Your December reading list meets the hush of winter nights, the glow of lamplight, and the magic of literary travel.
This post opens our month-long exploration of all things ghostly, and there’s no better place to begin than with the tales that shaped the way we imagine the supernatural. Many of these stories were born in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, when ghost stories were a cherished tradition—shared aloud by firelight as families gathered together on dark, cold nights.
Below are 13 of the best classic ghost stories ever written, all available free online. And because here at Eerie Escapes, we like to pair spooky with travel, I’ve paired each of these ghost stories with a real hotel that echoes the story’s atmosphere. Because what’s better than reading a great ghost story in the right location, beside a winter sea, in a moorland inn, a grand old mansion, or a châteaux wrapped in river mist. These hotels offer atmospheres that feel lifted straight from the tales themselves.
These pairings are meant to blur the line between story and place, inviting you to step into the mood each tale creates. If you’re lucky enough to read one of these stories in its perfectly matched setting, the experience is unforgettable. And if not, curling up at home with a blanket, a lamp left on low, and one of these stories can be just as transportive.
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1. “The Old Nurse’s Story” — Elizabeth Gaskell (1852)
In a quiet northern mansion, a governess senses an unsettling presence, as if the walls themselves remember old sorrows.
Hotel Pairing: Doxford Hall — Northumberland, England
A grand stone mansion set among wintry fields, with sweeping staircases and stately corridors that look built for echoing ghostly piano notes.
Wrap yourself in a blanket and read by a frosty window with a plate of shortbread, listening to the winter wind in the trees.
Read the full text of this story in The Old Nurse’s Story and Other Tales at Project Gutenberg.
2. “The Phantom Coach” — Amelia B. Edwards (1864)
Lost in a winter storm, a traveler encounters a ghostly coach thundering across the moors, its sudden appearance sending shivers through the night.
Hotel Pairing: The Lion Inn — Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
Perched high on Blakey Ridge, this historic inn sits amid windswept moorland, with bleak vistas and a wild, open landscape that perfectly evokes the story’s storm‑ridden, eerie roads.
Enjoy a steaming cup of black tea after a cold walk on the moors — the perfect setup to feel the storm gathering at your back.
Read the full text of this story in The Phantom Coach and Other Stories at Project Gutenberg
3. “The Signal-Man” — Charles Dickens (1866)
A lonely signal-man works in a deep railway cutting, where strange occurrences begin to unsettle him and the quiet of the line feels threatening.
Hotel Pairing: The Royal Victoria Hotel — St. Leonards-on-Sea, England
A Victorian railway hotel near historic lines, tunnels, and seaside mist, it carries the same melancholy, fog-laced atmosphere as the story’s haunted railway post.
Take your book to the lounge during a foggy evening and read with a hot toddy while watching the mist drift in from the Channel.
Read the full text of this story in Great short stories, Volume 2 (of 3) : Ghost stories by William Patten at Project Gutenberg.
4. “The Dead Sexton” — Sheridan Le Fanu (1871)
A long-buried secret stirs in a quiet churchyard, bringing an unsettling presence to light.
Hotel Pairing: Kinnitty Castle — County Offaly, Ireland
A stone-walled Irish castle surrounded by forest and an old chapel nearby, a setting that feels carved directly from Le Fanu’s imagination.
Find a candle-lit nook in the castle bar and savor a dark stout as you read, glancing occasionally toward the chapel outside.
Read the full text of this story in Madam Crowl’s Ghost and the Dead Sexton by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu at Project Gutenberg.
5. “The Body-Snatcher” — Robert Louis Stevenson (1884)
Two former medical students carry a dark secret, and the past they tried to leave behind begins to stir.
Hotel Pairing: The Balmoral — Edinburgh, Scotland
Overlooking Edinburgh’s old medical quarter and historic stone closes, The Balmoral feels rooted in the same world of anatomy rooms and midnight deeds.
Order a whisky neat and read in a quiet corner, letting the glow of amber light soften the shadows of the old city outside.
Read the full text of this story in The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson – Swanston Edition, Vol. 03 by Stevenson at Project Gutenberg.
6. “The Horla” — Guy de Maupassant (1887)
A man begins to sense a presence in his home, something unseen that unsettles him and turns daily life eerie.
Hotel Pairing: Château de l’Île — Strasbourg, France
A secluded 19th-century château surrounded by river mist and woodland. Its stillness echoes the story’s growing sense of dread and unseen presence.
Read by the river-facing window with a glass of Alsatian white wine, watching the river move slowly through the trees.
Read the full text of this story at East of the Web Short Stories
7. “The Middle Toe of the Right Foot” — Ambrose Bierce (1890)
A man returns to a remote Texas home, only to encounter unsettling signs that someone, or something, is waiting for him.
Hotel Pairing: The Menger Hotel — San Antonio, Texas
With its frontier-era history and Texan atmosphere, the Menger Hotel evokes the tense, unsettling mood of Bierce’s classic haunting.
Read this one at dusk with a glass of iced tea or bourbon, listening to the faint echo of footsteps in the historic halls.
Read the full text of this story in Famous Modern Ghost Stories by Dorothy Scarborough et al at Project Gutenberg.
8. “The Upper Berth” — F. Marion Crawford (1894)
One of the great maritime ghost stories, set aboard a ship where the sea seems to hide unseen terrors.
Hotel Pairing: The Queen Mary — Long Beach, California
This historic ocean liner’s steel corridors and creaking decks recreate Crawford’s claustrophobic dread with uncanny precision.
Read this one in a lounge chair overlooking the water with a glass of warm Madeira, letting the rich flavors mingle with the ship’s creaking corridors and the sense of lurking dread.
Read the full text of this story in The Upper Berth; By the Waters of Paradise by F. Marion Crawford at Project Gutenberg.
9. “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You” — M. R. James (1904)
A professor finds an ancient whistle on a lonely beach, and the quiet coastal night begins to feel strangely alive
Hotel Pairing: The Brudenell Hotel — Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England
Aldeburgh’s shingle shoreline, sea mists, and empty stretches of beach mirror the desolate beauty of this story exactly. The Brudenell sits right on the water, quiet enough that you can imagine a cold presence stirring across the sand.
Sip a spiced rum cocktail and curl up by a sea-facing window where you can hear the waves crash against the shingle as you read.
Read the full text of this story in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary at Project Gutenberg.
10. “The Mezzotint” — M. R. James (1904)
A mysterious engraving at a quiet college seems to conceal secrets that grow more disturbing with each passing night.
Hotel Pairing: The Randolph Hotel — Oxford, England
Dark wood interiors, soft lighting, and Oxford’s antiquarian atmosphere make the Randolph feel like the natural home of cursed artwork and scholarly dread.
Settle into an armchair near a lamplight with a cup of strong Earl Grey, letting the quiet of the hotel gather around you like a hush.
Read the full text of this story in the anthology Ghost Stories of an Antiquary at Project Gutenberg.
11. “The Shadows on the Wall” — Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1904)
After a sudden death in a New England home, a dark shadow begins to make themselves felt, haunting the stillness of the house.
Hotel Pairing: The Hawthorne Hotel — Salem, Massachusetts
Understated, classic, and deeply New England in tone, the Hawthorne mirrors the domestic eeriness and quiet tension of Freeman’s tale.
Choose a softly lit corner, pour a cup of spiced cider, and read while the hotel settles into its nighttime silence.
Read the full text of this story in The Wind in the Rose-Bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural at Project Gutenberg.
12. “Yuki-Onna (The Snow Woman)” — Lafcadio Hearn (1904)
A mysterious winter spirit appears on a snowy night, testing the courage and fate of a young traveler.
Hotel Pairing: Hoshino Resorts Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court — Nagano, Japan
Snowy forests, quiet wooden walkways, and lantern-lit paths make this resort feel like the Snow Woman’s world come alive.
Take a quiet walk through the snow-covered forest, letting the lantern-lit paths guide you. Then settle in with a warm cup of green tea.
Read the full text of this story in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things at Project Gutenberg.
13. “The Beckoning Fair One” — Oliver Onions (1911)
In an empty London home, a writer encounters an unsettling presence that grows stronger with each passing day.
Hotel Pairing: The Langham — London, England
Elegant, literary, and classically Victorian, the Langham’s long hallways and winter light evoke the story’s quiet, suffocating pull.
Sit beneath a reading lamp with a delicate pastry and a glass of red wine, letting the faint echoes of the hotel drift through the hallways.
Read the full text of this story in Widdershins at Project Gutenberg.
Curated Eerie Essentials
Read. Sip. Write. If you’d like to bring a little of this blog’s winter-ghost-story magic home with you, here are a few curated treasures to set the mood. Think of them as your own cozy ghost-story ritual: read a beautifully bound collection of classic ghost tales, sip something warm from a shadowy little ghost mug, and write your thoughts, or your own eerie stories, in a vintage leather journal that feels plucked from a Victorian study. Together, they turn an ordinary evening into a candlelit December moment, the kind where the room grows still and the stories feel just a little closer.
Closing Thoughts
Wherever you read from, your own armchair or a faraway hotel, these stories invite you into landscapes shaped by shadow, history, winter light, and the quiet company of ghosts. Wander through them at your own pace, and let the season’s stillness turn the page for you.
📖 If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love Eerie Escapes — the book that inspired it all. Learn more here.