With the start of the spooky season finally here there is no better time to start planning for next year’s Halloween. We have curated the perfect way to start off your Halloween festivities with a dreadfully delightful 7 to 18-day rail excursion – a luxury Halloween train vacation.
To get the most out of the Canadian Rockies, this trip would require the use of the Rocky Mountaineer train, so there are limited start dates available. The Rocky Mountaineer runs until mid-October each year, with October 11 being the last departure date in 2024 and October 10 being the last departure date in 2025.
For those who want to take part in the full 18 days, you will also get to experience three of VIA Rail’s passenger trains – The Canadian, The Corridor, and The Ocean.
2 Nights in Vancouver | 2 Nights in Vancouver |
Rocky Mountaineer 2-day Vancouver to Banff - 1 Night in Kamloops | Rocky Mountaineer 2-day Vancouver to Banff - 1 Night in Kamloops |
2 Nights in Banff | 2 Nights in Banff |
2 Nights in Calgary | 1 Night in Jasper |
VIA Rail 'The Canadian' Jasper to Toronto - 3 Nights onboard | |
3 Nights in Toronto | |
VIA Rail 'The Corridor' - 2 Nights in Montreal | |
VIA Rail 'The Ocean' - 1 Night onboard | |
3 Nights in Halifax |
For each location of your journey, we have found the best haunting hotel, some excellent eerie eateries, and frightfully fun ways to spend your time. Everything mentioned is available either year-round or annually, so if you find yourself at one or more of these locations this year you will be able to scare up a good time.
Haunted Places in Canada
Perfect Places for Paranormal Experiences
Vancouver, British Columbia
Stay at a Haunted Hotel in Vancouver
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is the place to stay when you’re looking to start your October off right. The building is actually the third to be given the name Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Construction began in 1928 and finished in 1939 to accommodate King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, the hotel emerged as a hotspot for live entertainment, with Dal Richards leading an 11-piece band in the Panorama Roof Ballroom.
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is said to be haunted by a benevolent and elegantly dressed lady in red. She is often spotted on the 14th floor and in the ground floor lobby near the guest elevator doors. Most recently, disembodied footsteps and strange sounds have been recorded by security cameras in a stairwell near the 14th floor.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Vancouver
The Old Spaghetti Factory located in Gastown is housed in an old 1912 building. The restaurant itself opened in 1970 and is currently home to four ghosts. The best known of the four is the tram conductor, who can be found in the trolley car number 53, which was once part of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company. He appears seated at the same dining table inside the streetcar after closing. The second ghost is a small man with red hair, and the third is a young boy who has been seen by many of the staff. The fourth is a little girl who appears at a table in the front window, sitting with a balloon.
Explore Haunted Locations in Vancouver
Take in a show at the Vogue Theatre. This Art Deco-style theatre was built in 1940-1 for both live and cinematic performances. It is reportedly haunted by a dark-haired man who has been seen on the stage, catwalks, projection booth, and basement hallway.
If you want to learn more about this ghostly apparition, and others around the city, you can join one of the Ghostly Vancouver Tours. This is the only ghost tour outfit in Vancouver and they offer three different tours – Gastown, the West End, and Downtown. Learn about the city’s sordid past and those who called this city home and never left.
Copyrighted pictures provided by Ghostly Vancouver Tours
Banff, Alberta
Stay at a Haunted Hotel in Banff
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, colloquially known as the ‘Castle in the Rockies’, is the perfect setting for a Halloween getaway. Construction began in 1886, concluding in 1888, and it rapidly became one of the top three mountain resorts in North America. Host to countless luminaries over the years, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, it began as a summer hotel. In the 1970s the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel began staying open year-round.
There are supposedly several different spirits here, but the most well-known are the bellman Sam McCauley and the bride. Sam has been known to appear in his 1960s uniform, helping guests enter locked rooms and turning on lights.
The bride has been seen either making her way down the staircase or dancing in the Cascade Ballroom. Supposedly, she was walking down the staircase to meet her groom, fell and broke her neck on the marble floor below. The cause varies between either the hem of her wedding dress becoming caught on her shoe or having panicked after her dress caught fire from one of the candles illuminating the stairwell.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Banff
While there aren’t necessarily any widespread tales of ghostly sightings at any restaurant in Banff itself, if you wanted to keep the stately atmosphere of the Fairmont Banff Springs there are a few different restaurants on property to choose from. These include 1888 Chop House, the Waldhaus Restaurant, and Castello Italiana.
If you find yourself in Banff closer to Halloween you can check out the Elk & Oarsman, as they usually have some signature Halloween drinks and a pumpkin carving contest.
Copyrighted pictures provided by Banff Tours
Explore Haunted Locations in Banff
Hiking and horseback riding through the fall colours is always a wonderful experience in October, and soaking in the Banff Hot Springs as the weather gets cooler is more relaxing than in mid-summer. If you want something a little more paranormal you can sign up for a Banff Ghost Walk where you’ll hear about the haunted landmarks and unsolved mysteries of the area.
Calgary, Alberta
Stay at a Haunted Hotel in Calgary
If you want a slightly shorter trip, the perfect place to finish your ghostly tour of Western Canada is with a stay at the Fairmont Palliser. Debuted in 1914, the Fairmont Palliser was designed in the Chicago commercial style, while borrowing heavily from local architectural design aesthetics as well. Some of the event spaces also use the Renaissance revival style and Louis-XIV-inspired design elements.
There are a few different sightings in the hotel, with guests having seen a 1940s Debutante making her way to the drawing room. Guests and staff have also seen a man in a conductor’s uniform wandering the halls.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Calgary
There are several different restaurants around Calgary that are reportedly haunted, giving you plenty of options for excellent places to dine during the Halloween season. Two of the most active, that will also provide you with a first-class meal, are the Deane House and the Rouge Restaurant.
The Deane House was built in 1906 on the Fort Calgary site for Captain Richard Burton Deane, the last serving North-West Mounted Police Superintendent. It was moved across the river, to where it is located now, in 1929. The home has seen a few changes, and some sordid affairs, throughout the years, before becoming a restaurant, so it is no surprise that more than a few ghosts lurk here. A man who allegedly murdered his wife before taking his own life leaves the lingering smell of pipe smoke wherever he goes, the piano can be heard when no one is playing, and there is an ominous dark stain on the floor in the attic that they are unable to remove. Two children who passed away in the river are said to be heard laughing and running through the house and a woman who died of a heart attack in the upstairs bathroom likes to lock patrons in with her. Lastly, an Indigenous man in full headdress has been seen by many of the staff in the basement and on the porch.
The Rouge Restaurant was built in 1891 by A.E. Cross, one of the West’s most prominent cattlemen. He founded the Calgary Brewing and Malting Co. in 1892, which was the first brewing company in western Canada. Sadly, Cross’s two children passed away in the home after falling ill, and they are said to be the reason behind the haunting. Staff members have reported chairs moving, doors slamming, and laughter of children heard from the basement. Some have even seen a father and daughter sitting in front of the fireplace.
Explore Haunted Locations in Calgary
On the weekends throughout the month of October, there are plenty of Halloween activities to keep you busy and something for every level of bravery. The most family-friendly event is Pumpkins After Dark, where you will see hundreds of intricately carved pumpkins on display.
For those who are a little braver, and enjoy learning about the area they are exploring, you can choose between three different Calgary Ghost Tours – Downtown, Inglewood, and Kensington. You will be captivated by stories of ghosts and local history as you are led through the older areas of the city.
Finally, for those who enjoy a good scare, there is ScreamFest, Calgary’s premier Halloween event. You will experience six outdoor haunted houses, Halloween-themed carnival games, and creepy and disturbing entertainment.
Copyrighted pictures provided by Calgary Ghost Tours and ScreamFest
Jasper, Alberta
Stay and Dine at a Haunted Hotel in Jasper
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge stands on the site of what was originally a tent city, until 1921 when eight log cabins were constructed. In 1952 there was a rehabilitation of the main building, with renovations continuing through the 1960s and 70s, and the hotel became a full-service, year-round vacation retreat in 1988.
Point Cabin, one of the hotel’s signature five-bedroom cabins that has been home to many well-known celebrities, is said to be haunted by a housekeeper who passed away in the building. She reportedly likes to push people on the staircase.
In the main lodge people have seen children’s handprints appear on the windows in the Beauvert Ballroom, and, although you won’t find any information on which of the on-site restaurants is reportedly haunted, a ghostly senior couple has been seen either dancing or sitting at a table. I would personally say there is a good chance that it is either The Great Hall or Orso Trattoria.
Explore Locations in Jasper
Take the night off and rest your nerves at the Miette Hot Springs if you are here at the end of September, or the beginning of October. Otherwise, you can make use of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge’s spa and the outdoor heated pool and hot tub.
Jasper is the world’s largest accessible dark sky preserve. It is here that you can visit the Jasper Planetarium. You will hear Aboriginal constellation stories, be given Northern Lights insights, and learn tricks on how to photograph the Milky Way and aurora.
Toronto, Ontario
Stay at a Haunted Location in Toronto
Constructed in 1927 and debuted in 1929, the Fairmont Royal York was the tallest structure in the entire British Empire. Many celebrities and members of the British Royal Family have stayed here, and it is the next hotel on our list of the best places to stay to try and catch a glimpse of a ghost.
The most well-known is a grey-haired man in a purple or maroon smoking jacket who can be found along the hallway on the 8th floor, although nothing is known about him. People have also heard children laughing and running up and down hallways, only to open their doors and find them empty.
The hotel also used to have a ballroom on the top floor, which was closed due to fire code violations, but guests staying in the rooms directly below say that they still hear music and talking from the floor above. Additionally, the elevator will sometimes take you up to the ballroom floor without anyone even pushing the button.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Toronto
The most well-known haunted eatery in Toronto is The Keg Mansion. Built in 1868, this gothic-style mansion was designed by William Young for Arthur McMaster. Hart Massey purchased the home in the early 1880s and throughout its life it has served as a women’s college, a veteran’s hospital, an art and antiques gallery, and home of CRFB radio station, before being converted into a restaurant in the 1970s.
There have been reports of a ghost boy wandering the home, and footsteps around the women’s washroom.
Copyrighted pictures provided by The Haunted Walk
Explore Haunted Locations in Toronto
Toronto is full of haunted locations and for those who would like to walk amongst the dead for an hour or two, Toronto’s Haunted Walk offers nine different tours, ranging from ghost walks to paranormal investigations. Immerse yourself in the local history as their guides captivate you with stories of ghosts and unsolved mysteries.
For those who want a good scare, Martino Manor, located in Etobicoke and approximately thirty minutes from the downtown, is an indoor haunted house with an outdoor maze. This is one of Toronto’s scariest attractions and is for ages 14 and up only.
Montréal, Québec
Stay at a Haunted Hotel in Montréal
Opening its doors to the public in 1958, the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth is the largest hotel in Montréal with 950 rooms. It was one of the first hotels in North America to have escalators, centralized air conditioning, and direct-dial phones in each room. It is also the location where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded ‘Give Peace A Chance’.
The hotel has been renovated over the years, and guests have come and gone, but there is one permanent resident. A woman in white is said to wander the corridors, and some guests have claimed to hear someone humming songs late into the night.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Montréal
With Montréal having been established in 1642, it would come as no surprise to learn that there are quite a few restaurants that are reportedly haunted. We have found three of the more popular spots for you to check out.
L’Amère à Boire is an artisanal brewpub that opened in 1996 and is located on St-Denis Street. The street itself started as a residential street in the early nineteenth century and became commercial after the Second World War. It is haunted by the ghost of a man in a mysterious hat, and not much is known about him.
L’Auberge Saint-Gabriel is more of an upscale dining experience. Built in 1688 by a French soldier, and the first establishment in Canada to receive a liquor license in 1754, the restaurant is housed in what was the oldest inn in North America. A little girl, who is said to have died in a fire in the nineteenth century, is the most famous of its ghosts, and has been seen on the top floor.
Hurley’s Irish Pub might be the most active, in a building that was first constructed as a tenement in 1885. It suffered many fires over the years and not every tenant escaped. The Burning Lady is the most well-known inhabitant and haunts the top of the stairs, the ladies’ washroom, and the upstairs bar. Many patrons have said to have smelled her perfume.
Explore Haunted Locations in Montréal
When you are in a city that is almost 400 years old there are plenty of ghost stories. There are a few different walking ghost tours that would make for a frightfully fun night. Two that I would recommend are the Old Montréal ghost walking tour, Montréal Ghosts, and the Haunted Montréal Pub Crawl – for those who would like a little spirit with their spirits. Montréal Ghosts, or Fantômes Montréal, offers unique ghost tours with professional actors, and conveys historical events and ghostly stories through street theatre. Haunted Montréal’s Haunted Pub Crawl is held only on Sundays, for 18+, and led by a professional actor and storyteller.
Copyrighted pictures provided by Fantômes Montréal
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Stay at a Haunted Hotel in Halifax
Although the city of Halifax was founded in 1749 and has many haunted locations, there are no infamous ghostly tales tied to any of the hotels. In fact, the most haunted place to stay in Nova Scotia is at the Churchill Mansion Inn in Yarmouth, approximately four and a half hours away, which is said to be home to the lecherous seafarer and original owner of the Inn, Aaron Churchill.
If you wanted to hunt for potential ghosts your best chance would be one of the three oldest hotels in Halifax. These are the Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites, which opened in 1928, The Westin Nova Scotian, which opened in 1930, and The Halliburton, which opened in the mid-1980s, but resides in a building that was built in 1809.
My recommendation, however, is that you stay at the Sutton Place Hotel Halifax. Although I haven’t personally heard of any ghostly patrons staying here, this is the closest hotel to the Citadel, so it is the most convenient location for after a ghost tour.
Dine at a Haunted Restaurant in Halifax
The best place in Halifax to get both good food and a good haunting is at the Five Fishermen Restaurant. The building was originally built as a schoolhouse in 1817 and sits across from St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the oldest building in Halifax. It later became the Halifax Victorian School of Art, founded by Anna Leonowens. Leonowens is the author of the memoir ‘The English Governess at the Siamese Court’, which was turned into the Broadway musical ‘The King and I’. In 1883 it was sold to John Snow, and the family’s mortuary, John Snow & Co. Funeral Home, occupied the building until 1973. They took in casualties of both the Halifax Explosion in 1916 and the Titanic in 1912. Finally, in 1975 it became the Five Fishermen, which is still there today.
Most of the staff have reported hearing footsteps and tapping, seeing flickering lights, and having taps turn on. Some have also heard a woman crying. While most of the stories come from staff members, patrons have experienced the paranormal as well. An older gentleman with long grey hair and long black coat has been seen on the landing below the dining room, and a young female has been seen making her way down the staircase from the third-floor washroom.
Copyrighted pictures provided by Parks Canada
Explore Haunted Locations in Halifax
Halifax, and the surrounding area, is the place to be in the fall, and there are plenty of activities to keep you busy. There is, of course, the Halifax Ghost Walk that will give you all of the spooky stories of the city, but I also recommend the Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour, which is offered at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site from mid-July to late October. You can see a bit of what the tour has to offer here: Citadel Ghost Tour
The site was first fortified in 1749, and the present-day citadel, the fourth fort to be built there, was completed in 1856. Officially called Fort George, after King George II, it is home to one of the oldest traditions in the world. Since 1857 a gun has been fired daily by the 3rd Brigade Royal Artillery to announce the noon hour and is still done to this day. The Citadel has more than 36 ghost stories, but the most infamous is the sightings of the grey lady of the Cavalier Building.
For those who would like to enjoy something a little less haunting there is the Alexander Keith’s Brewery tour. The building was originally constructed in 1863 as the home of Alexander Keith, Halifax’s 4th mayor and founder of the brewery. In 1820 Keith bought Bogg’s brewery and, after a few expansions, in 1863 constructed Keith Hall. The brewery is located immediately to the rear of the house and is connected to the brewery by a tunnel. Alexander Keith is said to still be there, so you could potentially feel him near you as you tour the grounds. If you would like to visit Alexander Keith, he is buried at the Camp Hill Cemetery and his grave marker is the tallest there. It cost $4000 at the time, an estimated $90,000 today, and the city actually shut down for his funeral.
If you have a little more time to spend on the east coast of Canada, I recommend renting a car and making the trek out to Peggy’s Cove to see the lighthouse and the Lady in Blue. The story goes that a woman who had lost her children secluded herself at the lighthouse to grieve. When her husband died she jumped into the ocean, taking her own life.
From Peggy’s Cove, I would then make my way up north to the Annapolis Valley where you will find apple orchards, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and vineyards. Head to the Riverbreeze’s Fear Farm for Haunted Houses and Corn Mazes in Truro, or join one of the Valley Ghost Walks.
On the Train
The chills and thrills don’t have to stop while you are on the train. Prepare yourself with hours of dreadfully delightful entertainment by procuring one or more of these novels or movies.
Novels
The Haunted Train: Creepy Tales from the Railways: Gothic Ghost and Horror Stories
Edited by Rayne Hall
A collection of 20 short stories that all take place on the rails. Come on board for a Gothic journey in a funicular railway in Victorian England, a freight train in the Carpathian Mountains, a high-tech sky train in Bangkok, and an underground railway in Tokyo. Visit stations which lure you in with the promise of safe shelter, but harbour unexpected dangers. Meet the people who work on the tracks – stationmasters, porters, signal-men – and those who travel – commuters, tourists, dead bodies, murderers, and ghosts.
The Light at the End
Written by John Skipp
The newspapers scream out headlines that spark terror across the city. Ten murders on the New York City subway. Ten grisly crimes that defy all reason — no pattern, no M.O., and no leads for police to pursue. The press dubs the fiend the “Subway Psycho”. The NYPD desperately seeks their quarry before the city erupts in mass hysteria, but they won’t find what they’re looking for.
The Midnight Meat Train
Written by Clive Barker
In 1984 the Books of Blood by Clive Barker were published and quickly gained a following worldwide. Literary eminences like Stephen King noticed early on the creativity and powerful prose throughout the Books of Blood, bringing Clive Barker’s stories to the forefront of horror fiction. One of these stories was “The Midnight Meat Train” following one Leon Kaufman as he discovers the origins of a series of grizzly subway train murders in New York City… and the controlling forces behind it all.
The Ghost Train
Written by Mark L’Estrange
The hectic seaside town of Brompton-On-Sea sizzles in the summer heatwave. Holidaymakers and locals alike find distraction and amusement on the pier, where the Cranville family have owned and run the fun fair for generations. The rides on offer rival any of those offered by the biggest theme parks in the country, but at a far more reasonable cost. Pete Cranville, the senior member of the clan, assures that all his attractions offer their guests true value for money. The Ghost Train is a particular favourite with visitors. Located on the very edge of the pier, it might seem a little out of the way, but it is still one of the fair’s most popular rides. And for those who make it out alive, it truly is a marvellous experience.
Movies
Train to Busan
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
A man and his estranged daughter, along with the other passengers, become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.
(2016, Not Rated)
Terror Train
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
During a hazing, a fraternity of pre-med students plays a sinister prank on one of their pledges with the help of coed Alana Maxwell (Jamie Lee Curtis). Several years later those involved with the prank are ready to celebrate their graduation by having a costume party on a train, complete with a magician (David Copperfield), but they haven’t escaped their past.
(1980, Rated R)
Horror Express
Directed by Eugenio Martin
Based on the same novel that inspired John Carpenter’s The Thing, Horror Express sees Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) board the Trans-Siberian Express with his latest discovery, a frozen specimen he hopes to prove is the missing link. En route to Europe passengers begin to turn up dead and Saxton, and his partner Dr Wells (Peter Cushing), struggle to contain a mysterious and murderous force.
(1972, Rated R)
Howl
Directed by Paul Hyett
Ticket collector Joe oversees the last train out of London on a dark and stormy night when suddenly the train screeches to a halt in a forest after hitting something on the tracks.
(2015, Not Rated)
If you would like to book your Halloween getaway, or want any other suggestions please contact us at [email protected]
