Photo of carved Halloween Pumpkins
Photo of carved Halloween Pumpkins
With Halloween near, there’s plenty to do in London for those seeking chills and thrills. From historical sights to hysterical amusement-style attractions, this ancient city, believed to be heavily haunted, has no shortage of scares. You’ll be glad that you rented a nearby New York Habitat vacation accommodation in London to make the walk home that much shorter.

The London Bridge Experience, one of the most popular tourist destinations all year long, becomes especially creepy around Halloween, as medieval characters walk you through London’s dark past. (For the brave, a dual ticket can be purchased for that and the London Tombs, the former burial site for plague victims.)

The nearby Tower of London, in the City, known for its ravens, is the site of past beheadings and torture, as well as the Bloody Tower, called so for the two princes who were murdered there by their uncle. Take a tour, if you dare.

The London Dungeon in Southwark is a hit with tourists, combining gory gallows humor with special effects, live actors, instruments of torture, and amusement park-style rides. Don’t miss the basement—or the zombies who await you there.

The London Ghost Festival, run by London Paranormal, takes places from Oct. 23-31. One of its stops is the old Operating Theatre (as scary as the name sounds), where you’ll be searching for the White Lady, the hospital’s much-seen resident ghost. Don’t forget to look into flats in Southwark since you will feel like running back home asap!

Chills in the Chapel takes place at Union Chapel, Islington, a fittingly spooky backdrop for such appropriate film classics as “An American Werewolf in London.” (Tickets are free, but donations go toward the chapel’s restoration.)

For a nice stroll—or shamble—around town, there’s the London Zombie Walk on Oct. 31, starting and ending at pubs, and hitting a few in between (think “Shaun of the Dead”). Dress as the undead and join along on the search for brains (or really good fish and chips).

On top of all of that, there are the perennial favorites: the unnerving Jack the Ripper Walk, a tour of Fleet Street to see the haunts of the “Demon Barber” Sweeney Todd, and the Ghost Bus, a double-decker painted midnight black and giving tours that are part-sightseeing/part-ghost story.

London Accommodation: Studio in City -Islington (LN_446)
London Accommodation: Studio in City - Islington (LN-446)

Consider these New York Habitat flat rentals in London:

• A spacious studio in Bermondsey, Southwark (LN-689) on Tower Bridge Road. This contemporary flat comes fully equipped with a separate living room, laundry/dryer, a double bed, guest parking, track lighting and plenty of sunlight to keep vampires away.

• A contemporary studio in City-Islington (LN-128) just off Fleet Street, close to many sites and attractions, as well as one infamous barbershop! This flat is on the fifth floor of a modern elevator building and comes with a double bed, laundry/dryer, flat-screen TV, power shower, and a 24-hour doorman, which should make you feel that much safer.

• A stylish studio in City-Islington (LN-446), just off Tower Bridge Road. This newly converted flat is in the site of the former Sarson’s Brewery warehouse (so any “spirits” may have really liked the other kind of spirits), and has maintained such original features as wooden floors and exposed brick. It also comes with double bed, laundry/dryer, guest parking, power shower, and large windows with nice views, as well as great glass walkways and lifts within the building.

For some real Halloween haunts, head to London—and a New York Habitat vacation rental. We have accommodations for you throughout London, from a sweet apartment in Notting Hill to an original vacation rental in Camden. Just be sure to lock the door behind you…

Leave a comment below to tell us which Halloween event would be the most likely to scare the living daylights out of you.