Madlist

15 October 09

Mike Peake is afraid, very afraid, it being Halloween and all

6 SCARY STREETS AFTER MIDNIGHT

FLORENCE, ITALY
VIA DEL FORTE DI SAN GIORGIO

By day, you couldn’t find a nicer spot from which to enjoy this magical Italian city. But by night it feels remote and creepy up here – and if you get the feeling you’re being watched, then maybe you are. The fort you’re standing right next to is the Belvedere, where witches were once burnt at the stake and where countless ghosts are said to hang out.

FLY TO PISA (FLORENCE) FROM 39 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BARCELONA (GIRONA), CAGLIARI, DUBLIN, DUSSELDORF (WEEZE), MEMMINGEN (MUNICH WEST), TRIESTE AND ZADAR. VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM

DUBLIN, IRELAND
O’CONNELL STREET

At odds with the city’s laid-back vibe, Dublin’s main thoroughfare was named in a 2003 report as the country’s most dangerous street. Crime had risen 160% over five years, and lairy drunks at night were the biggest problem. The report said 40% of all offences were committed in or outside pubs, which means if you cross the road when you see a boozer your chances of living rise considerably.

FLY TO DUBLIN FROM 77 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING RODEZ AND VENICE (TREVISO). VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM

MALAGA, SPAIN
EL CAMINITO DEL REY

OK, so it’s not a street as such, but this treacherous, unlit path hugging the side of a steep gorge in southern Spain is definitely no place to be after midnight. Just one metre wide and crumbling in many places, the path affords the adventurous tourist the chance of a 1,000ft drop into the river below. There’s no handrail for most of it. People die there. Don’t go.

FLY TO MALAGA FROM 18 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BREMEN AND EDINBURGH. VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM

ROME, ITALY
VIALE DELLO STADIO OLIMPICO

The main drag outside Stadio Olimpico, home to famous clubs AS Roma and SS Lazio, has seen its fair share of running battles over the years. Most nights you’ll be fine, but wear a Napoli shirt here after a match and you’d do well to be holding onto a molecular transporter as well.

FLY TO ROME (CIAMPINO) FROM 28 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING IBIZA AND WROCLAW. VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM

BERLIN, GERMANY
HAUPTSTRASSE, HOHENSCHONHAUSEN

German newspaper Bild described this area in the east of the city as the centre of a “bloody gang war” in August after a man was shot dead in the street. He had just switched allegiance from the Hells Angels to a rival gang called the Bandidos, so don’t wear your Motörhead T-shirt just in case.

FLY TO BERLIN (SCHONEFELD) FROM EIGHT DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING MILAN (BERGAMO). VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM

ALPS, ITALY
STELVIO PASS

Quite what you’d be doing here after midnight is anyone’s guess, but maybe you left the campsite a bit late, or the hotel had a really slow check-out? Descending from a height of almost 2,800m and with 48 hairpin bends, this drive from hell at night is actually one of the most spectacular drives in the world by day, if only marginally less risky.

FLY TO MILAN (BERGAMO) FROM 51 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BERLIN AND MADRID. VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM