Most Haunted Cities in Europe

 This Halloween, Culture Trip is taking you on a tour of Europe’s most haunted cities. You might not be able to visit them in person yet, but these destinations, from Prague to Paris, have some fascinating stories to tell that will spook you from home.

London

When the fog descends on London, it’s like you’ve stepped into a Victorian Gothic horror film. It’s no surprise that many of the city’s most famous ghosts originate from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Londoners love a pub, but you might not know that many boozers have their own ghosts, like the Ten Bells in Shoreditch, haunted by the spirit of Annie Chapman (one of Jack the Ripper’s victims) or the Old Queen’s Head in Angel, which is terrorised by the ghost of a little girl who weeps, slams doors and rushes past punters on the stairwell. There have also been sightings of a mysterious creature lurking in the woodlands around Hackney Marshes, a popular place for dog walkers and amateur footballers. Would you consider staying at one of London’s haunted hotels?

Prague

According to folklore, the streets of Prague were once watched over by a mythical clay Golem, brought to life by a Rabbi in the 16th century to defend the Jewish ghettos. Houska Castle on the outskirts of the city is believed to have been built over a gateway to hell, but be warned, demons escaped the bottomless pit that lies beneath the foundations. While wandering the city at night, don’t be surprised if you bump into the headless Templar who rides the cobbled streets on horseback. And once a century, the city is visited by the Iron Man, the spirit of a jilted lover who returns to try and free himself from ghostly servitude. As the story goes, the forlorn ghoul missed his last chance in 2009.