Where to celebrate Halloween in the Paris Region
In October, the Paris Region will be decked out in the ghoulish colours of Halloween: the perfect place for a fantastic holiday! Featuring gruesome tours to experience with friends, events for you and your little ones, and quirky sweet shops to explore, this handy guide is the perfect partner when planning your trip.
Halloween events in the Paris Region
Every year, Halloween brings you its share of terrifying events and entertainment for enjoying with family or with friends as you meet zombies, witches, skeletons and vampires. Here are some ideas to make you shiver with horror or laughter depending on your mood!
At Disneyland® Paris, the villains of the Disney universe are lying in ambush to scare you during the Disney Halloween Festival. Will you dare step into Phantom Manor and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the park’s most terrifying attractions?
The spirits are out and about and the Conciergerie de Paris needs you to participate in a paranormal investigation. A theatrical experience and a show-game in which you are the hero.
A more family atmosphere at the château de Breteuil which offers numerous activities, treasure hunts, fancy dress competitions and carved pumpkins… or at the Domaine de Dampierre-en-Yvelines and its Halloween colours, inviting you to a festive stroll in the château’s grounds and gardens.
The Paris Region safari parks are also part of the autumn half-term holiday with programmes for young and old alike. Discover the scary animals of the Paris Zoological Park and on 31 October transform yourself into Halloween creatures with the help of professional make-up artists. No pointy hat at Parrot World but a trip that takes you to Mexico for the Day of the Dead, “El Día de Los Muertos “. A colourful celebration with many surprises to share with your family!
Halloween is also celebrated… on board a bus! The Tootbus Kids Tour and its unusual guide take the whole family on a discovery tour of Paris and its darkest (but also funniest) stories. Boo!!!
Scare yourself silly in the Paris Region
Halloween isn’t the only time of the year to give yourself goosebumps. Discover the must-see places in Paris Region for those who want to tremble with terror!
What better way to frighten yourself than going underground to discover the world’s largest grave? In the heart of Paris, visit the legendary Catacombs that were built in the 18th century to house the remains of several million Parisians once buried in the Saints-Innocents cemetery, located in what is now the Les Halles district. In the 800 metres of tunnels, you will see their meticulously stacked skulls, femurs and humerus bones. An activity that will appeal to fans of skeletons and other bone-chilling atmospheres.
Fans of a Gothic atmosphere should head straight to Père Lachaise Cemetery. Visites-Spectacles will take you on a two-hour investigation led by an actor. Naturally the plot is based on the story of a murder, that of a student found lifeless on the grave of Jean de la Fontaine. Can you help the Commissioner to solve this mystery and find the culprit? A unique family-friendly tour offers a different way to explore this cemetery, a true open-air museum, where you can find the gravestones of famous artists, from Oscar Wilde to Jim Morrison.
Thrill-seekers can also test their nerve in the chilling atmosphere of Dark Dreams Paris (9 years and over). Located in Montreuil, this haunted show promises spine-tingling scares and frightful surprises in the immersive and interactive setting of a 1,000-m² labyrinth. Do you dare?
A few kilometres outside Paris, the Alfort National Veterinary School houses within its walls one of the oldest museums in France and undoubtedly one of the most unusual. The Musée Fragonard displays the skeletons of animals intended for comparative study, alongside anatomical items with abnormalities. But the real highlight are the famous flayed figures, real human bodies dissected in the 18th century and preserved in poses as theatrical as they are frightening. Not for the faint-hearted!
Ghoulish tales of Paris
Although for many it’s the ultimate romantic destination, Paris hides the darker side of its history in its shadows and back streets. Head here to discover some of its most gruesome tales.
If you enjoy mournful tales, the City of Light invites you to discover its dark side.
As you walk around the centre of Paris, go through the gateway of the Square du Vert-Galant. Situated at the tip of the romantic Île de la Cité, it hides a terrible secret. It was actually on this spot in 1314 that the last masters of the Knights Templar were burnt at the stake. Legend has it that the two condemned men cursed the French king Philip the Fair over thirteen generations as they were being burnt alive.
It is also said that in the Middle Ages, Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was beheaded in Montmartre, then marched to the north of the capital carrying his head under his arm. He collapsed after six kilometres, taking care to entrust his skull to a devout woman who was there. To find out about this story and the stories of the French kings, visit the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis built on the very spot where the bishop fell. The monument contains the recumbent statues and tombs of numerous French rulers. Take a guided tour or get an audio guide and find out little anecdotes about the lives of these leading figures.
Do you know the most famous character from the Opéra Garnier? Immortalised by the pen of Gaston Leroux, the Phantom of the Opera originated from a love story between a pianist and a ballerina killed in a fire. The young man, disfigured by the flames and mad with despair, then wandered the cellars of the opera house. Now a legend, it is said that Box 5 is still left empty for him. Dare you come and meet him?
Trick or treat?
Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without its fair share of treats in countless shapes and colours. But remember to look after your teeth!
A real Aladdin’s cave, “Le Bonbon au Palais” takes you on a tour of French confectionery through a selection of the country’s finest marshmallows, hard-boiled sweets, pralines and toffees. A truly Parisian institution, “À la Mère de Famille” located near the Grands Boulevards will take you back in time with its stalls filled with chocolates, marzipan animals and bags of toffees. And finally, at “Käramell” in the 9th arrondissement, try Merlin’s Pills with their amazing powers!
