Covers the towns that sell their ghosts: the Deep South, the old Florida coast, Salem and Gettysburg.
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Salem has one kind of night tour, and it has a lot of it. Ghost walks, witch-trial walks, a ghost hunt, a haunted pub crawl. Nobody here sells a night bus or a night food tour that clears our bar, and the one sunset sail we found no longer lists a sunset slot.
That's fine. Downtown is small and flat. Most of these walks start within a few blocks of each other on Essex Street or in Derby Square, and they end at the Witch Trials Memorial or the old burying ground on Charter Street, which is about as good a final stop as a ghost walk can have.
Then there's October. Destination Salem says the city welcomes more than a million visitors for Haunted Happenings, and you feel it on every tour: groups run up to 40, the best operators sell out weeks ahead, and some won't refund you if it rains or you're late. Read the rules on each card below. They matter more here than anywhere else on this site.
At a glance
Best overall
Spellbound's Voodoo, Vampires and Ghosts walk, 7.5, from $28 (€25)
Best history at night
Witch City's History and Hauntings, lantern-light departure
Cheapest good one
The Salem Night Ghost Tour, from $24 (€21), but don't be late
Skip
Halloween night itself, unless crowds are the point
October rule
Book weeks ahead; Witch City tours are non-refundable
When it gets dark
About 6:30 p.m. in October, 4:43 p.m. in December
On this page
The 10 best night tours in Salem, Massachusetts, ranked
Every tour we scored in Salem, Massachusetts that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
Salem Voodoo, Vampires, and Ghosts Guided Walking Tour
Ghost tours
7.5/10Night Score
From $28 (€25)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Daily evening tour
Large group
4.9 (2,056 reviews)
A 4.9 from 2,056 reviewers at $28 (€25) for 90 minutes. That's top-tier rating at a low hourly price, and it's why Spellbound edges out the bigger name below. The walk meets at the Revere Bell outside the Salem Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty Street, and runs every evening, plus weekend afternoons you shouldn't bother with. Free cancellation up to 24 hours, which is rare in Salem. Groups go up to 40. Kids are fine with an adult. GetYourGuide sells the same tour from $25 (€22), with fewer reviews, if you're comparing.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.6
Review countData · 10%8.7
Price per hourData · 20%8.3
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 90-minute ghost, vampire and voodoo walk by Spellbound Tours from the Revere Bell outside the Salem Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty Street.
Good to know: Gratuities included; free cancellation up to 24 hours. Children must be with an adult; up to 40 per group. GetYourGuide sells the same tour from $25 with fewer reviews.
After dark: Run as a daily evening walk, when the old houses around the Common are dark and the stories carry.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour
Ghost tours
7.4/10Night Score
From $36 (€32)
2 hours
Starts: Day and evening departures
Large group
4.9 (16,502 reviews)
The most-reviewed tour on this page by miles: 16,502 reviews at 4.9. On proof alone it's unbeatable. It ranks second because the same two-hour route also runs by day, so the dark isn't essential, and our after-dark score marks it down for that. Book the nighttime lantern-light departure. Witch City Walking Tours starts at Old Town Hall in Derby Square and ends at the Witch Trials Memorial. The catch: tickets are non-refundable and can't be changed, rain or shine. People book it about 29 days ahead. At $36 (€32), that's a lot to lose to a storm.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%9.0
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%8.4
After darkEditors · 40%5.0
What it is: A two-hour witch trials and hauntings walk by Witch City Walking Tours from Old Town Hall in Derby Square to the Witch Trials Memorial.
Good to know: Non-refundable and non-changeable, rain or shine; groups up to 40 at busy times. Gratuities are listed as included; the Witch House is not entered. Booked about 29 days ahead on average.
After dark: The lantern-light night departure turns a strong history walk into a ghost walk; the daytime version covers the same ground.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Mysteries and Murders of Salem Guided Night-Time Walking Tour
Ghost tours
6.8/10Night Score
From $36 (€32)
1 hour 40 minutes
Starts: Night
Large group, 13+
4.8 (1,598 reviews)
Night-only and true crime, which is the right combination for Salem. Same operator as number two, same Old Town Hall start, but this one finishes in the dark at the Burying Point on Charter Street. Ages 13 and up, and the operator refuses younger kids at the start, so don't try. It's $36 (€32) for 1 hour 40 minutes. Non-refundable, rain or shine, groups up to 40, and it's booked about 38 days ahead on average, the longest lead time on the page. A 4.8 rating on 1,598 reviews keeps it third.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.8
Review countData · 10%8.3
Price per hourData · 20%7.7
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A night-time murder and mystery walk by Witch City Walking Tours from Old Town Hall in Derby Square to the Charter Street burying ground.
Good to know: Ages 13 and up only, children younger are refused. Non-refundable, rain or shine; up to 40 per group; booked about 38 days ahead on average.
After dark: A night-only true-crime walk that finishes at the Burying Point on Charter Street in the dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
A history tour, not a ghost tour, and that's its appeal. A local historian from 1692 Before and After leads two hours of witch-trial sites from the Hermetic Art Center, 272 Essex Street, to the Witch Trials Memorial. The 7:30 p.m. departure is the one to book; there's also a 3 p.m. Rated 4.9, but on 443 reviews, so it scores lower on proof. Family-friendly with child rates, $35 (€31). There are no restrooms on the route and parking isn't included. In summer, 7:30 is still light; it works best from September on.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.3
Review countData · 10%6.3
Price per hourData · 20%8.5
After darkEditors · 40%5.0
What it is: A two-hour witch trials history walk led by a local historian from 1692 Before and After, starting at the Hermetic Art Center, 272 Essex Street, ending at the Witch Trials Memorial.
Good to know: A history tour, not a ghost tour; family-friendly with child rates. Parking excluded, no restrooms on the route; rain or shine, up to 40.
After dark: The 7:30 p.m. departure walks the witch trial sites in the dark; the 3 p.m. version covers the same route.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The cheapest tour here at $24 (€21), with 4,648 reviews. A 4.6 rating is what drops it to fifth. The Salem Night Ghost Tour checks you in at Remember Salem Gifts, 127 Essex Street, and licensed guides peel off with groups as they fill. The last guide leaves exactly at tour time. Arrive late and you've forfeited your ticket, no refund, no switching slots. That sounds harsh, and it is, but it also means it runs on time. Seventy-five minutes, up to 40 people, with kid and senior rates.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%9.9
Price per hourData · 20%8.2
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 75-minute licensed-guide night ghost walk by The Salem Night Ghost Tour from Remember Salem Gifts, 127 Essex Street.
Good to know: Guides leave continuously during check-in and the last one leaves exactly at tour time; late arrivals forfeit without refund and no slot changes. Up to 40; kid and senior rates.
After dark: A night walk through downtown Salem's documented haunted locations, after the day crowds and shops have gone.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Black Cat Tours checks you in at its Curiosity Shoppe, 234 Essex Street, and walks you back there 1 hour 45 minutes later. Reviewers mention an 8 p.m. slot and a 10 p.m. adults-only one, which is about as late as Salem goes. It's $30 (€27) with tips included and child rates. It's wheelchair and stroller accessible, a real plus on this list. Only 382 reviews and a 4.7 rating hold it at sixth. Groups reach 40, and reviewers say big October groups are hard to hear. Stand close.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%4.4
Review countData · 10%6.1
Price per hourData · 20%8.6
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A night ghost walk by Black Cat Tours, checking in at the Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe, 234 Essex Street, and ending there.
Good to know: Gratuities included; child rates; wheelchair and stroller accessible. Up to 40, and reviewers say large October groups can be hard to hear.
After dark: An evening ghost walk that is quieter than Salem's packed October daytime streets.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Sold as Salem's late-night lantern walk, after the earlier tours have cleared out of Essex Street, which is why it gets a higher after-dark score than most. It meets outside Salem Five Savings Bank, 210 Essex Street, for 90 minutes at $32 (€29), tip included. The problem is proof: 67 reviews. One October reviewer found it more history than scares. Groups go up to 50, the largest cap here. It runs year-round, and in January that means nights near 23°F (-5°C), so dress for it.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%2.9
Review countData · 10%3.5
Price per hourData · 20%7.8
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A 90-minute late-night lantern ghost walk by Salem Ghosts (US Ghost Adventures) from outside Salem Five Savings Bank, 210 Essex Street.
Good to know: Gratuity included; runs year-round (dress for the cold in winter). Up to 50; one October reviewer found it more history than scares.
After dark: Sold as Salem's late-night ghost walk, after the earlier tours have cleared Essex Street.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The only pub crawl in Salem worth a look, and it's still just eighth. Salem Ghosts starts at East India Square, 158 Essex Street, and stops at bars including Rockafellas and the Village Tavern. Max 20, which is small for Salem. It's $36 (€32) for 90 minutes. The listing says alcoholic drinks are included, but reviewers say they paid for their own, so budget for every round. A 4.6 rating keeps it down, and a Halloween-night reviewer never found the guide. Go a week early, arrive early.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.2
Review countData · 10%6.7
Price per hourData · 20%7.3
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A haunted pub crawl by Salem Ghosts (US Ghost Adventures) from East India Square, 158 Essex Street, with stops including Rockafellas and the Village Tavern.
Good to know: The page lists alcoholic drinks as included, but reviewers say you buy your own; budget for drinks. Maximum 20; a Halloween-night reviewer could not find the guide, so arrive early in late October.
After dark: Haunted tavern stories told in the taverns, which only works once the bars are open at night.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
A Ghost Hunting Tour Specters and Apparitions in Salem
Ghost tours
5.1/10Night Score
From $36 (€32)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Evening
Large group
4.6 (52 reviews)
A 90-minute ghost hunt with equipment, from Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, to the Charter Street Cemetery after dark. It's $36 (€32), and unlike most Witch City tours the gratuity isn't included. Each device you don't return costs $200 (€179). Hold onto it. Children must come with a ticketed adult. Only 52 reviews, the thinnest record on the page, and that's what puts it ninth. Groups run 39 or 40, which is a lot of people waving meters at one gravestone.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%2.3
Review countData · 10%3.1
Price per hourData · 20%7.3
After darkEditors · 40%6.5
What it is: A 90-minute ghost hunt with equipment by Witch City Walking Tours from Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, ending at the Charter Street Cemetery.
Good to know: Equipment use is included, gratuity is not, and each unreturned device costs $200. Children must be with a ticketed adult; groups up to 39 or 40.
After dark: Ghost-hunting gear used on dark streets, ending at the Charter Street Cemetery after nightfall.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Salem Ghosts: Witches & Wicked Whispers Guided Walking Tour
Ghost tours
4.9/10Night Score
From $30 (€27)
1 hour
Starts: Evening
Large group
4.5 (640 reviews)
A one-hour lantern walk from outside Salem Five Savings Bank, 210 Essex Street, to Wicked Good Books. Short enough to fit before a dinner reservation, and that's its job. It's $30 (€27) with tips included, up to 35 people, and kids are fine with an adult. The 4.5 rating is the lowest of the ten, and on an hour-long tour you're paying more per hour than the top walks, so it lands last. GetYourGuide showed it on sale from $24 (€21), rated 4.3 there.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%6.9
Price per hourData · 20%6.4
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A one-hour lantern-led ghost walk by Salem Ghosts (US Ghost Adventures) from outside Salem Five Savings Bank, 210 Essex Street, to Wicked Good Books.
Good to know: Guide tips are included; children must be with an adult; up to 35. GetYourGuide shows it on sale from $24 but rated 4.3 there.
After dark: A lantern-led evening ghost walk along Essex Street, short enough to fit around dinner.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator 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
What a night in Salem is like
Two cities, really. From November to September, downtown Salem after dark is quiet. A few restaurants, a few bars, the shops on Essex Street winding down, and a ghost walk or two heading past the Common. Spellbound still runs every evening, and Edge of Twilight runs year-round.
October is the other one. The Essex Street pedestrian mall fills, costumes are everywhere, and tour groups queue behind each other at the same corners. Groups of 40 are standard. Reviewers on several tours say the back of an October group can't hear the guide.
The good news is that most of what you want to see is within easy walking distance. Old Town Hall, the Witch Trials Memorial, the Charter Street burying ground, the Witch House. No tour goes inside the Witch House, by the way. They all stop outside.
October and Halloween: the rules that bite
Haunted Happenings runs all month. The city's 2026 traffic plan is worth reading before you go, and here's what matters for a night tour:
On October weekends, Essex Street between Hawthorne Boulevard and New Liberty Street is closed to through traffic with no on-street parking from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., starting at noon on Fridays.
On Halloween, Saturday 31 October 2026, downtown streets close to all traffic no later than noon. There's a drone show at 10:15 p.m., with Bridge Street closed from 9:15 to 11:30 p.m.
The MBTA garage at Salem station is closed to cars on Halloween evening from 6 p.m. (the city says until 1 a.m., the MBTA says 11:30 p.m.).
Police can close any street at any time for safety.
Now the tour rules. Witch City Walking Tours tickets are non-refundable and can't be changed, and people book them 29 to 38 days ahead. The Salem Night Ghost Tour forfeits latecomers. None of the product pages showed October surge pricing when we checked, so the price isn't the problem. Availability is.
My advice: pick a weeknight in early or mid October, book a month out, and get to the meeting point 20 minutes early. Halloween itself is for people who want the crowd.
Ghosts or witches: how to pick
Decide what you came for. If it's the 1692 trials, the history matters more than the scares, and the lantern History and Hauntings walk or the 1692 Before and After tour will give you more of it. If you want ghost stories, Spellbound is the pick.
Adults-only isn't really a category here, unlike New Orleans. The closest you'll get is Mysteries and Murders at 13 and up, or Black Cat's late adults-only slot that reviewers mention.
Ghost hunts and crawls are both thin in Salem. One of each made the list, at eighth and ninth.
With kids, take Spellbound, the 1692 tour or Black Cat, the only one here that lists itself as wheelchair accessible.
The free version
Salem is easy to walk on your own after dark. Start at Old Town Hall in Derby Square, walk up Essex Street, cut over to the Witch Trials Memorial and the Charter Street Cemetery next to it, then loop back past the Salem Common. Most paid tours cover some version of that route.
At the cemetery, the welcome center's rules are short: stay on the paths, don't lean or push on the tombs, and gravestone rubbings are strictly prohibited. Check the posted hours at the gate before you plan a late visit.
What you won't get on your own is the trial detail. Honestly, for Salem, the stories are the reason to pay.
Getting back to Boston late
Take the train. The city asks October visitors to, and it's right. The Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line runs from Salem to Boston's North Station in about 30 minutes, at $8 (€7.10) one-way, or $10 (€8.90) for an unlimited weekend pass.
On October weekends from the 3rd to the 25th, the MBTA ran extra Haunted Happenings trains. The last three back to Boston left Salem at 8:57 p.m., 9:49 p.m. and 11:13 p.m. So a 7 or 8 p.m. walk works. A 10 p.m. tour means you're catching the last train with no margin. That weekend schedule doesn't cover Halloween, so check the MBTA's holiday page for 31 October. Bikes and scooters aren't allowed on the line on October weekends.
Driving? The city lot at 108 Jefferson Avenue is free on October Saturdays and Sundays, about a five-minute walk from downtown, with no shuttle. City garages may switch to flat fees on busy days. There's no city shuttle in 2026.
Seasons: dark times and cold
Salem gets dark early in winter, and cold. It's dark by 4:43 p.m. in December, and January nights drop to around 23°F (-5°C). Every walk here is outdoors, so it's gloves and a hat. Tours still run.
Summer has the opposite problem. Dark doesn't come until about 8:57 p.m. in June, which means a 7:30 p.m. walk is a daylight walk.
October is the best compromise on paper: dark by about 6:30 p.m. and nights around 49°F (9°C). That's why everyone else is there too.
What to skip
Haunted Footsteps (rated 4.0) and Paranormal Ghost Tours (4.3) didn't make the list. The Spooky Spectres walk cleared our bar but runs groups of up to 120, so we left it off. A group that size is a parade, not a tour.
The daytime witch tours are good, some of the best-reviewed in town, but they aren't night tours, so they're not ranked here. Do one in the afternoon and a ghost walk after dinner.
And there's no night cruise to book. A schooner sail showed up in our research as a sunset trip; its page now lists daytime sailings with no sunset slot.
When it gets dark in Salem, Massachusetts
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for Salem, Massachusetts. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
4:34 p.m.
5:05 p.m.
5:40 p.m.
23°F (-5°C)
February
5:14 p.m.
5:43 p.m.
6:16 p.m.
23°F (-5°C)
March
6:49 p.m.
7:17 p.m.
7:50 p.m.
30°F (-1°C)
April
7:24 p.m.
7:53 p.m.
8:28 p.m.
39°F (4°C)
May
7:57 p.m.
8:29 p.m.
9:10 p.m.
49°F (10°C)
June
8:22 p.m.
8:57 p.m.
9:42 p.m.
59°F (15°C)
July
8:19 p.m.
8:53 p.m.
9:36 p.m.
66°F (19°C)
August
7:46 p.m.
8:17 p.m.
8:54 p.m.
65°F (18°C)
September
6:54 p.m.
7:23 p.m.
7:56 p.m.
58°F (15°C)
October
6:02 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7:03 p.m.
49°F (9°C)
November
4:22 p.m.
4:52 p.m.
5:26 p.m.
36°F (2°C)
December
4:11 p.m.
4:43 p.m.
5:18 p.m.
27°F (-3°C)
Where Salem, Massachusetts ranks
The best place a Salem, Massachusetts tour reaches on each of our other pages.
In October, yes, weeks in advance. Witch City tours are booked about 29 to 38 days ahead and can't be refunded. The rest of the year you can usually book the same week.
What is the best ghost tour in Salem?
By our Night Score, Spellbound's Voodoo, Vampires and Ghosts walk: 4.9 from more than 2,000 reviews, 90 minutes, from $28 (€25), with free cancellation up to 24 hours. History and Hauntings is a close second and has far more reviews.
Are Salem ghost tours OK for kids?
Most are. Spellbound, Black Cat, the Salem Night Ghost Tour and the 1692 history walk all take children with an adult, and several have child rates. Mysteries and Murders is 13 and up and turns away younger kids. The pub crawl is for adults.
Is it worth going to Salem on Halloween?
Only if you want the party. On 31 October 2026 downtown closes to traffic by noon, there's a drone show at 10:15 p.m., and tour groups are at their biggest. For the tours themselves, an October weeknight is better.
How late do trains run from Salem to Boston?
On October weekends from the 3rd to the 25th, the last train to North Station left Salem at 11:13 p.m. Check the MBTA timetable for other dates, and for Halloween night, before you book a late tour.
