With Halloween just around the corner, Rail Europe has listed some of Europe’s spookiest spots that can be visited via train.
Topping the list is York, which boasts centuries of ghost stories and unexplained sightings.
This includes tales of ‘ghostly apparitions’ at York Railway Station. The city features a Haunted York program every Oct, with ghost walks, storytelling and after-dark experiences across the historic centre. To get to York, take a direct train from London, this taking less than two hours.
Next on the list is Germany’s Hamelin, home to the original Pied Piper story where a mysterious piper led 130 children out of Hamelin in 1284, never to return. Rail Europe says traces of the legend are still everywhere in Hamelin, from its historic streets and buildings to the local museum that explores the story. Travellers can get there on a direct train from Hanover, this taking around 40 minutes.
Third is Rouen, home to Aître Saint-Maclou, one of the most unusual surviving sites of medieval France.
The former cemetery and ossuary can be explored independently or through guided and audio-guided visits, which delve into the history of the site and the meaning behind its remarkable decoration. Rouen is just over an hour from Paris by direct train.
Rounding out the list is perhaps the darkest spot yet, 12th-century fortress Gravensteen, located in Ghent, Belgium.
Before its restoration, the castle had become so closely associated with repression and punishment that it was regarded locally as a symbol of feudal abuse of power, with Rail Europe saying a collection of historical torture equipment and judicial objects is exhibited still today. To get here, take a direct train from Brussels, taking around 28 minutes.
See more from Rail Europe HERE.
