Boston is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating cities in all of the US, with an unmatchable history that lingers. Through more than 3 centuries of revolutions, tragedies, epidemics, and triumphs, it’s crazy to think that many of these buildings and streets are virtually exactly as they were back then.

It goes without saying, then, that Boston is largely considered to be one of the most haunted cities in America, including colonial burial grounds, Revolutionary War sites, and neighborhoods that’ve been around since before the US was the US.

However, if you really want to maximize your experience, you need to go on one of the 5 top Boston ghost tours. I’ve reviewed them all right here, so let’s jump right in!

Be sure to see our reviews of Boston Harbor Cruises, Freedom Trail Walking Tours and Salem Witch Trials Tours.

Best Boston Ghost Tours

	Boston Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour	Underground Boston Ghost Tours: Gravestones & Gunpowder	Haunted Boston Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour
Duration:	2 hours	1 hour	2 to 2.5 hours
Departure:	200 Atlantic Ave, Boston	139 Tremont St, Boston	60 School St, Boston
Start:	6:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 8:30 PM	8:00 PM, 9:00 PM	7:30 PM, 8:15 PM
Includes:	Ghost-themed trolley tour, narration by pro tour conductor, local taxes	Professional and courteous guides, intensely researched true stories of history, documented accounts of historic hauntings	Costumed tour guide, 2-2.5 hour walking tour, Visit local, historic bars, Stories of local hauntings and ghosts, Small groups
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Boston Ghost Tours For 2026

1. Boston Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour
2. Underground Boston Ghost Tours: Gravestones & Gunpowder
3. Haunted Boston Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour
4. Ghosts of Boston Night-Time Walking Tour
5. Haunted Boston Ghost Tours

Boston Ghost Tour Reviews

1. Boston Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour

While there’s certainly an appeal for walking ghost tours, not everyone wants to worry about whether they’ve brought along the right walking shoes to wear. Take a load off, relax, and learn all about the wild and harrowing stories of Boston without even having to take a single step.

On the Boston Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour, you’ll be riding in the Trolley of the Doomed, complete with a 17th-century grave digger for a host!

There are a few different start times available, and the tour is only 2 hours, which makes it easy to fit into even the busiest of schedules. However, even though it’s 2 hours, it certainly doesn’t compromise on quality or content – you’re covering much more ground in the trolley than you’d be able to on foot, after all!

Meet up with your professional host and board your trolley as you listen to the spooky and fascinating commentary with enough conviction and historical detail to practically bring the past to life.

We learned SO much with each of the curated stops seamlessly connected through our “gravedigger’s” narration, like the Boston Strangler, and Jane Toppan, who was a nurse that murdered over 30 people in the early 1900s. I thought I knew a lot about Boston’s history, but this stuff went far beyond the average tour content!

We visited 2 burial grounds – Copp’s Hill, which is the final resting place of Cotton Mather, whose role in the Salem Witch Trials is complicated and disturbing. Then it was on to the Granary Burying Ground, where Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and the 5 victims of the Boston Massacre are resting within yards of each other!

At each graveyard, we had time to walk around, and our guide shared some personal anecdotes here that were even a bit funny. Probably the ONLY thing I’d say could make this tour better, was if it were longer! It was very comprehensive, but I could’ve done this all night!

2. Underground Boston Ghost Tours: Gravestones & Gunpowder

If you’re really on a time crunch and want to get on ground level with colonial spirits, you’re in the right place. The Underground Boston Ghost Tours: Gravestones & Gunpowder experience is one of the most versatile, yet the content certainly packs a punch.

With an easy-to-find meetup point downtown, it’s close to the vast majority of hotels and convenient to access, no matter where you’re staying. There are a ton of different start times available throughout the morning, afternoon, and night, which makes it that much easier to fit it in.

Boston has more documented haunted history per square mile than almost any other city in the country, so the challenge here isn’t finding material. The more difficult part is actually creating a route that goes beyond hitting the list of “spookiest” locations and rambling off a checklist.

This tour is not that at all – you can expect a local pro who grew up here, with a contagious passion for everything “haunted Boston”. You’ll start out at the Omni Parker House, which is one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the US, with a documented history of staff and guest encounters going back generations.

We then moved on to the Boston Common, which is America’s oldest public park, so wholesomely serving as a site of public executions and military encampments for centuries before becoming the more tranquil green centerpiece it is today.

We visited the Granary Burying Ground, where countless reported sightings of orbs and shadowy figures among the 17th-century headstones are considerably easier to take seriously when you’re standing right there.

We then covered the Massachusetts State House, Boston Athenaeum, King’s Chapel burial ground, and John Adams Courthouse, covering every major “haunted” era: Revolutionary War, colonial justice, early American politics, and more.

The Athenaeum stop was a highlight for me, and you’re sure to find the rumored haunting near the George Washington portrait interesting, too!

3. Haunted Boston Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour

For me, two of the greatest joys one can have in Boston are learning about its unique, intense history, and…having a drink.

The city has an exceptional drink scene that goes far beyond a “Sam Adams” or any other stouts and ales – in fact, it has an array of top-notch craft cocktail spots and unique speakeasies that even non-drinkers will find intriguing. Take full advantage of them both with the Haunted Boston Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour!

Lasting around 2 hours, it’s the perfect alternative to simply going out for some drinks – you’ll learn WAY more, and will try drinks you’d never have known about, otherwise.

There are a couple of different start times available, and the format is pretty straightforward: you have a costumed expert guide to lead you and the rest of your small group through some of Boston’s most historically rich blocks.

The itinerary is structured around strategic haunted drinking establishments, like The Last Hurrah, the Omni Parker House’s haunted lobby bar, and much more. It was actually really cool, because obviously the stops themselves are fascinating and a ton of fun, but you’ll also pass interesting sites in between the stops.

For example, you’ll see King’s Chapel cemetery and Granary Burying Ground, with your guide there to share interesting insights into the famed people resting there. You’ll also see Beacon Hill and Old City Hall, which has its own supply of haunted tales!

The drinking structure worked perfectly, as they not only offer a bit of rest from walking but are virtually the ideal place for chatting and tying all the historical tales together with relevant info.

Not to mention, it somehow presents heavy stuff like Boston Common executions and colonial criminal cases in a bit more of a lighthearted way, while still keeping things respectful. No matter if you’re a history buff or are just into a good time, you’re going to love this tour as much as we did!

4. Ghosts of Boston Night-Time Walking Tour

Boston’s Revolutionary War history is one of the most well-documented eras in the country and is widely taught in school. However, what you likely DIDN’T hear much about from your teachers were all of the public executions, accused witches, pirates, and various moments of civil unrest.

If you really want to learn about the dark side from the very best, you need to check out the Ghosts of Boston Night-Time Walking Tour.

If you want a truly alternative Boston tour and don’t have time in your schedule for a longer excursion, this is the perfect option. Clocking in at 1.5 hours, it is packed with interesting stories and starts at 8 pm, so you have all day for other things.

This route covers 4 of Boston’s most important outdoor spots, like the Boston Common, which kicks things off with stories of public hangings, witch trial overflow, pirate executions, and much more.

Our guide was super friendly and immediately felt like a longtime friend, which only added to the experience. He did a great job at explaining the more complicated parts of history, and always related them back to what we were seeing.

The Old State House was particularly interesting to me, seeing as it was the original seat of government and overlooked where the Massacre happened. Of course, we also saw King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Granary Burying Ground, and much more.

If you’re a history buff and really want to get deep in the trenches – far beyond what most offer – this is the one. We even had a couple of Boston locals in our little group who’d said they’d learned things about their city they never knew before! It’s definitely a great option if you want to know Boston in a way no other ghost tour provides.

5. Haunted Boston Ghost Tours

I couldn’t write a guide to the best ghost tours of Boston without including one of my favorites: the Haunted Boston Ghost Tours. Just like the previous one, it kicks off at 8:00 pm, so you have all day long to do whatever else you need to.

It’s a great way to learn about the city without the crowds, with a small-group setting at a very affordable price. In fact, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly Boston tour, I’d go out on a limb and say you can’t get better than this.

It heavily focuses on the historical aspect of the remarkable incidents that have taken place over the centuries here. It’s perfect if you want to touch on the haunted/spooky aspect without jumpscares and shock, OR if you’re bringing kids along for the ride. It’s definitely the best haunted Boston tour for younger kids.

The storytelling skills our guide possessed were truly impressive – I’m not sure if they were formally educated on the subject, but they regaled us with some seriously enthralling tales that brought the past to life.

We started from the founding in colonial times all the way up to the present day, in a way that was digestible and linked together seamlessly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, because they’re more than happy to chat!

If you want to get a lay of the land without spending much cash, you can’t get better than this. Not to mention, you’re bound to learn about things you wouldn’t hear on a standard Boston city tour. If you love learning about history and culture with perhaps a hint of the bizarre or obscure, do yourself a favor and book this experience!

A Guide to Boston Ghost Tours

A guide in full grave-digger costume stops the trolley outside Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, points out Cotton Mather’s headstone, and tells you exactly why a man tied to the Salem Witch Trials ended up buried a short walk from where you are standing.

Boston does not need to invent its ghost stories. The city is old enough, and dark enough in places, that the history alone does most of the work, and the better tours know that and lean into research instead of cheap jump scares.

Why Take a Ghost Tour in Boston

Boston’s colonial-era burying grounds, plague years, and a genuinely dark stretch of history give these tours real material to work with. This is not a haunted house with actors jumping out of the dark.

Most operators aim for atmospheric and unsettling rather than terrifying, real history told well, after dark, in the actual places it happened.

That distinction matters when you are picking a tour. If you want jump scares, you will be disappointed.

If you want a guide walking you through an actual 17th-century cemetery explaining who is buried there and why the stories stuck, this delivers.

It also doubles as genuine Freedom Trail sightseeing after dark. Several ghost tours stop at real Freedom Trail landmarks, King’s Chapel, the Omni Parker House, Copp’s Hill, so you are getting legitimate history alongside the spookier framing.

If you are only going to walk part of the Freedom Trail once during your trip, doing it after dark on one of these tours is a reasonable way to combine the sightseeing you were going to do anyway with something a little more atmospheric than a daytime walk.

When to Go

Boston runs ghost tours year round, rain or shine, but demand is not even across the calendar. Mid-September through Halloween is peak season, and October Saturday nights routinely sell out weeks in advance, especially the trolley tour.

Book the moment your dates are confirmed if you are visiting anywhere near Halloween. Outside that window, same-week booking is usually fine, but October in Boston is genuinely competitive for the popular tours.

Evening departures are standard, since the entire format depends on darkness and lantern light rather than daytime visibility. Most walking and trolley tours run 60 to 90 minutes after dark, so plan your dinner around the tour time rather than the other way around.

A tour scheduled for 8 p.m. means you want dinner wrapped up well before that, not squeezed in right beforehand, since these tours generally start on time and do not wait for stragglers.

What You Will Actually Do

The Ghosts & Gravestones Trolley

This is the most reviewed, most produced ghost tour in Boston, and it earns that reputation. A costumed host, playing a 17th-century gravedigger, leads a roughly 90-minute ride aboard what the operator calls the Trolley of the Doomed, covering stories tied to the Boston Strangler, colonial executions, and documented hauntings around the city.

The trolley makes two on-foot stops at real burying grounds, Copp’s Hill and Granary, both actual Freedom Trail sites. The production is theatrical, but the history underneath it is researched and accurate, which is the combination that makes this tour worth its higher price tag.

The tradeoff of a bigger, more popular tour is group size. Reviewers consistently praise the storytelling and the graveyard atmosphere, and the main complaint that shows up is a larger crowd on busy October weekends, so book an earlier date in the season if a smaller group matters to you.

Walking Tours

Several operators run smaller, on-foot ghost tours covering roughly a mile through downtown Boston, closer to the sites and more intimate than riding in a trolley. These lean more historical than theatrical, walking you past places like Boston Common and Beacon Hill while the guide works in the darker stories tied to each stop.

This is the better choice if you want more depth and a smaller group over a bigger production. Reviewers consistently note the mix of real history and local urban legend as the strength of the format, particularly when the guide clearly knows the material rather than reciting a script.

A guide who can shift between hard historical fact and the looser local legend that grew up around it, without losing you in the transition, is the difference between a good walking tour and a forgettable one. Check recent reviews for mentions of a specific guide’s storytelling if that matters to you.

Haunted Pub Crawls

For a 21-and-up group, a haunted pub crawl runs longer, around two to two and a half hours, moving between bars and restaurants with their own dark histories along with cemetery stops in between. Drinks are not included in the tour price, and entry into specific establishments depends on their own operating hours.

This is the loosest, most social version of a Boston ghost tour, better suited to a bachelorette weekend or a group of friends than a family outing. Expect genuine history mixed with the kind of groaner jokes a good costumed host cannot resist.

Boston Harbor Ghost Cruise

A smaller niche option takes the format onto the water instead of the streets, covering Boston Harbor’s own maritime ghost stories from a boat rather than on foot. Worth considering if you have already done a walking tour or the trolley and want a different angle on the same city.

Where to Book

• Ghosts & Gravestones Trolley. The default choice for most first-time visitors, departing from a dedicated Old Town Trolley stop, combining theatrical presentation with real Freedom Trail burying ground stops.
• Small-group walking tours. A quieter, more historically dense option, better for visitors who want depth over spectacle and are comfortable walking about a mile after dark.
• Haunted pub crawl. The adults-only social option, better suited to a group night out than a family activity.
• Boston Harbor ghost cruise. A smaller, different-angle option worth adding on a return visit rather than your first ghost tour in the city.

Compare operator-direct pricing against third-party reseller platforms before booking. Prices for the same tour sometimes vary meaningfully between the two, so a quick comparison before you commit can save real money.

What It Costs

Adult tickets across Boston ghost tours generally run $21 to $47. Most standalone walking tours land in the $25 to $35 range, the Ghosts & Gravestones trolley sits near the top of that range around $47, and haunted pub crawls run roughly $29 to $36.

Combined day-and-night packages exist too, pairing a daytime Old Town Trolley hop-on hop-off ticket with the Ghosts & Gravestones evening tour, typically cheaper than booking both separately if you already planned to do both.

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is common across most booking platforms, worth using to your advantage. Book early to lock in your preferred date, especially in October, and you lose nothing if your plans change.

Meeting points are generally clustered downtown near the Freedom Trail, Boston Common, King’s Chapel, or Faneuil Hall for walking tours, with the Ghosts & Gravestones trolley departing from its own dedicated stop. The closest MBTA stop for most of these is Park Street on the Green or Red Line, and downtown parking runs expensive enough that public transit is usually the smarter call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these tours actually scary?

Not in a haunted-house, jump-scare sense. Most are atmospheric and historically unsettling rather than designed to make you jump, built around real, often disturbing history told well after dark.

Are Boston ghost tours appropriate for kids?

Most walking tours work fine for older children. The Ghosts & Gravestones trolley does not allow children under 6 and requires an accompanying adult for ages 6 to 12, and the pub crawl is strictly 21 and up.

Should I book the trolley or a walking tour?

Book the trolley if you want the most produced, theatrical version with a costumed host and want to cover more ground comfortably. Book a walking tour if you want more historical depth, a smaller group, and do not mind walking about a mile after dark.

How far in advance should I book?

Well ahead if your visit falls between mid-September and Halloween, since October Saturday nights sell out weeks in advance. Outside that window, booking a few days ahead is usually plenty.

What should I wear?

Comfortable walking shoes regardless of which tour you choose, since even the trolley includes two on-foot stops at burying grounds. Dress for the actual evening weather, since these tours run rain or shine.

Is one ghost tour enough, or should I do more than one?

One is enough for most visitors, and the trolley or a walking tour covers the essential Boston ghost story experience well. Add the pub crawl or harbor cruise on a return trip if you want a genuinely different angle rather than more of the same format.