Trick or treat:

Every year, on the last weekend in October, Dublin turns into a great cabinet of horrors. The Bram Stoker Festival is a tribute to the Irish writer Bram Stoker, who became famous for his novel Dracula. The first years of Stoker’s life were plagued with serious illness and he became fascinated by the supernatural and the dark. Inspired by Stoker’s life and work, the festival has something for all fans of the spooky: in addition to concerts and theatre performances of Schauer classics such as Nosferatu, there are discussions and comedy shows in nightclubs.

If you want to dial up the gruesome factor, you should join a guided ghost tour of Dublin and learn all about the city’s dark and brutal past: from legends to witches, to murderers and cannibals, Dublin is THE place for Halloween lovers. Another must-see is St. Michan’s Church near Dublin’s old town. Here, you can admire the mummified remains of a wealthy family from about 300 years ago.

The tranquil city of Copenhagen can be really scary. And in an otherwise cheerful place – the Tivoli Amusement Park. The park was founded in 1843 by George Carstensen and is considered one of the oldest in the world. While the park usually enchants visitors with its fast-paced rides and nostalgic carousels, it turns into its own creepy twin around Halloween. Everything is adorned with pumpkins, ghosts and cobwebs. In keeping with the season, there are roasted chestnuts, raclette and other autumnal specialities. No one will forget the Halloween experience at the Villa Vendetta haunted house, which awaits its visitors with ghastly surprises.

Another grisly highlight in Copenhagen is the Cisterne in Frederiksberg. Built in 1850, the underground water reservoirs now serve as exhibition spaces. The dark corridors, impressive vaulted ceilings and the damp, musty smell create an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. If that’s not enough, you should pay a visit to the Medical Museion in Copenhagen, where preserved human organs, foetuses and skeletons can be examined. The dimmed lights throughout the museum give the exhibition an eerie character reminiscent of the horror novel Frankenstein.

Paris – the city of love? Not at Halloween! At this time of year, Disneyland on the outskirts of Paris is conquered by Disney’s dark characters and villains. A creepy and eerie atmosphere fills the entire theme park, and everything is decorated with gruesome lanterns and menacing pumpkins. Even Mickey and his companions slip into new outfits to scare visitors out of their skin. An absolute must are the Halloween parade and the evening performance at Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which are designed to suit the spooky season. The particularly brave should pay a visit to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride or the Phantom Manor haunted house.

Even if you aren't interested in the magic of Disney, fans of scares won’t be disappointed in Paris. The Paris catacombs can be visited throughout the year. The former quarries from the 15th century were later used as a cemetery and today contain the remains of more than six million people. The result is a labyrinth of human bones and skulls, carefully arranged into eerie patterns – not for the faint of heart. Nowadays, you can still learn a lot about the dark past of Paris.

While many Western cultures celebrate Halloween on the last day of October, Spain traditionally celebrates the Día de Todos los Santos, or All Saints’ Day, commemorating the souls of the deceased. As part of this celebration, people visit the graves of relatives, decorate them with flowers and the whole family comes together for what’s known as the Castañada. This centuries-old culinary tradition includes eating roasted chestnuts, sweet potatoes or panellets, a sweet dish made from almonds, sweet potatoes and pine nuts. Back then, the bells were rung in honour of the dead until the early hours of the morning. To warm up, seasonal dishes were eaten by a fire together with family and neighbours. During the autumn season, these traditional delicacies can be enjoyed at many street stalls in Barcelona.

If you’re looking for a touch of the spooky, the Port Aventura amusement park is just an hour’s drive away. During the Halloween season it turns into a spooktacular El Dorado: from captivating Halloween shows to musicals, horror junkies are sure to find something to entertain them.

Don’t want to wait until Halloween? Then head to Berlin or Hamburg. In the Dungeons, you can be transported into the world of horror all year round by professional actors, special effects and exhilarating rides. At the same time, you’ll get fascinating insights into the dark past of each city: from the gloomy atmosphere of the Peststrasse in Berlin to the big fire in Hamburg, the dungeons are not for the faint-hearted. At Halloween, the visit is doubly worth it, because at this time of year the dungeons often put on exclusive Halloween shows.

Anyone who’s interested can learn even more about Berlin’s dark history on a tour of the Berlin underworld. Whether it’s a bunker from the Second World War or an escape tunnel under the Berlin Wall – there’s something for every horror fan. For those who are looking for even more goosebumps, it’s worth taking a trip from Berlin to the Filmpark Babelsberg near Potsdam. Normally, the park opens its doors to film and television enthusiasts to provide behind-the-scenes insights. But at Halloween, the park turns into a place of shocks and spooks with labyrinths, monster zones and eerily disguised actors.

For fans of a good fright in Hamburg who want to get out in the fresh air, we have the perfect destination: the Eppendorfer Moor in the north of Hamburg. The walk through the nature reserve is especially recommended at dusk, when an eerie fog covers the moor.