16 spooky places to visit around the world

From the hanging coffins in the Philippines to the historic Stanley Hotel in Colorado, explore these frightening haunts at your own risk.

1. ČACHTICE CASTLEOne of the locations used in the classic horror film Nosferatu,​ this castle’s haunted history extends beyond the big screen. The structure’s now decrepit walls were once home to Countess Elizabeth Báthory—perhaps the world’s most prolific female serial killer.
Photograph by Vera Kailova, Alamy Stock Photo
ByNathan Strauss
October 17, 2022
9 min read

A fascination with the unknown drives many travelers to the most bone-chilling corners of our world. Sometimes it’s a lonely place with a violent or macabre past, said to be haunted by the tormented souls of those already departed. At others, a quiet crypt or a reverent patch of ground calls to attention the impermanence of life and the ever-turning hands of time. 

What exactly draws us to the supernatural and the places they haunt? Margee Kerr, a sociologist and the author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, tells the Washington Post that feeling terror when we know we’re safe can bring around a special kind of euphoria and confidence. Some people see ghosts and spirits as proof that the soul can survive the body’s death, psychologist Christopher French explains in The Atlantic.

(Discover the paranormal at these spine-chilling U.S. historical haunts.)

Regardless of their origin, each of these destinations has garnered a reputation for the supernatural or uncanny—and in turn, attracted a devoted following of curious adventure-seekers. Explore them all…if you dare.

door to hell
2. DOOR TO HELL, TURKMENISTANTo the untrained onlooker, this gaping earthen maw filled with flames could easily appear to be a portal to the underworld. Though the origins of the pit are unclear, it was intentionally set ablaze by scientists to burn off noxious gases emanating from its core.
Photograph by Giles Clarke, Getty Images
Paris Catacombs
3. PARIS CATACOMBS, FRANCECreated to alleviate the burden of the city’s overflowing cemeteries, the bones of more than six million people now lie in the cavernous tunnels beneath the French capital. Many of these remains have been stacked into elaborate patterns throughout the catacombs, visible to travelers wishing to explore the Parisian underworld.
Photograph by STEPHEN ALVARE, National Geographic Creative
Lizzie Bordan House
4. LIZZIE BORDEN HOUSE, UNITED STATESIn August of 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found murdered at this house in Massachusetts. Though their daughter Lizzie was considered the prime suspect, she was later acquitted and no one was ever charged in their deaths. The site operates to this day as a bed & breakfast, in which iron-willed guests may choose to sleep in the same rooms where the Bordens took their final breaths.
Photograph by Jonathan Wiggs, The Boston Globe/Getty Images
poveglia in italy
5. POVEGLIA, ITALYUsed for over a century to quarantine victims of plague and other illnesses, Poveglia was later home to a psychiatric hospital. Since its closure in 1968, the Italian island has remained uninhabited—save for the alleged ghosts of the tormented souls who once called it home. 
Photograph by Marco Di Lauro, The New York Times/Redux
Centralia
6. CENTRALIA, UNITED STATESThis Pennsylvania borough was effectively transformed into a modern-day ghost town following an underground coal mine fire that has been burning since the 1960s. Abandoned homes and crumbling roadways spewing billows of smoke only add to the eerie ambience of a once peaceful destination.
Photograph by Sally Montana, Redux
the crumbling facade of the Port Arthur prison
7. PORT ARTHUR, AUSTRALIAAbandoned as a prison in 1877, Port Arthur sits on the scenic Tasman Peninsula with a chapel, guard tower, and mass graves of former felons serving as a reminder of the country’s dark past as a British Empire prison colony. 
Photograph by Matthew Abbott, The New York Times/Redux
hanging coffins
8. HANGING COFFINS, PHILIPPINESIntending to bring the deceased closer to heaven, members of the Igorot tribe in the mountain province of Sagada suspend the coffins of their dead from cliffsides.
Photograph by Tony Waltham, Robert Harding/National Geographic Creative
the castle of good hope in south africa
9. CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE, SOUTH AFRICAOnce the seat of government and military operations, this pentagonal fortress built by Dutch colonists in the 17th century also saw gruesome punishments and executions, prompting many reports of ghost sightings today.
Photograph by Gerald Haenel, laif/Redux
the capuchin crypt
10. CAPUCHIN CATACOMB, ITALYMummies of more than 2,000 individuals lie within the catacombs of this Sicilian monastery, many dressed to reflect the station they held in life. Initially reserved exclusively for the burial of religious officials, it was later expanded to include noblemen and the families of wealthy benefactors—like the young Rosalia Lombardo, called the “Sleeping Beauty” for her impeccably-preserved remains.
Photograph by Ruth Fremson, The New York Times/Redux
Charville Castle in Ireland
11. CHARLEVILLE CASTLE, IRELANDThis destination’s stunning architecture belies its true nature. Widely believed to be one of the most haunted locations in Europe, many apparitions are said to emerge within its walls–most notably the spirit of a young girl named Harriet, who met a tragic end in an accident on one of the castle’s main staircases.
Photograph by Christopher Hill, Alamy Stock Photo
valley of the kings in egypt
12. VALLEY OF THE KINGS, EGYPTLong the burial place of Egypt’s highest nobility, at least 63 tombs have been identified throughout the valley—including that of King Tut. The untimely deaths of several of Tut’s discoverers have been attributed by some to the Pharaoh’s Curse.
Photograph by ROBERT CLARK, National Geographic Creative
Morgan House
13. MORGAN HOUSE, INDIAAllegedly haunted by the former lady of the house, this British colonial mansion is now maintained as a hotel open to brave travelers in India’s Kalimpong region.
Photograph by DIPTENDU DUTTA, AFP/Getty Images
the Stanley Hotel
14. STANLEY HOTEL, UNITED STATESThe inspiration for Stephen King’s classic horror novel, The Shining, this 142-room hotel in Colorado’s Estes Park has gained a reputation for the paranormal. Brave travelers wishing to spend a night may also seek to take part in one of the hotel’s guided tours, which frequent spaces said to be especially saturated in supernatural activity.
Photograph by RICHARD NOWITZ, National Geographic Creative
the tower of london
15. TOWER OF LONDON, ENGLANDOne of London’s most notable historic sites, this former palace was long used as the city’s most notorious prison and was the site of many executions—including two of Henry VIII’s wives. To this day, visitors report sightings of numerous spirits continuing to inhabit the tower’s halls.
Photograph by RICHARD NOWITZ, National Geographic Creative
the house of the Seven Gables in Salem Massachusetts
16. SALEM, UNITED STATESMuch of the cultural identity of this New England town revolves around its history as the site of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, the deadliest witch hunt to have occurred in the United States. Immortalized in pieces of literature such as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Salem, Massachusetts, continues to draw travelers transfixed by the story of its past hysteria.
Photograph by DeAgostini, Getty Images
This story was published October 14, 2019. It was updated October 17, 2022.

Nathan Strauss is a senior social media producer at National Geographic, focused on travel and adventure. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

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