Key Notes
- Bókun reports rising search interest in ghost tours, but the figures do not measure completed bookings.
- Edinburgh and Dublin operators offer different experiences, from underground walks to theatrical bus tours.
- Check age limits, accessibility and departure calendars before choosing a ghost tour.
Ghost tours are finding an audience beyond October 31, giving travelers another reason to explore the backstreets, underground spaces and unsettling stories of a city. New analysis from Bókun, a Tripadvisor company, points to rising search interest, while operators in Edinburgh and Dublin describe demand that continues outside the Halloween rush.
For a city break, the appeal is straightforward: an evening tour can turn a familiar historic center into a different experience without requiring another full day of sightseeing. The choice matters, however. A theatrical bus ride, a family-friendly storytelling walk and an adults-only vault tour offer very different nights out.
What the Search Figures Show
Bókun’s analysis, reported by Breaking Travel News, found searches for “ghost walking tour” increased 53% over the past year, while “ghost bus tour” searches rose 102%. Those figures measure online interest, rather than confirmed reservations or growth across the entire dark-tourism market.
Operator interviews accompanying the research offer a more practical indication of the audience. DoDublin’s Daniel O’Brien described interest in date nights and group outings, including alternatives to drinking-focused evenings. Mercat Tours’ Alix Sinclair said Edinburgh’s haunted tours run throughout the year, with Halloween remaining the busiest peak.
Edinburgh Has More Than One Kind of Ghost Tour
Travelers considering Edinburgh can compare Mercat Tours’ ghost tours, which range from underground storytelling to a separate children’s experience. Haunted Underground visits the Blair Street Underground Vaults and is listed for ages five and over, while Doomed, Dead & Buried combines underground spaces with a graveyard and is adults-only.
Evening of Ghosts & Ghouls takes another approach, pairing Old Town stories with a whisky or soft drink in a candlelit cellar. These differences make it worth choosing the experience before choosing a departure time: the same city can offer family entertainment, darker historical material or a more social evening.
A useful plan is to leave time between daytime sightseeing and the tour, particularly if dinner is part of the evening. Underground visits and outdoor walks also involve different conditions, so check the operator’s route and accessibility information rather than assuming every ghost tour follows the same streets.
Dublin Turns the Journey Into a Performance
In Dublin, DoDublin’s Ghostbus combines professional actors, dark comedy and a Victorian-style theater aboard the bus with outdoor stops. Its material includes grave robbers, sinister local characters and the city’s connections with Bram Stoker and Dracula.
The approximately two-hour experience currently costs €35 per adult and departs from 59 Upper O’Connell Street. It is conducted in English, is not wheelchair accessible and is intended for guests aged 14 and over; under-16s must travel with an adult. Passengers are asked to arrive 15 minutes early and dress for outdoor sections.
Why the Appeal Extends Beyond Halloween
Storytelling gives this kind of experience a place alongside museums, food tours and neighborhood walks. It offers a route into local history through characters and atmosphere, especially for visitors who want an evening activity rather than another conventional attraction. Locals can also join without needing the broader sightseeing itinerary of a first-time visitor.
The interest overlaps with the history-led journeys we have covered, as well as the Gothic screen tourism explored in our guide to Wednesday locations. Neither requires a Halloween trip to make the destination interesting.
Ghost tours represent one theatrical corner of dark tourism, rather than the whole category, which also includes places of real tragedy and remembrance. For travelers booking a spooky evening, the strongest starting point is the actual itinerary: look for the balance of local history, performance and intensity that suits the group, then confirm the calendar for the date of the visit.
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