Charleville Castle, one of several haunted spots in Co Offaly, has been ranked as one of the top 10 most haunted locations in the world.
Halloween has become more than a holiday; it’s a global phenomenon, and a surge in haunted tourism is sweeping the world.
Ghost tours, eerie overnights, and “haunted experience” packages now generate up to 20% of local tourism revenue in some destinations. Interest is peaking with online searches for “Halloween attractions” surging 134%, proving the appetite for spooky adventures is stronger than ever.
With this in mind, SpinBlitz.com used TripAdvisor reviews to analyze the most popular and crowd-approved Halloween destinations to visit this October.
Charleville Castle in Co Offaly made the top 10 list of scariest spots to visit for Halloween. This Gothic-style castle, which ranks eighth on the list, is considered one of the most haunted buildings in Ireland and has been visited by several paranormal investigators.
Read on to find out more about the castle, as well as other haunted locations to visit around the globe.
Charleville Castle. (Facebook)
Scariest Halloween Spots To Visit This October
1. Salem, Massachusetts, USA - TripAdvisor Score: 4.9/5
Every October, Salem transforms into a living Halloween movie set. The city’s haunting legacy from the 1692 Witch Trials lures more than 1 million visitors each October, with 87,500 people crowding its streets on Halloween night alone, a record-breaking 37% increase from the previous year (2023).4
Despite its small population of about 44,000 residents, Salem braces for up to 100,000 tourists per weekend, as ghost tours, psychic fairs, and costumed parades flood its narrow colonial streets.5Sites like the Witch House and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial buzz with eerie energy, while flickering lanterns and fog rolling off the harbour create a movie-perfect backdrop. For anyone drawn to the paranormal or fascinated by dark history, Salem is the perfect spot.
2. Corvin Castle, Romania - TripAdvisor Score: 4.9/5
Towering above the Transylvanian landscape, Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle, exudes Gothic majesty and chilling folklore. One of Europe’s largest and best-preserved medieval castles, it welcomes around 275,000 visitors annually, with a noticeable spike every October as Dracula fans and paranormal seekers descend on its dungeons.6
Legends speak of Vlad the Impaler’s imprisonment here, and of Ana, the noblewoman accused of infidelity and executed within its stone walls. Romanian ghost hunters have documented temperature drops of 5°C in sealed chambers and recorded unexplained whispers in the dungeon of the tower. Between its grim legends and cinematic setting, Corvin Castle isn’t just a sight; it’s a descent into the very roots of vampire myth.
3. Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts, USA - TripAdvisor Score: 4.8/5
The Lizzie Borden House is one of America’s most infamous murder sites, and one of its most booked Halloween stays. The bed-and-breakfast now hosts sold-out tours and overnight experiences months in advance, with October reservations often closing out by midsummer.
Paranormal investigators report consistent activity: disembodied voices, moving objects, and footsteps matching police accounts from the 1892 double murder. Ghost-hunting groups claim over 70% of overnight EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) sessions capture unexplained noises.7 Each October, the Borden House’s grim authenticity and chilling silence make it an unnerving overnight, especially for those brave enough to sleep in the “murder room.”
4. Hill of Crosses, Lithuania - TripAdvisor Score: 4.7/5
Rising out of rural fields near Šiauliai, Lithuania’s Hill of Crosses is a haunting monument of faith, defiance, and mystery. More than 200,000 crosses, crucifixes, and rosaries crowd the hill, left by pilgrims since the 19th century. 8
Visitors report that the clatter of wind through the crosses sounds almost like whispering voices. The site draws about 100,000 visitors a year, many arriving in autumn to witness the eerie beauty in October.8 Locals report ghostly figures and glowing lights among the crosses at night, a reminder that this sacred site also carries centuries of resistance, death, and devotion.
5. Tower of London, England - TripAdvisor Score: 4.6/5
The Tower of London is as infamous for its ghosts as for its crown jewels. Hosting over 3 million visitors annually, its halls and dungeons have witnessed torture, executions, and betrayal for nearly a millennium.9
October tours sell out weeks in advance, as guests hope to glimpse Anne Boleyn’s spectral figure or the “White Lady” seen waving from the tower windows. Paranormal logs from UK ghost societies note over 200 separate ghost sightings on record since the 19th century, making it statistically one of the most haunted places in Europe.10 The Tower’s blood-stained history ensures that every echoing footstep lingers a little too long.
6. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, USA - TripAdvisor Score: 4.6/5
Once the world’s most ambitious prison, Eastern State Penitentiary’s crumbling halls still echo with despair. Built in 1829 and closed in 1971, it now draws over 300,000 visitors annually, with October being its peak due to the “Halloween Nights” experience. 11
Ghost researchers have documented more than 60 verified paranormal incidents, from shadow figures in Cellblock 12 to sudden cold spots in solitary cells.12 During Halloween, actors and ambient effects blur the line between theatre and genuine terror, heightening the penitentiary’s long-standing reputation as one of the most haunted prisons in America.
7. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland - TripAdvisor Score: 4.4/5
Dominating the Scottish capital, Edinburgh Castle receives 2 million visitors per year, but ghost-tour bookings skyrocket each October.13 Paranormal surveys conducted during the 2001 Edinburgh Ghost Project logged 51% of participants reporting ghostly sensations inside the vaults: touches, temperature drops, or shadows.14
The tale of the missing piper boy, whose music is still heard beneath the fortress, and phantom prisoners from the Napoleonic wars lend credence to the castle’s eerie reputation. Under grey autumn skies, the ancient fortress feels less like a tourist site and more like a crossroads between centuries.
8. Charleville Castle, Ireland - TripAdvisor Score: 4.4/5
Hidden in County Offaly’s forests, Charleville Castle has gained fame as Ireland’s most haunted building. Ghost tours here are intimate, visitor numbers capped at just a few hundred per Halloween season, but the setting makes up in intensity what it lacks in crowds.
The most reported spirit is Harriet, a young girl who died on the staircase in the 1800s; her laughter and sometimes sobs echo through the halls. Paranormal investigators have reported spikes in electromagnetic readings near the staircase and crypt.15 With candlelight tours and a thunderstorm overhead, Charleville is pure Irish Gothic come alive.
9. Banff Springs Hotel, Canada - TripAdvisor Score: 4.⅘
Nicknamed the “Castle in the Rockies,” the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel’s elegance conceals a long list of eerie legends. The bride who fell to her death on her wedding day reportedly dances in her burnt gown; a ghostly bellman named Sam Macauley still helps guests before vanishing into thin air.
Google Street View even lists it among Canada’s most haunted destinations, and hotel staff confirm dozens of paranormal reports each year, particularly in the infamous Room 873, permanently sealed after an unspeakable tragedy.16 Despite, or perhaps because of, its luxury, Banff Springs remains the quintessential haunted hotel of the North.
10. Aokigahara Forest, Japan - TripAdvisor Score: 4.3/5
Nestled at the base of Mount Fuji, Aokigahara Forest is a dense woodland spanning approximately 30 square kilometres. The forest creates an atmosphere many visitors describe as unsettling, seemingly swallowing sound and light. Known as the “Sea of Trees”, the forest is steeped in Japanese folklore, said to be haunted by yūrei, restless spirits that linger in the woods.
Visitors often report a chilling stillness, whispers carried on the wind, or shadowy figures glimpsed along the trails, making Aokigahara a uniquely haunting destination for those drawn to paranormal history. The forest’s legends have been reinforced through literature, including Seichō Matsumoto’s novel Nami no Tō, released in 1961.17
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