Covers London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Central Europe, where the ghost walks are old and the summer nights are short.
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Half of Europe's best ghost tours are in two cities, and they don't agree on what a ghost tour is.
London's top walks are about murder: the Ripper in Whitechapel, a staged killing in a Southwark coaching inn. Edinburgh's go underground, into vaults under a bridge and a locked corner of a kirkyard. Further south the format shifts again. Rome, Barcelona and Florence sell dark history, Inquisitions and executions, with a ghost or two for flavour.
We scored 35 ghost tours across our 14 European cities on October 26, 2026, each on its own product page, and this is the top 12, three per city at most. Seven cities made it. Some big names didn't, and the reasons are mostly about ratings, not a lack of ghosts.
At a glance
Best overall
Meet the Street's Jack the Ripper evening walk, London
Best underground
City of the Dead: South Bridge vaults plus the Covenanter's Prison
Best actual ghosts
Ghastly Ghosts, 8 p.m., Tower Hill to St Paul's
Cheapest
Barcelona Ghosts and Legends, $14.92 (€13.30) on sale
For a younger teen
SANDEMANs' Darkside walk in Edinburgh, from age 10
Nothing qualifies
Paris, Venice, Amsterdam
On this page
The ranking
Every ghost tour we scored in our Europe cities, in Night Score order, at most 3 per city. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
Strictly speaking it's a murder walk, and both platforms file it under ghost tours anyway. Meet the Street's guides take you through Whitechapel and Spitalfields for two hours from Aldgate Underground station. It wins on a 4.9 from 1,544 reviews and a sale price of $20 (€17.90). London's Ripper trade is crowded, and our Ripper page compares the three we rank. Large groups, moderate walking.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.4
Review countData · 10%8.2
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour Ripper walk through Whitechapel and Spitalfields run by Meet the Street Tours, starting at Aldgate Underground station.
Good to know: Shown today at $20, struck through from $27. Guide and tips are included; moderate walking. The same operator sells a 90-minute version on Viator (4.9, 403 reviews, $34) that we did not record.
After dark: Sold and run as an evening walk, so the murder sites are seen under streetlight as the case files describe them.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Edinburgh's only tour into the Covenanter's Prison, the locked corner of Greyfriars Kirkyard, and it adds the South Bridge vaults the same night. Two sets of keys for $35 (€31). Six people at most and a 12-plus rule make it the most controlled scare on the list. It begins at the tree beside St Giles' Cathedral and ends at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, which is handy. You'll want a drink.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.2
Review countData · 10%7.6
Price per hourData · 20%8.0
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 1 hour 45 minute City of the Dead Tours walk into the South Bridge vaults and the locked Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Good to know: Small groups (the page states a maximum of 6); minimum age 12. Leaves from the tree beside St Giles' Cathedral and ends at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar. The operator sells a separate daytime vaults tour, so this is its evening product.
After dark: Combines the South Bridge vaults with the locked Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars, a section only City of the Dead tours enter.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Less ghost, more theatre. The walk winds through Southwark's dark history past Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral, then finishes with a staged recreation of a murder inside the George Inn, the 17th-century coaching inn where it also began. Rated 4.9 by 932 people, $27 (€24), two to three hours. Not recommended for 12 and under. With up to 35 in a group, get near the front for the finale.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.1
Review countData · 10%7.5
Price per hourData · 20%9.5
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: An interactive dark-history walk around London Bridge, Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral, starting and ending at the George Inn on Borough High Street.
Good to know: Meet at the George Inn, two minutes from London Bridge station (Borough Market exit); up to 35 per group. Not recommended for children aged 12 and under.
After dark: A night walk along the South Bank's darkest history that finishes with a staged recreation of a murder inside a 17th-century coaching inn.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
SANDEMANs' walk is the outdoor counterpart to the vault tours. No underground, but a climb: South Bridge, Calton Hill, Jacob's Ladder and Canongate Kirkyard, two hours of murder and legend with the Old Town lit below. 3,939 reviews at 4.8, the biggest base of the three Edinburgh tours here. $32 (€29). Recommended from age 10, so it's the Edinburgh pick if you have a younger teenager along.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.1
Review countData · 10%9.6
Price per hourData · 20%8.9
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour SANDEMANs ghost walk from 130 High Street via South Bridge, Calton Hill and Jacob's Ladder to Canongate Kirkyard.
Good to know: Recommended for ages 10 and up; up to 35 per group. Ends on the Royal Mile at a pub, where drinks are at your own expense. Also on GetYourGuide (t136052, 4.8, 1,497 reviews); we kept Viator for its review count.
After dark: An evening walk that climbs to Calton Hill and the Old Calton Burial Ground after dark, with the city lit below.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
An actual ghost walk, at last. Meet the Street's 8 p.m. route starts at All Hallows by the Tower and ends on the steps of St Paul's, through City lanes that go quiet once the offices empty. 4.9 from 952 reviews, $34 (€30), two hours, up to 40 people. It isn't wheelchair accessible. Since it finishes at St Paul's, not where you started, sort your way home before you set off.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.1
Review countData · 10%7.5
Price per hourData · 20%8.7
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost-story walk by Meet the Street Tours from All Hallows by the Tower church to the steps of St Paul's Cathedral.
Good to know: Up to 40 per group; moderate walking, not wheelchair accessible. Ends outside St Paul's, so plan your own way home. Also sold on GetYourGuide (t56795, 4.9, 810 reviews); we kept this listing for its review count.
After dark: An 8 p.m. walk from the Tower to St Paul's through City lanes that empty out once the offices close.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The best-scoring ghost walk south of the Alps. Carpe Diem meets under the Giordano Bruno statue in Campo de' Fiori and follows Via Giulia to Castel Sant'Angelo with execution and plague stories, passing round a ghost-hunter kit. Capped at 20, two hours, $34 (€31). The same walk sells on GetYourGuide with more reviews, but our researcher couldn't load that page. Arrive late and you lose the fare.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.8
Review countData · 10%7.0
Price per hourData · 20%8.6
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A Carpe Diem Tours ghost and dark-history walk from Campo de' Fiori through Via Giulia to Castel Sant'Angelo, with a ghost-hunter kit.
Good to know: Meets under the Giordano Bruno statue in Campo de' Fiori and ends at Castel Sant'Angelo, capped at 20; late arrivals get no refund. The same tour sells on GetYourGuide with more reviews, but that page could not be read today.
After dark: The back lanes of Via Giulia and Via di Monserrato are near empty after dark, which is what makes the executions and plague stories land.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Runner Bean starts under the Arc de Triomf after nightfall and walks El Born and La Ribera with a projector to show old images on the way. Executions and the Inquisition rather than apparitions. $25 (€22), 4.9 from 353 reviews, and the thin review count is what keeps it seventh. Headsets mean you can hear even in a big group. No under-14s. It runs in all weather.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.9
Review countData · 10%6.0
Price per hourData · 20%9.9
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A Runner Bean Tours dark-history night walk through El Born and La Ribera, starting under the Arc de Triomf, with a projector for old images.
Good to know: Not suitable for children under 14. Runs in all weather; headsets are provided. The same tour sells on Viator (33923P1, 4.9, 191 reviews); I kept GYG for its larger review count.
After dark: It is timed to nightfall, so the execution sites, old cemeteries and Inquisition stories of El Born are told in the dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The only way into the Blair Street vaults, which Mercat Tours has to itself. Two hours from the Mercat Cross, ending below the street in Megget's Cellar with a dram of Ballantine's, a hazy IPA or a soft drink, plus the Vaults Museum. $41 (€37) on GetYourGuide against $46 (€41) for the same tour on Viator. The drag on its score is the rating, 4.7 from 2,843. Over-5s only.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.3
Review countData · 10%9.1
Price per hourData · 20%7.9
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A two-hour Mercat Tours evening walk from the Mercat Cross to the Blair Street vaults, with a drink in Megget's Cellar.
Good to know: Includes a dram of Ballantine's Scotch, a hazy IPA or a soft drink, plus the Vaults Museum. Small group (Mercat's Viator listing caps it at 18); no children under 5. Viator sells it as 2934P18 (4.8, 679 reviews) at $46.10, so the GetYourGuide price is lower.
After dark: An evening-only storytelling walk ending in the Blair Street vaults, with a candlelit drink below the street.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Pay what you want, in theory. The $3.43 (€3.10) is a booking fee; the guide works for tips, and the page says people give between $11.20 (€10) and $56 (€50). Florence Tour-Tale walks from Santissima Annunziata past the Duomo and the Bargello to the Ponte Vecchio with ghosts, crimes and the Monster of Florence. With no real price to judge, our value factor gives it a flat 5. Not recommended for under-18s.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.8
Review countData · 10%9.5
Price per hourData · 20%5.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.5
What it is: A Florence Tour-Tale storytelling walk on ghosts and crimes from Santissima Annunziata past the Duomo and Bargello to the Ponte Vecchio.
Good to know: Up to 25 people and not recommended for under-18s. The $3.43 is only a booking fee: the guide expects a tip, and the page says people give 10 to 50 euros.
After dark: The ghosts, murders and Monster of Florence stories are told in the old centre after dark, ending on the Ponte Vecchio.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghost stories up top, then down into a 13th-century cellar and a dungeon with torture instruments. Prague Tours' costumed guide meets you at the ticket office in the passage at Male namesti 459/11, about 20 m right of the Black Angel bar. Roughly 75 minutes, $31 (€28). This Viator listing rates 4.8; the same tour on GetYourGuide rates 4.3. No toilets below ground. Nobody under 6.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.0
Review countData · 10%9.3
Price per hourData · 20%6.9
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A costumed guide from Prague Tours walks you through Old Town ghost stories, then takes you down into the medieval underground and a dungeon with torture instruments.
Good to know: Meet at the ticket office inside the passage at Male namesti 459/11 (20 m right of the Black Angel bar), 5 to 10 minutes before the start, and the tour ends back there. Entry fees are included, tips and drinks are not; no children under 6, no toilets underground, groups capped at 26.
After dark: After dark the lanes around Old Town Square empty out and the descent into a 13th-century cellar and dungeon lands harder than it would at noon.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The cheapest tour on the list, $14.92 (€13.30) on sale from $21 (€18.80), and a 10 on value. Travel Bound starts at the Traveller's Nest bar in the Gothic Quarter and walks the narrow lanes and church squares with plague, Inquisition and ghost stories. A 4.7 rating holds it back. English only, no stated group cap, and the page warns people with heart problems away.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.2
Review countData · 10%8.3
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A Travel Bound ghost and dark-history walk through the Gothic Quarter, starting at the Traveller's Nest bar.
Good to know: Sale price of $15 (was $21). English only; no group cap is stated and the page flags it as unsuitable for people with heart problems.
After dark: The Gothic Quarter's narrow lanes and church squares go quiet after dark, which is when the plague, Inquisition and ghost stories work best.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Dublin's one spot. Original Dublin's guide carries a green umbrella and leaves from outside the Old Storehouse bar in Temple Bar, then walks the medieval city to St Stephen's Green through two hours of murder and torture stories. $27 (€24). Not for under-12s or pregnant women. Two more Dublin dark walks scored 7.2 and 7.0, right behind it, so the city has more depth than one spot suggests.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.0
Review countData · 10%6.5
Price per hourData · 20%9.5
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost and dark-history walk by Original Dublin from Temple Bar through the medieval city to St Stephen's Green.
Good to know: Meet outside the Old Storehouse bar; the guide carries a green umbrella. Not suitable for children under 12, pregnant women or people with heart problems; themes of murder and torture.
After dark: Medieval lanes and alleyways of the old city told as ghost and murder stories once Temple Bar is lit up.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
How this list works
The Night Score weighs traveler rating at 30%, review count at 10%, price per hour at 20% and our after-dark score at 40%. Ghost tours bunch up in a few cities, so this list allows three per city. Anything rated under 4.4, or with too few reviews, never enters the pool. Full method: how we score night tours.
London or Edinburgh?
If you can only do one ghost night in Britain, I'd go to Edinburgh. London's walks are good, but they're walks. Edinburgh's take you somewhere you can't go alone: the vaults under South Bridge and Blair Street, and the Covenanter's Prison, which City of the Dead unlocks at night.
Different keys belong to different firms. Mercat has the Blair Street vaults. City of the Dead, Auld Reekie and City of Edinburgh Tours use South Bridge. Our vaults page sorts them out.
London wins on price. Two of its three here cost under $30 (€27), and the Ripper walk is the cheapest top-five ghost tour in Europe. The best London ghost night might not be a tour at all, mind: Historic Royal Palaces runs its own ghost tours inside the Tower of London on Sundays from November 8, 7 to 8 p.m.
Rome, Barcelona, Florence: dark history
The southern walks are less about spirits than about what the city did to people. Rome's goes through the lanes behind Campo de' Fiori. Barcelona's two take El Born and the Gothic Quarter, with the Inquisition doing most of the work. Florence's ends on the Ponte Vecchio with the Monster of Florence.
They're cheap. Barcelona's Ghosts and Legends walk is the lowest fixed price on the list, and Florence's is tip-based. Bring cash for the tip.
Runners-up, and the cities with nothing
The three-per-city rule cut one tour: See Your City's Original Jack the Ripper walk, 7.3, with 8,940 reviews and no under-12s. Ripper-Vision's projection tour (7.1) would have been a fourth for London. Genuinely just below the line: a Dublin torture-and-murder walk on 7.2, beaten on review count, and a Prague nighttime ghost walk on 7.0.
Then the gaps. Paris's ghost walk rates 4.3. Venice's two rate 3.8 and 3.9. Amsterdam has no ghost walk with enough reviews and an evening start we could confirm. Budapest's vampire walk up to the Buda Castle District scores 6.4, Vienna's English ghost walk 6.2, a Sintra ghost walk sold as Lisbon 6.2, and Berlin's only ghost tour is in German, 5.4.
The free version in Edinburgh
Greyfriars Kirk says its kirkyard is open to visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So you can walk among the graves at midnight on your own, for nothing. What you can't do is get into the Covenanter's Prison. That stays locked unless City of the Dead has the key out.
Mercat also runs a Halloween Underground edition from October 23 to 31, 2026, if you're in town this week.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ghost tour in Europe?
By Night Score, Meet the Street's Jack the Ripper evening walk in London, 8.1. If you want a tour that takes you underground, City of the Dead's Double Dead in Edinburgh, 8.0, goes into the South Bridge vaults and the Covenanter's Prison.
Is a Jack the Ripper tour a ghost tour?
Not really. It's a walk past the 1888 murder sites with the history of the case. GetYourGuide and Viator both list Ripper tours under ghost tours, which is why one tops this list.
Are the Edinburgh vault tours scary?
They're dark, close and atmospheric more than jump-scary. Age rules tell you the operators' view: City of the Dead takes no one under 12, Mercat's evening tour admits from age 5, and SANDEMANs' outdoor Darkside walk recommends 10 and up.
How much does a ghost tour cost in Europe?
On this list, from $14.92 (€13.30) in Barcelona to $41 (€37) for Mercat's vaults tour with whisky. Most are $25 (€22) to $35 (€31). Florence's is tip-based with a $3.43 (€3.10) booking fee.
Which European ghost tours are fine for kids?
Prague's underground tour takes children from 6, Mercat's from 5, and Edinburgh's Darkside recommends 10 and up. The Meet the Street walks in London set no age limit. Avoid Florence (18+), Barcelona's Dark Past (14+) and Cloak and Dagger, which isn't recommended for 12 and under.
