The Best European Country For Ghostly Walks And Great Scares, Per Rick Steves

If you want to know which European country has the best ghostly walks and great scares, travel pro Rick Steves has your next travel spot. On his website, Steves tells us that Great Britain is the destination for spooky tours. (We've thrown in Northern Ireland as well.) He says, "Whether you believe in mystical energy or not, Britain's pagan roots run deep." Pagan traditions are just one thing that makes Britain a good destination for October — the country's foggy moors, Gothic architecture, and centuries-old cities make it the best place in Europe for fans of horror and Halloween. Whether you're visiting England, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Scotland, you're going to find a host of frightening walking tours and creepy spots all over this nation.

In his guide, Steves begins with a town in northern England. He explains, "For those who enjoy a good scare, Great Britain is loaded with ghostly walks; in northern England, historic York is a great place to take one. ... If any city can claim to be legitimately haunted, it would be 2,000-year-old York, which has preserved its medieval streets and walls." Don't miss is the award-winning Deathly Dark Tours, which cost around $13 for adults, and around $10 for kids over 6. This is a funny, spooky experience that focuses on history rather than people jumping out at you. The tour lasts 70 to 90 minutes and is listed as suitable for children (and dogs).

There are no shortage of ghost tours roaming the city of York — some on the historic side, some leaning more toward scares. All of them will likely visit the supposedly haunted York Castle Museum and the enormous Gothic cathedral York Minster, and there are plenty of ruined abbeys in the surrounding countryside ideal for visiting on quiet nights under the full moon.

While we're in Britain, let's take a look at London. After you spend the day visiting landmarks and attractions like London's British Museum, you can move into a spooky evening. London has many haunted tours, including Haunted Happenings (recommended by Time Out London). Haunted Happenings offers ghost hunts taking place across the isle of Great Britain, from a Scottish mansion in Stirling to haunted nunneries and castles in Dover, Oxford, Warwick, and more. One major subset of spooky tours focuses on the Whitechapel serial killer Jack the Ripper — Rebel Tours offers one that focuses on the women he murdered rather than the killer himself. It's around $24 per person, and you can book private tours as well.

Scotland's Edinburgh also has numerous spooky tours and ghost buses operating year-round — but especially in the autumn. Rick Steves mentions the Heart of Midlothian, frequently spit upon by the locals, which he describes as "a heart-shaped brick mosaic in the pavement" that marks where executions used to take place as well as a nearby 15th-century prison. It's on Edinburgh's Royal Mile (which is a great place for day tours as well). Intrepid history fans can venture beneath the Royal Mile for a tour of Real Mary King's Close, where guides show you ancient preserved streets and explain the effects of bubonic plague on 17th-century Edinburgh. Young ones might enjoy a "Harry Potter"-inspired tour of Edinburgh, while adults might go for a couple's tour of Edinburgh's underground vaults — both bookable via Auld Reekie Tours. The vaults tour takes you through creepy alleys, the haunted Blair Street Underground Vaults, and the ghost-infested streets of Old Town.

If you want to spend your October in Wales instead of England or Scotland, Cardiff has great spooky experiences on offer. The Ghosts of Llandaff self-guided audio tour takes you on a .6-mile tour lasting 45 minutes for only $8. It uses the GPS in your phone to play audio as you walk (or drive or bike) and gives you directions so you can follow a fixed route. You can play it whenever you like, even offline. You'll visit the spooky area behind Llandaff Cathedral, the shivery riverbank, and creepy graveyard. You should also consider the Cardiff Dark Side Tour via Fogo's Free Tours. You can reserve a private tour, but the group one is free, runs two hours, and walks you through sites of hangings, graveyards, and haunted Cardiff Castle. Book in advance.

If you'd rather visit the underrated Northern Irish city of Belfast, scare fans will love the Belfast Lad ghost tours. The company has many to choose from, including the Halloween Belfast Ghost and Paranormal Tour Experience with author and paranormal investigator Francis Higgins. You'll get to experience ghost hunting through the streets with no actors hired to spook you. You'll start and end at White's Tavern, so you can drown your fright in some good Irish beer. (The tour is not advised for anyone under 14.) Farther north is another Rick Steves favorite: the Giant's Causeway. There, embark on the Causeway Hotel Halloween Ghost Story and Paranormal Tour, again hosted by Francis Higgins. Of course, this ends in the hotel's bar, and as you just happen to be about 2.5 miles from Old Bushmills Distillery, this is the perfect place to try it out.