Ten ghoulish getaways for Halloween and beyond

<p class="p1"> Yes, Transylvania is a real place and you can not only go there, you can even visit the castle that inspired Bram Stoker's famous novel and also housed Vlad the Impaler (said to be the real life model for Count Dracula) during his reign. A three-night &quot;Dracula's Castle Adventure&quot; in Romania, including visits to Bran Castle, Rasnov Fortress ruins and the medieval town of Brasov, costs &pound;620 for two people, flights not included with <a href="http://www.buyagift.co.uk/" target="_blank">buyagift</a><a href="http://www.buyagift.com" target="_blank">.</a></p>

<p> Scare yourself silly with a night time wander around Highgate Cemetery, with its crooked, ivy-covered gravestones, and dark overgrown passages between the tombs. Or get to grips with the gory story of Jack the Ripper on a <a href="http://www.jacktheripperwalk.com/" target="_blank">Jack the Ripper Walk</a> through East London. After the tour, steady your nerves in The Ten Bells, the pub in which the infamous serial killer found his victims. The tour costs &pound;9 per person.</p>

<p class="p1"> Metre-thick walls, watchman's galleries, a secret passage that passes under the moat and drawbridge, and ghosts galore (including a pregnant knight's daughter buried alive in the castle walls) &ndash; <a href="http://www.slotshotel.dk/" target="_blank">Kokkedals Castle</a> in Denmark has all the right ingredients for a haunted medieval castle, but with the creature comforts (pool, sauna, four poster beds) that make it a rather more pleasant place to stay now than it probably was in the 16th century.<br /> <span class="s1"> </span>From DKK990 (&pound;106) per person for dinner and (four poster) bed and breakfast.</p>

<p class="p1"> If you've ever had an urge to watch people in 19th century dress be pulled through a Colorado town on coffin-like contraptions, then now is your chance. Head for Manitou Springs on the last weekend in October to watch a truly macabre event, and round it off with a night at the Stanley Hotel, one of the top ten haunted hotels in the USA and the inspiration for Stephen King's 'The Shining'. A seven-night trip to Colorado costs from &pound;2,129 per person, including flights with <a href="http://www.bonvoyage.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bon Voyage</a>.</p>

<p class="p1"> As you enjoy a pint at the ancient <a href="http://www.skirridmountaininn.co.uk/" target="_blank">Skirrid Mountain Inn</a>&nbsp;after a hearty walk in the Brecon Beacons, you may notice some strange marks on the beam beneath the staircase. The beam bears the chaffing marks from the hangman's rope of the 180 rebels who were convicted and hung in the inn during the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion - tortured souls whose ghosts are said to haunt the inn to this day. Sleep tight... From &pound;90 per room.</p>

<p> Host your own Halloween humdinger or murder mystery weekend at this eerie mansion. Like a setting for a Hammer Horror film, but with iPod docks and LCD tvs instead of sacrificial alters and coffins, Lea Hall in Derbyshire is all Grade II listed luxury, but with a slightly spooky twist. Sleeps 20. &pound;4763 for seven nights self-catering arriving on 26th October with <a href="http://www.english-country-cottages.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Country Cottages</a>.</p>

<p class="p1"> Maybe it's their connection with vampires, maybe it's the fact they only come out at night, but there's definitely something spooky about bats... so the sight of several million bats waiting for dusk to begin their annual migration into Kasanka National Park in Zambia is enough to give a chiroptophobe the screaming heebie jeebies. If you can get past your bat aversion, however, it's a truly spectacular phenomenon. A six-day tented safari is from &pound;2,850 per person with <a href="http://www.tripafricatravel.com/" target="_blank">TripAfrica</a>.</p>

<p class="p1"> If your idea of a good time is scaring the sweet bejesus out of yourself, grab a NERF gun and find out whether you've got what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse or a werewolf attack. On these supernatural survival experiences, your task is to eliminate hordes of hungry zombies or ferocious werewolves who roam abandoned shopping malls or deserted woodland. A three-hour zombie experience for one costs &pound;79, a five-hour werewolf hunt costs &pound;149 with <a href="http://www.buyagift.co.uk/" target="_blank">buyagift</a>.</p>

<p class="p1"> A night in a hotel room can bring out the baddy in all of us &ndash; sneaky pilfering of the toiletries, anyone? Staying in a former slammer, however, might prevent those light-fingered leanings, particularly after a day spent hearing gruesome tales of former inmates on a spooky tour with <a href="http://www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk/" target="_blank">Oxford Castle Unlocked</a>, opposite the hotel. Rooms at the <a href="http://www.malmaison.com/" target="_blank">Malmaison Oxford</a>, formerly Oxford Prison, cost from &pound;34.95 per person per night.</p>

<p> With it's haunted history, New Orleans has an eerie atmosphere at the best of times, but at Halloween it's at its blood curdling best. Take a three-night break at the Provincial Hotel, once the Confederate hospital, and brave an evening 'Ghost &amp; Vampire' walking tour, taking in the city's voodoo legends and tales of the gruesome deeds of slave owners and decadent creoles. From &pound;899 per person, including flights with <a href="http://www.bon-voyage.co.uk/spotlights" target="_blank">Bon Voyage</a>.</p>