In a city as old as London, there’s more than enough stories of blood-curdling crime, murder most horrid and spooky spectres. From shadowy graveyards to ancient boozers, our beloved capital has more than enough spots that put the ‘creep’ in creepy, and these tours listed below will take you to the very haunted heart of many of them. So, without further ado, here’s our roundup of 10 of the best ghost tours in London to spook you senseless this Halloween. If you can brave them of course…
1. Ghosts, Ghouls & Gallows With Added Boat Tour
Discover London’s darkest and spookiest tales during this thrilling two-hour ghost tour, which will take you through dark and spooky Royal Parks, past haunted houses, and well and truly into the unknown. Soak in the panoramic views of London Town at night by foot and from the comfort of a luxury boat cruise – which has an added bar too.
You’ll get the opportunity to hear scary stories and mysterious legends from your expert guide throughout the duration of the tour, and will visit sites including the Grade I-listed Bridgewater House and the infamous Tower of London. You can grab your tickets here.
2. Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge
The shadowy alleyways surrounding London Bridge have been home to many criminals, vicious killers and other lawless folk over the years gone by – many of whom have left their wicked stories behind them. This thrilling tour will give you an insight into many of these tales, so be prepared to hear about decapitated heads on spikes, torture by rats, ghost-filled prisons and much more besides.
Along the way, you’ll visit the Cross Bones Graveyard – which is the final resting place for many Medieval sex workers known as the ‘Winchester Geese’ – St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge and more. You’ll also start at one of our favourite boozers, the ‘Bunch of Grapes’, which is well worth whetting your whistle at pre- or post-walk. Get a hold of your tickets here.
3. Ghoulish Greenwich Ghost Tour
Another one of the best ghost tours in London here, this adventure will give you the chance to discover the darker side of Greenwich over the course of 90 minutes. Along the way, you’ll search for the ghosts of jilted lovers, find out which members of the Royal Family dabbled with the occult, and will also hear the tales of the Cutty Sark – the fastest ship of its time.
Your guide will take you past London’s oldest enclosed park, down creepy tunnels and near spook-filled boozers. Cop your tickets here.
4.Petrifying London Ghost Tour
On the Petrifying London Ghost Tour, you’ll sneak through the dark streets of hidden London and hear scary stories of all the ghosts, ghouls and spectres that are rumoured to stalk through the capital’s back alleyways.
You’ll visit landmark sites including All Hallows By The Tower, the oldest church in the city, the Monument to the Great Fire of London and St. Dunstan in the East – a bombed-out church which is now one of London’s most enchanting public parks. You’ll be guided throughout by George – a fun and friendly historian who will give you a fantastic insight into the dark side of our beloved capital. Grab your tickets here.
5. Paranormal Activity Tour
Take a walk into the unknown and step into the supernatural on this two-hour Paranormal Activity Tour, where you’ll hunt for ghosts and poltergeists using the tools of the trade while learning about some of the city’s grisliest history!
This walk of the weird will take you over mass graves that lie hidden beneath commuters’ feet via London’s largest execution site, a gin palace and jail cells that housed ‘one of the world’s worst serial killers’. You’ll also attempt to make contact with the other side and get to grips with an ouija board or two. Spooky stuff! Come and uncover stories of murder, plague pits, and the ghosts that linger deep within London’s walls… if you dare. Find out more here.
6. The Ghost Bus Tours
A London ghost tour with a difference, this one bills itself as the ‘world’s only comedy-horror theatre show on wheels’, and throughout the duration of the 75-minute tour, you’ll pass by some of the capital’s most signature attractions.
You’ll enjoy your ride on an elegantly-refurbished 1960’s Routemaster bus – billed as the ‘necrobus’ – and actors and on-board technical trickery will conjure up intriguing tales of murder, execution and hauntings throughout. Prepare to get pretty spooked with this one, which also runs in Edinburgh and York too.
7. Jack the Ripper Walking Tour
This fascinating tour will give you the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of one of the world’s most infamous serial killers, Jack the Ripper. Starting from outside Aldgate tube station, you’ll see the sites where Jack performed all of his grisly murders, and will walk the same streets as his unfortunate victims. Throughout, you’ll also hear about the salacious side of Victorian life and learn all about the background of Whitechapel during the 1880s.
You’ll end up near The Ten Bells – a Grade II-listed spot in Spitalfields which, dating all the way back to 1666, is awash with history. Rumoured to be haunted, it’s also where two of the victims of the Ripper, Mary Jane Kelly and Annie Chapman, were rumoured to have drunk gin before they sadly met their tragic fate. What better spot to end up? Get involved here.
8. The Cloak and Dagger Tour
This interactive walking tour will take you through the backstreets of London and will give you the chance to delve into the capital’s grisly past. One of the best ghost tours in London, you’ll amble along the scenic South Bank and will discover secrets you never knew – and given the tour’s name are you surprised?
You’ll also explore famous London landmarks like Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral, before you end up at the historic The George pub – a 17th century coaching inn which was mentioned in the Charles Dickens’ novel Little Dorrit. While you’re here, you’ll be able to savour a pint or two while being regaled with a tale of murder – in the very room you’re sat in!
9. Darkside London: Death, Fire & Executions
Aren’t we just full of joy! Another pretty dark one here from Darkside London – this time to see the ominous sounding ‘Temple of the Occult’ and a whole host of different graveyards. You’ll hear tales of pantomime clowns, dancing on graves and Queen Elizabeth I’s first death warrant – pretty spooky stuff.
You’ll also see a whole host of dissected moles in the Grant Museum of Zoology and will visit other haunted spots – yeah, this one’s pretty interesting to say the least. Get a hold of your tickets here.
10. Serial Killers: The Blood & Tears Walk
As the name would suggest, this one is all about murder, so get prepared to hear some gruesome details. You’ll kick off with a visit to the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, where you’ll hear the distressing story of an uncaught serial killer who murdered two children inside Barbican station. You’ll then head to The Old Bailey court, which is where two serial killers were tried for their gruesome crimes.
Continuing to Fleet Street, you’ll see where one of the suspects of the Jack the Ripper serial murders lived, before you experience a psychic reading at a real-life murder site. You’ll end up at the Princess Louise pub in Holborn, where you’ll no doubt need a pint or two to decompress!
So there you have it – a roundup of the best ghost tours in London. So get ready to meet the ghosts and ghouls of years gone by and unearth some of the spookiest stories around. If you dare of course…