The London Dungeon at Halloween

Whilst living in London it’s only right that we try and tick off as many of the major tourist attractions as possible. One of those of course, is the London Dungeons, and being Halloween it seemed like the perfect time to go.

Immediately after entering the dungeons you are flung back in time, the staff greet you in full costume and make up, not slipping out of character until you have completed your journey through the London of old (It might be worth brushing up on your cockney slang it you’re not already proficient in it).

The London Dungeons best feature is the atmosphere that’s built from the start with pitch-black walkways and plenty of sound effects (even in the toilets).  As you make your way around the dungeons you come across different scenarios from London’s past.  The actors are there to add to the scene, explain what’s going on and get the guests involved as much as possible.  We were very impressed with how enthusiastic they all were and they’ve clearly had plenty of practice with crowds as their lightening quick responses showed when anyone back chatted (We were all guilty of treason remember).

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: Oscar Del Rio

Kirsty as ever was keen to be the first through every new door, which inevitably lead to us getting picked on a few times for demonstrations.  Kirsty was locked up for torture and had poo thrown at her while I was chosen as a suitable filling for a pumpkin pie and used to demonstrate how to rally up the crowd as part of a good hanging.

It’s not all just walking through dark corridors either, it all begins with a short ride along a waterway to your death as a punishment for supporting Ann Boleyn. The gentle ride ended with Kirsty screaming, but I won’t ruin the surprise. Then, at the end of the tour there is a final hanging (there’s no getting out of it, everyone is guilty or very guilty I’m afraid) but again, I won’t ruin that for you either.

The only disappointment was that despite the signs suggesting special events for Halloween, the only extras we spotted were a few pumpkins dotted around the corridors.   We enjoyed our time in the dungeons but I highly doubt it was any different to the standard experience offered year round, it’s Haloween… I wanted to be terrified!

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: Ramón Cutanda

Thinking of visiting the London Dungeons?

Tickets don’t come cheap at nearly twenty five pounds each and to be honest it seems a little much when you’re exiting into the gift shop after just an hour.

Tip: The London Dungeons are part of ‘Merlin Entertainments’ that operate a number of attractions around the UK and often have promotions offering big discounts.  We took advantage of a buy one get one free offer found on the side of a cereal box of all places.

Like anywhere in London, turning up last minute isn’t a good idea.  Unfortunately, we found that out the hard way when we tried to visit the dungeons on Saturday morning around 11am! We were greeted with a two hour wait just to get through the front door.

Not to be put off, we tried again two days later arriving 30 minutes before the dungeons opened.  We were one of the first in the building and part of the first tour.  If you can’t make it first thing then we would recommend booking online well in advance which gives you access to the much shorter priority queue.

Have you been to the London Dungeons? What was your experience like?