.jpeg)
For some, spooky season means staying indoors and ignoring the bump in the night, while for others, the lead-up to Halloween is the best time to book a getaway to some of the world’s most spine-chilling destinations.
From the UK city of York all the way to Salem in Massachusetts, there is no shortage of haunted houses, eerie ancient castles or otherworldly boltholes just off dark city streets with scary stories to tell, with some even claiming that ghostly figures wander the halls.
Whether you’re looking for a mystical wizarding-themed trip away with the family, a hair-raising holiday with a group of friends, or even a couple’s getaway to a sinister bedchamber where the hundred-year-old portraits on the wall seem to follow your every move, Airbnb has something for everyone.
Halloween devotees can even experience their very own Cabin in the Woods night away with an off-grid stay in the wilderness or a night battling evil spirits in the Poltergeist house.
Here are our picks for the best spooky and mystifying Airbnbs to book this autumn.
Best Spooky Airbnbs for Halloween 2025
1. Haunted Mansion Inspired Retreat
California, USA
Sleeps: 8
Only a short distance from Disneyland Park in California lies something quite the opposite of the ‘Happiest place on Earth’. These Airbnb superhosts have transformed an entire home into a haunted mansion, inspired by Disney. With four bedrooms, all with individual malevolent Victorian furnishings, this ghoulish getaway is ideal for families or couples looking to celebrate Halloween with a rollercoaster or two nearby. This Airbnb is decorated floor-to-ceiling to look like an abandoned mansion that has been infiltrated by sinister beings, with ghostly glowing illusions on the walls, haunting sounds, and a corpse bride watching your every move in the corridor. The property also comes with a large living area, a games room and a six-person jacuzzi in the backyard if your bones need a soak after all the spine chillings.
Read more: Best Halloween events to visit in the UK – from pumpkin picking to fright nights
2. Restored 19th-Century Gothic Church
Portlaw, Ireland
Sleeps: 6
What could be better than booking a trip away for Halloween? Booking a trip away for Halloween at a Gothic church surrounded by an old graveyard. Before even entering this restored 19th-century church, guests are met with a vast wilderness surrounding the property and iron-gated double doors that guard all which lurks inside. While the structure is spooky, the interior has been elegantly renovated. Prioritising luxury and comfort, the downstairs is adorned with plush sofas and a large wood-burning stove, making for a cosy evening by the fire watching a thriller flick or two. The altar has been converted into a kitchen, while the wooden spiral staircase leads up to a large double room and en-suite. Sleeping up to six guests, this imaginatively converted church near the Irish town of Portlaw makes for a great ghoulish getaway.
Read more: How a trip to rural West Cork helped me reconnect with my teenage daughter
3. Dollaberg Castle
Clackmannashire, Scotland
Sleeps: 6
This baronial Scottish castle looks like it was plucked straight out of a nightmarish fairytale, with its many spires, jutting towers and windows making it hard to decipher where one floor starts and another ends. Inside, a large group or a family will have access to a fully-refurbished penthouse, complete with four-poster beds and regal decor. Up a spiral staircase, guests will find a snug cinema room for horror movie nights, while further up there’s a private terrace with panoramic views. Elsewhere in the castle, guests will have access to a fully-equipped modern kitchen and a living and dining area – all the trappings for a comfortable autumnal break away.
Read more: These are the UK’s haunted places, from Corfe Castle to Whitby Abbey
4. The Mason Suite of Salem
Massachusetts, USA
Sleeps: 4
For the ultimate Halloween experience, no city is better than Salem in Massachusetts. Well-known for the Witch Trials of 1692, Salem attracts tourists year-round with its supernatural attractions and historic landmarks. Built in 1844, the Mason Suite offers boutique lodgings in the spell-binding location just steps away from the Witch Museum and Salem Common. Situated on the third floor and sleeping up to four guests, the bedroom and living room feature historical touches, beady-eyed portraits and skylights that let the moonlight in while you settle down after a long day exploring the spooky city.
Read more: Forget Route 66 – five under-the-radar road trips that get to the heart of America
5. Chancellor’s Room at La Rivière Castle
Pontgouin, France
Sleeps: 2
A perfect Halloween location is made up of somewhere very haunted, very isolated or very old. While hauntings are not always guaranteed, a grand château in the French countryside can offer both history and remoteness. Renting out a king bedroom for two in Chateau de La Rivière is a great hideaway choice as the autumn months roll on, surrounded by vast rural landscapes to explore. With breakfast included in the stately Aligre lounge, guests can then go off and enjoy a guided tour around the castle, taking in the hundreds of years of history the grounds have to offer.
Read more: Lyon’s green revolution makes it one of Europe’s best cities to visit. I should know, I live here
6. Witchcraft & Wizardry Townhouse
York, UK
Sleeps: 4
While blood-curdling castle chambers or remote cabins may be a bit too much for more squeamish holidaymakers, the Witchcraft and Wizardry townhouse in York offers a magical experience for both young and old. While the outside may seem unassuming, inside you’ll find room upon room of wizarding wonder to the last detail: from four poster beds draped with dark green fabric to bookshelves stacked with wand cases, and even potion bottles and a cauldron in the corner to fully immerse yourself in the fantasy. Located in York, there is no better place to spend Halloween, as it is often nicknamed the ‘most haunted city in Europe’ for having a very sinister legacy. Visit a haunted pub, saunter down Mad Alice Lane or embark on a ghost tour while staying in this hair-raising city.
Read more: The best hotels in York for a history-filled city break
7. The Haunted Bedroom
Great Dunmow, UK
Sleeps: 2
Halloween and spookiness might not spring to mind when thinking of Essex, but at Talliston House & Gardens in Great Dunmow, prepare to get chills staying in this early-20th-century nightmarish bedchamber. Created to look like the Art Nouveau Scottish sleeping quarter of a young Edwardian child, the story goes that the bedroom is now locked and sealed after the boy’s untimely death, yet his ghost has been known to still linger around his former home. The host has worked hard to make it an immersive experience, with the low-lit wall lighting, heavy drapes and period furniture making the ghost story all that more real to guests who dare to stay. Two guests can stay in the Haunted Bedroom, with access to a dedicated bathroom and other rooms in the house to explore during their stay, such as a Victorian living and dining room, Japanese teahouse, New Orleans kitchen and Boathouse bathroom.
Read more: Forget Bath – this historic English town is a charming, crowd-free alternative
8. Ancient Castle above the River Tweed
Scottish Borders, UK
Sleeps: 2
Brimming with history and tales of the past, Neidpath Castle in Scotland allows guests to transport back centuries to when noble Scottish families roamed the corridors and royals came to visit. In fact, the bedchamber where guests stay was once slept in by Mary Queen of Scots, who was visiting the noble Hay family in 1563. The entire castle can now be rented out for a romantic couples retreat, yet the conversations its walls have witnessed and the secrets that have been long been lost to history also make it a mysterious getaway. The castle will be all yours for your stay, allowing you to explore the kitchens and the great hall, before settling down in the antique four-poster bed as the open log fire roars.
Read more: A bottle of whisky made me a Scottish landowner – here is how you can claim your plot
9. Rural Cabin
Helle, Norway
Sleeps: 3
Horror films are fond of using cabins as the setting of their most terrifying moments – all alone in the woods, with no one to help for miles around as a group of friends battle off some sinister creature. Luckily, there are plenty of cabins on Airbnb to rent that give you a slight tingle of uneasiness as you venture further away from civilisation, but (hopefully) without any supernatural skirmishes. Found in the small village of Helle, Norway, is a cosy cabin, surrounded by a rural landscape. The cabin is ideal for a couple looking for an off-grid retreat over Halloween, packed with hiking and fishing opportunities within the majestic snow-topped mountains. As the night draws in, snuggle down next to the wood-burning fireplace with food from the local farmer’s shop. Guests will note that there is no TV in the cabin, so telling ghost stories will have to do.
Read more: Discover Norway’s majestic fjords with TravelSmart
10. Rensow Manor, Reading Room Apartment
Rensow, Germany
Sleeps: 4
Step back in time to the 18th century with a stay at this former manor in Germany, which has been converted into small retreats decked out in a maximalist, melancholic aesthetic. Guests have a chance to stay in the former reading room and classroom of this baroque manor, originally built in 1690, with the space decorated with dried flowers, intricately designed wooden furniture and grand hanging light fixtures. Previous guests said they felt fully immersed in another world, with the rooms full of antique furniture, candlesticks, carefully placed trinkets, and shelves full of books, making the place feel like it’s right out of a Dark Academia novel. There are two bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen with a table and chairs and a living room with a fireplace, as well as a cast-iron bathtub to use during your stay.
Read more: I toured the world’s largest hop-growing area on a beer-themed bike tour
11. Poltergeist Movie House
California, USA
Sleeps: 8
For decades, moviegoers have been petrified by the 1982 horror film Poltergeist. An all-American family living in a California suburb sees their lives turned upside down when evil spirits rise up to wreak havoc and abduct their young daughter. Fans of the cult classic who are brave enough to enter can now stay at the very house where this hair-raising story was filmed. The host has added a few themed details to mimic what the house looked like in Poltergeist, but guests will also find everything they need for a self-catered getaway nestled in Simi Valley. A pool, a fire pit and an outdoor grill are located in the backyard, while families or large groups will have plenty of space across the four bedrooms, living room and other cosy living and dining spaces.
Read more: The best budget hotels in Los Angeles for location and style
12. The Haunted House
Ontario, Canada
Sleeps: 4
One of the most well-known haunted houses in Ontario, getaways may not get much spookier than this Airbnb. The story goes that lumber magnate Carl Beck built the house in the late 1800s, where his eldest daughter, Mary, raised the family after his wife died. When Carl also passed, it was said that he left Mary $1 in his will, despite raising her siblings, who divided up the rest of the estate. Some people claim Mary’s angry spirit has been spotted wandering the halls of the house. For a spine-chilling stay, guests can rent the third-floor apartment, which, along with potential ghosts, comes with a fully-equipped kitchen, dining room, living room and two double bedrooms furnished with antiques and long drapes.
.jpeg)
English (US) ·