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Forget pricey haunted houses and tourist-packed ghost tours. Some of the most atmospheric places to spend Halloween are historic cemeteries, where crumbling mausoleums, elaborate sculptures and famous names provide all the spooky scenery you need – and entry is often free.
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A new ranking of 30 cities has revealed the best places to explore Europe’s most fascinating burial grounds, from Paris to Oslo.
The “Tombstone Tourism Index”, by travel eSIM app Saily, took into account five separate factors when looking at cemeteries: famous “residents”, visual merit, heritage status, crowd-free experience, and transit access from the city centre.
Each category was given an individual percentage of importance to reveal the most tourism-worthy cemeteries.
“Every October, people queue for hours at haunted attractions while walking straight past the real thing – some of the most atmospheric, story-filled places in any city,” said Matas Cenys, head of product at Saily.
“Historic cemeteries are open-air museums with sculpture and incredible stories, and they don’t charge entry. Halloween is a good excuse to discover them, but they’re worth visiting any day of the year.”
The most atmospheric burial grounds in Europe
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
While the legendary Parisian cemetery has some 70,000 graves across 44 hectares, a staggering 1,445 notable people are buried here, many of whom attract visitors year-round.
Père Lachaise is the eternal resting place of the likes of Chopin, Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein, Molière, Balzac, and Sarah Bernhardt, to name just a few.
The grave of The Doors singer Jim Morrison is especially popular, while Oscar Wilde’s lipstick-covered tomb has needed a glass barrier.
More than 4,500 photos have been shared on Wikimedia Commons, making it the most documented cemetery on earth. It’s also free to visit, and just 15 minutes from Paris’ centre.
Make sure you download the official app to help navigate this huge space and avoid getting lost, especially in spooky season.
Vår Frelsers Gravlund, Oslo
Think of Norway’s capital and cemeteries don’t necessarily come to mind. That’s likely because the Vår Frelsers Gravlund has only 123 Google reviews, making it the index’s best-kept secret.
Despite that, the cemetery is just 10 minutes from the centre of Oslo, and is home to the father of modern drama Henrik Ibsen, ‘The Scream’ artist Edvard Munch, painter Christian Krohg and polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
These four figures who define Norway’s history are all buried within walking distance of each other in a striking cemetery, landscaped in the Victorian era. It’s well worth adding a visit to your Scandinavian bucket list.
The Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh
This Edinburgh cemetery is even less known than Vår Frelsers Gravlund, with just 90 Google reviews, despite the fact that it sits just steps from the city’s busiest street.
The Dean Cemetery, a Category A listed site, lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, and is filled with elaborate Victorian monuments.
The people buried here are among those who built modern Edinburgh, including architect William Playfair, philosopher Dugald Stewart, and portrait painter Henry Raeburn.
The Olšany Cemetery, Prague
The Olšany Cemetery in Prague is a veritable maze of crumbling Baroque tombs, elaborate Art Nouveau monuments and overgrown pathways, making it an especially good spot for a wander during spooky season.
Franz Kafka, one of Prague’s most famous literary figures, is buried here, adding another reason to seek out this historic burial ground.
Pair a visit with nearby Vyšehrad Cemetery, where Czech cultural icons including composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, artist Alfons Mucha and writer Karel Čapek are laid to rest.
Highgate Cemetery, London
Arguably the most atmospheric cemetery in the UK, Highgate Cemetery in London is actually a little controversial as it’s not free to enter, unless you’re a grave owner or hold a grave owner’s pass.
Nevertheless, it remains very popular and for good reason.
Karl Marx was laid to rest here, alongside George Eliot, Christina Rossetti, and Michael Faraday.
The Victorian Gothic architecture is particularly impressive – think overgrown mausoleums, ivy-draped angels, and an Egyptian Avenue.
The whole cemetery is Grade I listed, has some 950 notable burials, and is hugely photogenic, meaning it’s well worth the visit if graveyards are your thing.
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