numbers of skulls, femurs and tibias, arranged in almost artistic patterns.  In fact, the monument’s website refers to this bizarrely beautiful organisation of remains as “romantico-macabre decoration”.  Beguiling the sight may be, but it’s definitely not for everyone. The catacombs are located 130 steps down from street level and potential visitors are warned not to enter if they suffer from claustrophobia, weakness or anxiety.

A tour around the Catacombs in Paris, complete with scary soundtrack…