Our verdict
Best overall
London: Comedy Horror Ghost Tour on a Bus
A vintage Routemaster, live performers and a route past Westminster, St Paul’s and the Tower — the most London-specific ghost tour there is, and more comedy than horror.
4.4★ · 2,399from £28 GetYourGuide →
Best value
London Walks — Ghosts of the Old City
Two hours of the City’s darker stories for £20 (children £5), every Saturday from St Paul’s — and you can simply turn up.
Best with kids
London: Entry Ticket to the London Dungeon
For teenagers, the Dungeon is the safe bet — indoors, rain-proof, actor-led, and about £27 booked ahead. The Dungeon itself recommends it for ages 12 and over.
4.6★ · 4,903from £27 GetYourGuide →
Skip it if
You want real history, not jump scares
The Ghost Bus and the Dungeon are entertainment first. For the documented story of 1888 Whitechapel, a Jack the Ripper walk is the better evening.
Which ghost tour in London is best?
London ghost tours split into four quite different evenings. The Ghost Bus Tours is theatre on a vintage double-decker. A haunted walk is a guide, a dark street and a couple of hours of stories. The Tower of London runs its own Yeoman Warder-led ghost tours in season. And the London Dungeon is an indoor attraction with actors and a ride. They don’t really compete — choose by who’s coming.
| Tour | Format | Price | Length | Where | Age guidance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ghost Bus Tours | Comedy-horror show on a 1960s Routemaster | £25 adult, £17 child direct (~£28 on GYG) | ~75 min | From Northumberland Ave, off Trafalgar Square | 5+, parental guidance under 12 | Families, groups, first-timers |
| London Walks — Ghosts of the Old City | Guided walk | £20 adult, £15 students/seniors, £5 children | 2 h, Saturdays 7.30pm | From St Paul’s station | — | Budget, adults who like history |
| Tower of London ghost tour | Yeoman Warder-led, after dark | £49 adult, £29 child | 1 h, 19:00–20:00, seasonal | Tower of London | 12+ recommended | Atmosphere, older kids |
| Tower after hours + Ceremony of the Keys | Guided evening at the Tower | ~£159 | 1.5 h | Tower of London | — | A special night, not really “ghosts” |
| The London Dungeon | Indoor actor-led shows plus a ride | from £27 online | ~75 min + queue | County Hall, South Bank | 12+ recommended, no under-5s | Teenagers, rainy days |
| Jack the Ripper with Ripper-Vision | Walk with projected images | ~£18 | 1 h 45 | Whitechapel | — | True crime, not ghosts |
Prices on GetYourGuide are the “from” prices in our partner feed today; operator prices are from their own sites.
Ghost tours and after-dark experiences you can book now
London: Entry Ticket to the London Dungeon
from £27
See on GetYourGuide
London: Comedy Horror Ghost Tour on a Bus
from £28
See on GetYourGuide
London: Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper Vision
from £18
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London After Hours with Beefeater & Keys Ceremony
from £159
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London: Guided Night Tour + Ceremony of the Keys
from £151
See on TiqetsPrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
The Ghost Bus Tours: what you actually get
It’s a show, not a sightseeing tour. The bus is a vintage 1960s Routemaster, and a performer runs a comedy-horror story while the bus loops past Trafalgar Square, Westminster, St Paul’s, the Tower, Tower Bridge and the London Eye in about 75 minutes. You’ll see the sights out of the window, but the commentary is about the plot, not the buildings.
The operator recommends arriving 15 minutes early at 8 Northumberland Avenue. It’s not wheelchair accessible. On GetYourGuide it’s rated 4.4★ from about 2,400 reviews — good, if a step below the best-rated walks. Go expecting a comedy with a dark twist rather than a genuine fright.
Haunted walks: the cheapest ghost tour
A walking ghost tour is the least theatrical and most historical of the options. London Walks’ Ghosts of the Old City leaves exit 2 of St Paul’s Underground every Saturday at 7.30pm, takes about two hours in the lanes of the old City and ends back at St Paul’s. It’s £20 for adults, £15 for students and over-65s and £5 for children, and it’s a “just turn up” walk, though you can reserve online.
If Saturday doesn’t work, a Jack the Ripper walk runs every night of the week — but it’s a different subject. Our Jack the Ripper tours page compares the operators. For general history walks at night or by day, see history and royal walking tours.
Tower of London ghost tours
The Tower has nearly a thousand years’ back catalogue of executions and imprisonments, and Historic Royal Palaces sells its own Yeoman Warder-led ghost tours through the darkened grounds. They run 19:00–20:00 — daily around Halloween this year (24 October to 1 November), then on selected Sunday evenings. Tickets are £49 for adults and £29 for children, booked in advance, and recommended for 12 and over.
The other way into the Tower after dark is the Ceremony of the Keys, the nightly locking-up ritual. It isn’t a ghost tour, but it’s one of the most atmospheric half-hours in London. Booking direct is cheap and fiddly; platform packages that combine an after-hours tour with the ceremony cost about £159. Our Tower of London tours page explains the rules.
The London Dungeon
The Dungeon, in County Hall next to the London Eye, is a scripted attraction rather than a tour: 13 shows, around 20 live actors and one ride, about 75 minutes in all plus queuing. Booked online it starts at £27 for a standard adult ticket (an “anytime” ticket is £35), which is the same as the platform price in our feed. It recommends ages 12 and up and doesn’t admit under-fives.
For a wider look at London after dark — floodlit bridges from a cab or an open-top bus — see our London by night tours.
Questions people ask
What is the Ghost Bus Tour in London like?
Is the Ghost Bus Tour suitable for children?
Is there a Tower of London ghost tour?
Is the London Dungeon too scary for kids?
What's the best ghost walk in London?
Ghost tour or Jack the Ripper tour?
Sources
- The Ghost Bus Tours — London tour, prices, departure point, age guidance (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- The London Dungeon — tickets and shows (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- The London Dungeon — FAQs (visit length, age guidance) (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Tower of London ghost tours (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- London Walks — Ghosts of the Old City (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide — Halloween and after-dark activities in London (partner feed)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk