For those looking to add some horror to the next getaway, there are plenty of locations across Europe to choose from. However, the spookiest of all might just be in the UK. According to Norwegian Air, the creepiest European tourist attraction is the Edinburgh Vaults in Scotland.
These vaults are a series of chambers formed in the nineteen arches of the South Bridge in Edinburgh. They were first used as storage for businesses on South Bridge in 1788. This use only lasted a few years, however, and they were later used as slum housing amid the Industrial Revolution, with small rooms housing families of up to ten people.
The vaults eventually became known as one of the most dangerous parts of the cities and became a hotbed of criminal activity, with vaults being repurposed into illegal gambling dens or illegal whiskey distilleries.
There were even rumours that bodysnatchers would store corpses in some of the vaults overnight.
Alongside this dark and seedy history, the Edinburgh Vaults are, perhaps unsurprisingly, said to be haunted.
Ghostly apparitions include children who take your hand as you explore, and ‘Mr. Boots’, whose heavy footsteps can sometimes be heard echoing through the vaults.
One visitor to the vaults took to TripAdvisor, writing: “Had a wonderful time exploring. Worth booking in advance. Very interesting to learn new things.
“Unfortunately I can’t remember the young ladies name who lead us but she was amazing and very knowledgeable.”
Another added: “We had the most amazing tour thanks to our guide, Kieran.
“It was just myself and my partner on our tour, but that didn’t phase our guide! He struck the right balance between scary/paranormal stories and the dark historical past of the vaults.
“If you’re coming to Edinburgh, carve out an hour to go on this tour, it was my favourite thing we’d done on this holiday!”
While a third wrote: “Great tour with a fantastic tour guide Aimee who was very informative & comical. Really interesting to learn about the history of the underground vaults.”
Second on the list of spookiest destinations in Europe was Portugal’s Capela dos Ossos, or Chapel of Bones, while third place went to the eerie Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.
And the Edinburgh Vaults weren’t the only UK site to make to the list, with the Tower of London, another site that is said to be extremely haunted, coming in at number five
Europe’s 10 spookiest places
- Edinburgh Vaults, Scotland
- Capela dos Ossos, Portugal
- The Hill of Crosses, Lithuania
- Catacombs of Paris, France
- The Tower of London, England
- Dracula’s birthplace, Dublin
- The Church of Ghosts, Prague
- Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim
- Pfaueninsel, Berlin
- Moosham Castle, Austria