Why thousands of Halloween tourists are swapping theme parks for Europe’s historic cemeteries

A new European study has revealed the top spots for ‘Tombstone Tourism’ this autumn, highlighting why historic burial grounds are drawing record crowds.

Historic cemeteries the new choice for Halloween

Europe’s historic cemeteries are becoming the go-to choice for Halloween travellers, according to a new ranking of the continent’s most compelling burial grounds. Rather than haunted houses or commercial scare attractions, visitors are being encouraged to explore the art, architecture, and stories found among the graves.

Travel eSIM app Saily has created a “Tombstone Tourism Index”, ranking 30 European cities on the appeal of their cemeteries. Its criteria include famous burials, visual appeal, heritage status, crowd levels, and ease of access from the city centre.

Paris’s Pere Lachaise Cemetery tops the list. Home to around 70,000 graves across 44 hectares, it contains the tombs of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, and Marcel Proust.

Oslo’s Vår Frelsers Gravlund, Edinburgh’s Dean Cemetery, Prague’s Olšany Cemetery, and London’s Highgate Cemetery also feature among Europe’s most atmospheric sites.

Why visitors are drawn to them

Historic cemeteries can reveal much more than famous names. Their monuments, mausoleums, and inscriptions record migration, religious change, local industry, political upheaval, and the lives of people who helped shape a city.

Saily describes them as open-air museums, where funerary sculpture and personal histories offer a quieter way to explore a destination. Many are within walking distance of city centres, making them easy to include in a wider sightseeing itinerary.

“Historic cemeteries are open-air museums with sculpture and incredible stories,” said Saily’s Matas Cenys. “Halloween is the perfect time to explore them.”

Malaga’s local connection

Malaga offers its own example of the trend at the English Cemetery, near Paseo de Reding. Its graves record British merchants, consuls, sailors, artists, and political exiles who made the city their final home. Visitors can explore the cypress-shaded terraces, tombs, and funerary sculpture from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm. General admission costs €5, with €4 concessions.

At Halloween, the cemetery frequently hosts special tours and cultural visits. A standard guided tour in Spanish is scheduled for Saturday, October 31 at 11am (€10 per ticket, advance booking advised), giving daytime context on its rich past. Visitors looking for night-time or theatrical Halloween events should check the venue’s schedule directly, as special evening tours are often announced separately.

A quieter way to spend Halloween

For travellers seeking atmosphere without the queues and jump scares, Europe’s cemeteries are providing an alternative Halloween experience. These historic burial grounds are proving that some of the most memorable travel stories can be found among the headstones.