If you’re looking for a way to throw yourself into the festive feeling of Halloween and embrace the spookiness of the season, there’s no better place to visit than the UK’s most haunted city. The place often referred to as the “city of a thousand ghosts”, York is a top spot to add to your travel list this October.
From haunted pubs to cobbled street ghost walks, dingy dungeons and a whole lot of history, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. With an extensive history dating back to Roman times, there’s so much of its past well preserved, including the likes of the York Minster and the charm of the Shambles, but sprinkle some ghosts and gruesome tales in there and it gets a whole lot more interesting.
Not to mention, there are plenty of cosy pubs and shops to break up the frights you may experience along the way.
Sitting in North Yorkshire, York is an easily accessible destination that, despite the short journey, feels like you’re travelling back in time.
With frequent trains from other major UK cities and within a two-hour drive of the likes of Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds, it has to be a must-visit on your list this autumn.
York Dungeon
A top tourist attraction in York and perfect for this time of year is the York Dungeon, which retells the history of the space using actors, lights and displays, set to give you a fright. From the Vikings conquering York to the real story behind what went down that night with Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot, the experience takes you on a dark journey through time.
A standard ticket to the Dungeon starts at £19, giving you access to 10 live actor shows that retell over 2,000 years of troubling history. There are plenty of surprises along the way as you try your best to make it out of the dungeons, set to scare you silly.
A boasting TripAdvisor review claims: “The highlight of my trip to York. The actors were brilliant and very convincing. It was dark, it was spooky, and the smells and the special effects were so good. Be prepared to jump a lot as the lights go out and the unexpected happens.”
Ghost Walks
Not only do ghost walks offer the perfect chance to see the city in all of its glory, but they also offer an opportunity to learn about the people of York that died and never left.
As you tick landmarks off of your list along the route, you’ll find yourself on edge as you enter some of the spookiest haunts and feel the eerie atmosphere of the places you stop by.
There are a number of much-loved and well-organised tours operating in the city, but the top-listed on TripAdvisor include The Deathly Dark Tour of York, which was voted the experience of the year in 2024, and Mad Alice’s The Bloody Tour of York, which was also crowned the Best Tour Award in Europe.
Hallowscream, York Maze
If you’re after a real scare, you’re in for a treat with Hallowscream at York Maze, offering a special experience for the family with an award-winning event.
With haunted houses, live actors and countless screams, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a hauntingly good time if you’re an avid thrill seeker.
Based on a farm that experienced a terrible tragedy back in 1873, the souls of those who died return for one very night at the maze and torment visitors for a “night of terror” – except it’s open to the public throughout October.
Be warned, it’s as scary as it gets, and that’s why you must be at least 16 years old to attend, with no children permitted, even when accompanied by an adult.
The Shambles
Famed for its incredibly well-preserved buildings that date as far back as the 14th century, York’s Shambles is a charming flurry of shops and restaurants that look straight out of a spooky film.
In fact, it’s thought that the street is the inspiration behind Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, with quaint cobbles and dark alleys all unique in appearance and creepy in atmosphere.
It was once a thriving street of butchers’ stalls, which lends its name to the shambles, as that usually means a meat market, but it has since gained a slight glamour.
Now, it houses a wide range of vibrant shops, cafes and food spots that attract tourists all year round but especially so in those colder, cosier months.