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Are you a Halloween lover that is thinking about going to Europe to spend the spookiest time of the year? in this blog post, you can find the best places to visit in every western country! Learn some new traditions or live the old ones to the fullest. In my next post, you can also learn about where to spend a great Halloween in the most creepy places in Eastern European countries.

Overview

• Portugal
• Spain
• France
• Ireland
• UK
• Iceland
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Luxemburg
• Germany
• Denmark
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Italy
• Norway
• Sweden
• Finland
• Greece
• Malta

Portugal

Portugal doesn’t have a very strong tradition of celebrating Halloween. Nowadays, you can see many groups of friends asking for treats or tricks on the streets on the night of the 31st of October.

As a result, there is not many exclusive from 31st of October special things to do in Portugal. However, something interesting to explore, not just on the 31st of October but all year round is to visit the Capela dos Ossos in Evora. This 17th-century church is specially made for Halloween because more than 5000 corpses were exhumed and used to decorate the walls of the chapel.

Spain

There are many things to do all around Spain on Halloween. In Vigo, you can watch the La Santa Compaña, a street parade and Celtic tradition where the participants represent souls and revenants. The festival takes place in the entire afternoon, starting with pumpkin carving and finishing at night with the parade.

Another idea is to participate in interactive shows in Madrid (La Caja del terror) or escape rooms in Guadalajara (Abduction in Córcoles) in the Córcoles monastery. The Madrid shows take place all year round, but there are special sessions on the 31st of October and on the 1st of November.

France

France is another country where Halloween isn’t really celebrated. As a result, you can mostly create your own Halloween activities such as exploring the spookiest side of Paris or the witch festivals of Chalindrey, a few days before Halloween.

In Paris, you can start with the catacombs, a labyrinth of tunnels that contains the remains of more than 6 million people, also resembling (on a way larger scale) the Portuguese church. In Paris, such as like in Madrid you can also participate in immersive shows in the Parais Manor.

Ireland

Halloween tradition is originally Celtic. During the Celtic time, the celebration was called Samhain and was celebrated at the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the Celtic year. Because of this, one of the best places in the world to celebrate Halloween in Dublin. The city will be decorated with pumpkins, candles and spider webs. Besides that, one of the most famous parades happens in the city on the 31st of October, the Macnas Sleep No More torchlight parade.

Several festivals are occuring in Ireland during this time. One of these festivals is the Bram Stoker Festival with free and paid activities, during 4 days before Halloween. You can also visit the Dracula Castle Museum in the heart of Dracula’s castle in Dublin.

Another fun thing to do is to have dinner with the Addams Family. It is held at the Pillo Hotel & Spa Ashbourne, on October 30 and 31 and there the family will prepare for you an unforgettable culinary experience.

UK

Around the UK you can find several entertainments to spice your Halloween. Maybe you’ll want to explore the celebration at the Muncaster Castle, where you can find a spooky maze, fire juggling shows, axe throwing, and so much more throughout the week (from the 23 of October to the 31st). Maybe you’ll want to experience Manchester’s Halloween festival, a two days festival that will terrorize the entire city. Throughout October you can also go pumpkin picking at the Kenyon Hall Farm, near Warrington, which also includes a maize maze and its own pumpkin festival.

If you like to celebrate Halloween with everything that you deserve, in Northern Ireland, you should definitely get to Derry three days in advance. Since 35 years ago, the festival as its known today emerged, following the pathways carved by Halloween travellers over hundreds of years. This year the city will awake again for another Halloween wonderland with five new spirit worlds around the city, each representing a different spirit of Samhain. You can get to know more about them here.

Iceland

Halloween is not an Icelandic tradition and, because of that, this festivity is barely celebrated in Iceland. However, what you can do in the country during October is probably more magic than any other traditional Halloween festival. Iceland has its own natural Halloween festival in the sky! October is a great month to catch the northern lights! The sky may be more likely uncloudy and the probability of the formation of the lights is not that small. So what is a better Halloween activity than sitting in the dark observing these mysterious nature masterpieces? To know when is the best moment to see the northern lights in October, you can check this website that shows you the aurora forecast and also the clouds that may appear in the area.

If you want to get to know more about Iceland and its own festivals, stories and traditions you can also do folklore walking tour through Reykjavic.

Belgium

In Belgium, starting from the 31st of October and finishing one week after, you can explore the horrors of the city of Bruges. At the Historium in Bruges, you can learn about the middle ages in the city all year round, however, during this spooky season, you can learn about the darker side of this period. In the middle ages you had the plague, witches burned, gallows everywhere… If you are not tired yet of all the horror, you can also visit the Torture Museum for a little more Halloween horror.

Netherlands

InIn the Netherlands, you can head to Rotterdam and enjoy a walk on its roads… until this point seems like something that any tourist can do at any time of the year. However, what is special is that you can do this, covered with fake blood and makeup… You don’t have to pay anything to participate in the Zombiewalk but for a fee, you can show up early in the Schouwburgplein and have your make-up put on by a professional team!

Luxemburg

In Luxembourg, the tradition is not to create spooky pumpkins, but to create spooky beetroots and transform them into lanterns, just like it is usually done to pumpkins. This tradition originated in the northern Ardennes region and these lanterns were placed near stables to scare the spirits and illnesses away from the animals. These lanterns are called Trauliicht and you too can learn more about them here.

Germany

The tradition of Halloween in Germany is quite recent but there is an unforgettable thing to do in the country. One of the most famous activities is to explore the Frankenstein Castle, near Darmstadt. This is the oldest festival in the country, starting in 1977. First of all, this festival occurs in a castle with 1000 years of history. Then the space is fully decorated to make chills go up to your spine at every step. You can learn everything and even see the entire event gallery here.

In Germany, you can also visit the Gardens in Ludwigsburg are home to the biggest pumpkin festival in the world, the Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg. This exhibition features amazing thematic sculptures made of almost half a million pumpkins from several species! You can learn more about the exhibition and buy your tickets here.

Denmark

Halloween in Denmark is not as celebrated as in many other countries, however, one of the best things to do is to head to the Tivoli Gardens. This is an amusement park that becomes haunted and hundreds of ghouls, witches, vampires and other demonic creatures will roam the park. Some of the activities that are offered in this special season are straw bale mazes, pumpkin-counting competitions, stalls with monster trinkets, and even some special rides. Despite how nice this amusement park is, you may want something more creepy to entertain you this Halloween. So, why don’t you go and explore the Fun Park Fyn, an abandoned theme park in Aarup, and let your imagination roam free and creepy?

In Denmark, you can also visit the Witch Hunt Museum in Ribe. At the museum, you can learn about the superstitions, persecution and fates of the women that were believed to serve the devil.

On the island of Samsø, you can find the world largest labyrinth where you can get lost between creepy dark trees. This labyrinth is opened through autumn, so it is a good option for a Halloween activity.

Austria

In Austria, Halloween is mostly celebrated in the towns of Retz and Pulkan. These regions are famous for their annual pumpkin harvest and festival that includes a Halloween parade.

However, in Austria, the tradition is to set a table with a lighted lamp, bread, and water before going to sleep, with the hope of welcoming dead souls back to Earth on a magical night.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, you can find a few creepy and unusual traditions, especially if you are not planning to celebrate Halloween on the 31st of October but in January. One of the activities that occur in Switzerland is the popular downhill ski race in Belalp. What is so unusual about this ski race is that the teams that race the 12km wear witch costumes.

On the 31st of October, however, you can explore the Haunted Swiss castles of Chilon, in Lake Geneva and the Val Sinestra Hotel. These places are said to be haunted because some people feel cold and hear voices and footsteps in the corridors (when no one is there).

Italy

One of the most popular things to do in Italy is to visit the witches festival in Corinaldo. The days before Halloween in Corinaldo transform the town into a Halloween wonderland with activities for every age and beautiful decorations.

Another option is to go to the oldest Halloween event in Italy, at the Devil’s Bridge in Borgo, Tuscany. The celebration features scary paths such as the Passage of Terror to scare you and make your adrenaline go to the roof.

Between Milan and Venice, you find Lake Garda, a beautiful and scenic place to visit. However, in October, the Gardaland, Italy’s largest theme park, holds a Halloween party every weekend, with ghostly parades, music and fireworks.

Norway

Norway doesn’t celebrate Halloween however the country has its own set of haunted places. One of these places is the Dalen Hotel, in Telemark. This is one of the most well known haunted hotels in Norway. In the 19th century, there was a baby found dead in a room and the woman that was in that room was arrested and executed. To this day it is said that there are sounds of a crying baby in room 17 and every night the hotel sets a table for the ghost of the woman and lights a candle for her.

Another famous haunted place in Norway is the Old Lier Mental Hospital near Drammen. This hospital is closed since the 80s and it was home to torture and drug experiments during the times that it was opened. However now the area is closed because the building is unstable, but you can still see it from far.

In Oslo, you can also explore the city and get to know its secrets and ghost stories. Around Halloween, you can go on a two-hour ghost hunt with the Oslo Walks.

Sweden

In Sweeden, you can also visit a haunted theme park. The Gröna Lund is opened for Halloween and is suitable for all ages because it has two areas, one for kids and another for teens and adults. In the adult section, you can find haunted houses, creepy clowns, zombies and other creatures.

There is also a UNESCO World Heritage cemetery in Sweeden that you can visit on Halloween, the Skogskyrkogarden. What is special about this cemetery is that because of its Halloween fame, people from around the world visit the place and leave candles and decorations.

In the Capital city, Stockholm, you can participate in Stockholm, the largest Halloween parade in Scandinavia.

If you still want to hunt some ghosts you can head to Borgvattnet Vicarage, a small village that is believed to have the highest number of ghosts per capita in the country. Today, Vicarage is a small bed and breakfast where you can spend your Halloween night.

Finland

In Finland, Halloween is also not very popular. However, one of the creepiest things that you can do in the region in this scary season is one of the Escape rooms hosted by aMazed Games. One of these Halloween specials is the Halloween Slaughterhouse. Another different escape room by the same group is the Blackout room where you need to use all your senses except for sight to find your way out.

Another creepy activity in Finland is to visit, or even spend the night, at the Kakola abandoned prison (now transformed into a hotel).

Greece

There are several creepy places that you can visit during your Halloween holiday in Greece. One of these places is known as Daveli’s Cave and is located near Athens. This is a cave discovered in the 5th century and since then associated with the paranormal. The cave has a church built inside that dates from the middle ages.

You can also visit the first cemetery in Athenes that dates from 1847 and is the final resting place of several poets, painters and politicians.

All around Greece you can also find several abandoned places such as Kallio, the sunken village of Fokida. This village was abandoned because of the construction of an artificial lake that flooded the village. Another place is Vatheia, the abandoned towers of Mani that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Greece, there is also an abandoned secret prison on the island of Yaros. There the prisoners were subject to torture, forced labour and inhumane conditions until the close of the Prison in 1967.

Lastly, a curious place to visit in Greece is the Church of Agia Theodora of Vasta. This church seems to be a witchcraft endeavour because there are seventeen maple trees and holly trees growing from its roof. This is really an unbelievable view especially because there is barely any roots to be seen.

Malta

Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean sea. The most famous activity to do there on Halloween is the Halloween monsters Ball. Where you can even enter a competition for the best costume.

Besides that, you can visit haunted houses in Swiqi and Pembroke. These towns have activities for every age so get ready to be scared.

Do you agree with this selection? Do you know any other Halloween tradition in one of the countries? Does the country where you live have some amazing Halloween traditions that you want to share? Comment bellow your stories, I would love to read them!

In case you are wondering, all these pictures were taking with the following equipment:

• Canon EOS 90d
• Samsung SD card
• Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM
• Canon EF-S 55-250mm F/4-5.6 is STM
• Canon  EF-S 10-18mm F/4.5-5.6 IS STM
• K&F Concept K-Serie 67mm ND Filter
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

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