The Most Haunted City In Europe Offers The Opportunity To Take A Ghost Home As A Souvenir

If you want to go ghost hunting for Halloween this year, you'll want to check out the most haunted destinations in the world. For those looking for ghoulish travel experiences, one European city arguably stands out over them all. York in Northern England was once ranked by the Ghost Research Foundation International as the most haunted city in Europe with over 500 recorded hauntings.

Rick Steves claims Great Britain is the best place in Europe for ghostly walks and great scares, and York is a must-see for those hoping to witness the paranormal and experience the eerie city filled with haunting stories. York is roughly 74 miles northeast of Manchester, and a great time to visit is during Ghost Week from the end of October to early November. This event is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2024, and during the festival, visitors can experience the city's haunted streets by hunting for ghosts and enjoying a variety of themed events.

York is a quiet, mid-sized British city of about 141,000 people, but it's hiding an unseemly past. York traces its origins back to A.D. 71 when it was founded by the Romans. It later endured centuries of wars and invasions, meaning countless lives have passed through the city. Some believe that is why York is filled with so many ghastly legends.

Over the years, some have claimed to have seen the ghosts of Roman legionnaires, while others believe numerous pubs throughout York are haunted. One of York's most well-known ghost stories is about Mad Alice Lane, where a woman named Alice Smith lived in the early 19th century. She was hanged after murdering her abusive husband in 1825, and some have seen her face peering down from a window in a home overlooking the street. There are numerous ghost walking tours in York that will teach you about the local legends in the city. One good option is The York Dungeon, a local interactive theater that gives tours of the city's most prolific ghost hotspots and offers horrific performances.

York's Ghost Week is particularly popular because of the Little York Ghost Hunt held on the days leading up to Halloween. It's essentially an easter egg hunt, but you're looking for small ghost figurines hidden around the streets of the city. The handmade statues are created by the York Ghost Merchants and designed according to historical artifacts and legends. The local outfit is located in a building from 1780 and claims to be the only ghost merchant still trading in the 21st century.

The one-of-a-kind handmade ghost statues are an amazing keepsake from your trip to York; however, be forewarned: during the busy season, the small store can see long waiting times because of the high demand. If you're interested in visiting other paranormal European travel destinations to look for ghosts, the Italian island of Poveglia is the most haunted island in the world with a disturbing history.