We all know that Halloween nowadays is just another excuse to party and have fun while wearing scary costumes!

However, for centuries Halloween was considered a moment when the dead, or magical creatures like witches and elves, would walk around on Earth, scaring the hell out of us poor humans.

You might not remember this while you are having a beer and trying to pick up that sexy dressed up Catwoman, or that cool vampire – but if you are staying in one of this hostels, you might suddenly be reminded…

Here are our Halloween hostels: mysterious places, whose past is rich with history and whose present is sometimes disturbing… discover the best hostels for Halloween!

1.  USA Hostels San Diego: located in an 18^th century brothel, this hostel has a number of stories that  is simply unbelievable, from the age of the Spanish missions to the time of the cowboys, to the Gold Rush, probably every sort of strange event has happened here. If you are a fan of old western gunfights at the Ok Corral, this might be the best place for you: it is said (whispered, actually) that the ghost of Sheriff Wyatt Earp still wanders around seeking revenge for his friend Doc Holliday.

Former guests of Usa Hostels San Diego recall seeing the light go on and off for no reason in the middle of the night, and an entire dorm was once awakened by a strange knocking on the walls… the worst part being that the knocking was moving all around the room, including the ceiling and the floor! You may not believe this – but the management later decided to turn that room into a bathroom… and not to forget, the unexplainable night breezes, or all the guests that were woken up after having been “touched and grabbed by icy cold hands”…

2. A convent in Tuscany might not look scary… but what if we talk about an old monastery in the heart of Florence, home of the poisonings and treacheries of the Borgia family?  The monastery of the Seven Founder Saints has now been turned into a hostel, conveniently named Ostello Sette Santi (Hostel of the Seven Saints). You might be awakened and taken for a free night tour of the hostel by the soul of an old dead monk, who still has to find forgiveness and eternal peace… and might need your help to find them!

3.  The High Street Hostel is located in one of the oldest building of the capital city of the first nation that comes to mind when mentioning legends and mythical creatures: Edinburgh, Scotland! Who knows which creatures haunt the halls of this scary 16^th century palace!!

4. If you are one of those who “want to believe” that the Lochness monster exists, there is no better day than October 31^st to go find out! The West End Hostel in Edinburgh organizes day trips to the Lake of Ness.

5. But if you want to stay even closer to “Nessie”, you might want to check out the conveniently named Highlander Hostel Inverness, in one of the oldest building in town, just a stone’s throw away from Loch Ness.

6. The Falu Prison Hostel is not just another “prison hostel”. First of all, the prison closed only in 1995, but it has been active since 1850! But that’s not all, near Falu you’ll find a 1000 year old copper mine and an abandoned wooden village: the souls of those who died in the dark tunnels of those mines are said to wander around here!

The best experience of your life (or, maybe, the last one?) could be sleeping in the in the isolation cell of the former prison, but will you be able to resist the obscure presences gently suggested by the graffiti carved by inmates who would never see the sun again? Go and check if their souls have found eternal peace.. or if they still haunt the prison, looking for revenge!

Happy Halloween!

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