Halloween holiday ideas around the world

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Tired of the same merry-go-round of parties for Halloween? Sick of trick or treaters hammering on the door at all hours? Well there are other options. How about jetting off around the world with a hot Halloween holiday idea?

Here travelbite.co.uk takes a look at what is on offer, including creepy tours through the streets of Edinburgh, a cruise to the Netherlands and - perhaps the best of all - a week at Disney Land.

Halloween Ideas in the UK
In Edinburgh the Halloween fun will be centred on Real Mary King's Close, which is located just off the Royal Mile.

Halloween fancy dress

This is the place to find unexplained paranormal activity as costumed guides lead guests on ghostly tours through the warren of buried streets below the Royal Mile to find out more about the supernatural activity that has been experienced on the Close, such as unexplained scratching sounds from within a bricked up chimney breast and the sounds of a tavern, long since closed.

Hear tales of witchcraft during a time when residents were tortured to admit their guilt, then burnt at the stake at Castle Hill, and listen to unnerving legends of plague victim bodies chopped up by butchers and tossed into the Nor Loch.

Tours, which run every 20 minutes on Saturday October 31st, are priced at £10.50 for adults, with discounts for children.

In England, Fright Nights is running two special events at Oxford Castle. First up is Teen Spirits, which will see teen psychic Ross Bartlett lead a ghost hunt in the notoriously haunted castle. This event is for 13-year-olds and above and tickets are £20 per person with the event kicking off at 18:00. For the grown-ups there is In Extremis ( Latin for 'point of death'), which follows at 21:00. For £35 enthusiasts can join psychic superstar Christian Melek in the cells below the castle and become guinea pigs in this unique ghost hunting experience, which will be broadcast live on the internet.

Could you survive being bound in a straightjacket and placed in the castle's punishment cells that dating back to the mid 18th century? Situated underneath the old prison block, the cells, which have only recently been opened to the public, are said to be haunted by prisoners held there over its 300 year history.

Colchester Zoo is putting on some spooky fun this Halloween. All the family is welcome to come in scary fancy dress between October 24th and November 1st and join the Halloween Fancy dress party at the Kalahari centre.

There will be special shows, displays and competitions throughout the day, as well as extra activities after dark as the zoo will remain open late on October 24th, 28th and 31st. Visit the haunted forest, go on a ghost walk, take the Little Devil's Creepy Road Train, and the Sorcerer's Apprentices show in the falconry display area.

In the capital, maritime Greenwich in south east London is populated by some interesting ghostly characters and the scene of several sinister tales, many relating back to its royal connections and maritime history.

This year believers can hone their ghost hunting skills by joining a ghostly tour: A Walk on the Dark Side, on Saturday October 31st. Starting at 19:30 the tour costs £5 per person and explores the darker history of Greenwich with tales of ghosts, murders and sinister events.

Guides will tell of the ghosts recorded or documented in the histories, such as Tom Potter, a young sailor who grew up in Greenwich in Dickensian times.

On the spookiest day of the year families are also invited to dress in ghoulish costume and join in some free fun inside the haunted Queen's House.

Between 11:30 and 16:00 it will be full of ghostly excitement with story-telling, workshops, performances, music and much more (suitable for all ages).

Families can also follow the Halloween Prize Trail between 10:00 and 16:30 on All Saints Eve, leading through the Royal Observatory and investigating aspects of astronomy with a Halloween theme (suitable for ages seven plus).

Halloween Ideas in Europe
For those looking for ghosts out on the open seas DFDS are offering a specially designed Halloween Mini Cruise.

The spooky family cruise will depart October 30th with travellers urged to pack their witches outfits and black cats. With Halloween games, live entertainment, spooky cocktails and prizes for the best fancy dress costumes, there is plenty to keep everyone frighteningly amused!

Prices from £74 per person including two nights onboard, return coach transfers to Amsterdam city centre and live entertainment.

Fear will also descend on the Spanish family theme park PortAventura throughout October and November this year. The park will be overrun with legions of the living dead, while sinister creatures and gruesome zombies will be on the hunt to scare unsuspecting visitors.

During Halloween terror takes over every nook and cranny of this resort near Barcelona, so why not start the fright fest by walking through the haunted passageway Horror en Penitence; or experience moments of genuine panic on terrifying rides such as and the infamous, and hair raising, Furious Baco.

Alternatively you can try your luck surviving the outdoor ghost walk, La Selva del Miedo, during the dead of night. Visitors also can shudder at spine tingling shows such as La Hora Gore, Terror en el Lago and Vamp Frenzee, all of which are set to the rather macabre sounds of the Penitence Horror Band.

Halloween only comes once a year, so those with nerves of steel should be sure to head for PortAventura.

Halloween Ideas in the US
Nobody does Halloween like America and this year there is a chance to celebrate Vegas style.

To be at the heart of the annual horror show guests can stay at Harrah's Hotel - perfect for the full Vegas Halloween experience. Join the frightful but fun Ghouls Gone Wild party at Harrah's Carnaval Court; the only outdoor Halloween party on the Las Vegas Strip.

Prepare to scare as cash prizes of $5,000 will be awarded for the most terrifying costumes. Enjoy live music, psychic and tarot card readings, and special Halloween cocktails from some of the world's top bartenders.

Not scary enough? Extend the horrifying antics, move the party on to the Ghost Bar at the Palms Hotel.

The legendary Ghost Bar Halloween party combines the opportunity to show off your ghoulish costumes with an eclectic mix of music. Ghost Bar's 360-degree open air sky-deck gives you the chance to survey all the Halloween festivities this glistening city has to offer.

Finally, what better place to head for some terror-fic thrills this All Hallows' Eve than Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando?

Not to be missed is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which will see the park transformed into a frightfully fun Haunted Hollow, where children of all ages will be encouraged to don their favourite Halloween costume and go trick or treating around the theme park, collecting plenty of goodies on the way.

There's also a spook-tacular Mickey's Boo-Yo-You parade with all of the Disney characters dressed for the occasion, and an amazing Happy HalloWishes fireworks display to bring the evening to a spirited conclusion.