Ghost Churches and Haunted Castles - Which Can You Visit?

East Midlands Airport has suggested four places for a Halloween break: a Czech church filled with ghost figures, an Austrian castle tied to witch trials, a former German sanatorium and a deserted island near Venice. Each has a story worth the journey, but visiting is not as simple as booking a flight. Some close for winter, and others have strict access rules that could derail a weekend trip.

Which Haunted Places Are Open?

• Church of Ghosts, Czechia: Luková, over 200km from Prague; Saturdays 13:00–16:00 through 31 October.
• Moosham Castle, Austria: Near Unternberg; guided visits €15 adults, cash only; closed 1 November–26 December.
• Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany: Near Berlin; park tickets €17 adults, with indoor guided tours charged separately.
• Poveglia, Italy: Venice lagoon; historic buildings off-limits; northern section requires a private boat, with no regular ferry.

Beelitz has something special planned for Halloween, with a Día de los Muertos celebration running from 30 October to 1 November. The treetop park will stay open until 20:00 on Friday and Saturday, with illuminated paths and family activities. Standard admission costs €17 for adults, while building tours require separate tickets. Luková’s church welcomes visitors on Saturday afternoon for its final scheduled opening of October.

The quickest outing is Beelitz: the RE7 serves Beelitz-Heilstätten, followed by a six-minute walk to the park. Luková is more than 200km from Prague, so it needs a separate day’s planning. If Venice’s plague-era history interests you, Lazzaretto Nuovo offers an alternative to Poveglia, with guided tours and vaporetto access, subject to availability. Moosham sits in rural Lungau, well beyond central Salzburg.

For a Halloween weekend, Beelitz offers the clearest visiting arrangements, with confirmed opening hours and a rail connection. Luková requires a longer journey, while Moosham closes after October and Poveglia's historic buildings remain off-limits. East Midlands Airport's Salzburg flights operate in winter only, and its Venice-bound Ryanair services use Treviso Airport, around 40 minutes from Venice by express bus.