23 Most Haunted Places in the World

Growing up almost every kid had a weird fascination or obsession with most haunted sites, famous ghost stories, or paranormal activities. Whether it was planning on nightly ghost tours or making plans for visiting the most haunted cities, if you find still find yourself getting excited over these topics then this one is for you.

Paranormal investigators around the world are constantly anticipating seeing a spirit traveling through a haunted corridor, detecting odd sounds in an empty room, or even sensing a shiver when researching a dark tunnel. Fortunately, several supposedly haunted locations are available to the public for excursions or even overnight stays.

Photo by Guian Bolisay on Flickr

If you are a strong-hearted person you might as well plan on a ghost tour on any of these or all of them. From haunted hotels, most haunted houses, and completely abandoned ancient cities to most haunted cities, here’s a curated list of the most haunted places in the world.

1.Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada

This Castello hotel lies majestically by the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park. It was built in 1888 to stimulate tourists and promote railway tickets. But once you’re inside, it becomes a little more Macabre and we’re not talking about the architecture. Several local spirits have been claimed, including a bride who allegedly tumbled down the concrete staircase at her wedding, according to the Calgary Herald. Sam, the bellman, at the hotel till 1975 who swore he’d returned to haunt the place, is a less sad ghost. Before vanishing, his soul is said to work shifts assisting others with their luggage.

Photo by Wilson Hui on Flickr

2.Bhangarh Fort, India

The verdant remains of Bhangarh Fort, about 100 miles southwest of Delhi, provide an intriguing backdrop against Rajasthan’s barren landscape. Due to an alleged curse set by a frustrated magician after his dues were denied by a local princess, the oasis remains mainly desolate to this day. However, it is said that worshipping the sun during a session of pre-dusk asanas at the location is recommended if you want your visits to be more mystical than haunted.

Photo by Shahnawaz Sid on Flickr

Check out Most Haunted Places in Asia.

3.Poveglia Island, Venice, Italy

The lovely island of Poveglia, just a short boat ride from Venice, was previously a quarantine zone for plague victims. People were left to suffer when the city was infected with the plague since there was no treatment. Several bodies were buried alive without being properly treated. Many ghosts now linger on the island, which is rarely visited. The beaches are still desolate.

Photo by Grimvr on Flickr

In addition, in the early twentieth century, the island was utilized as a mental asylum. This location is said to be a center of paranormal activity by ghost hunters, although visits are now restricted.

4.Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

Since its establishment in 1909, Estes Park has enticed visitors with its majestic Georgian grandeur and world-renowned whiskey bar, but the hotel rose to new heights of popularity after prompting Stephen King to create the mythical Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Aside from that unsettling connection, the Stanley Hotel has been linked to numerous ghost sightings and strange noises of enigmatic piano music, and the hotel capitalizes on its reputation with nightly ghost trips and psychic consultations with in-house Madame Vera.

Photo by Rob Lee on Flickr

5.La Recoleta Cemetry, Buenos Aires,Argentina

You don’t have to be religious to be affected by La Recoleta Cemetery, which is home to tens of thousands of sculptures, cemeteries, fantastical shrines, and exquisite tombstones, as well as the mortal remains of Argentina’s most famous woman, Eva Perón. The stone paths and graveyard maze are as lovely as they are scary, and Recoleta has its own ghost stories. David Alleno, a former mortician and caretaker who worked at the graveyard for 30 years before murdering himself, is one of the most well-known stories. People have claimed to hear the jingling of Alleno’s keys jingling as his ghost walks the streets at dawn.

Photo by Susan Fitzgerald on Flickr

6.Fern Hill Hotel, India

During the filming of the Bollywood horror flick Raaz, horror stories about the scariest of India’s haunted hotels began to surface. According to the narrative, choreographer Saroj Khan and her team were awakened one night by the strange sounds of furniture being repositioned on the first level. They attempted to call reception, but the phone connection was disconnected. The hotel’s receptionist informed them the next morning that there had been no first floor. This was only one of the numerous incidents that led to the hotel’s closure. As a result of this well-known true story, the hotel has been designated one of the world’s most haunted sites.

Photo by Loren Javier on Flickr

7.Monte Cristo Homestead, Australia

Monte Cristo Homestead is a haunting home in the Australian state of New South Wales. Because of the ghostly legends about Mrs. Crawley, the estate is known as one of the most haunted sites in the world. After her husband passed away, the former owner never left the residence for another 23 years. Her bodyless phantom is said to have been haunting her chamber since she died. Strange sounds, strobing lights, and a hanging ghost in the corridor have all been reported as sightings of her bodyless spirit in the window. There have also been reports of accidents and murders at the home in the past.

Photo by denisbin on Flickr

8.The Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa

The Castle of Good Hope, constructed by the Dutch East India Company near Cape Town in the 1600s, was used to refuel ships preparing to go into dangerous waters. The ghosts of a screaming lady, a tall male, and a black dog were seen by the guards on duty for years. The screaming woman’s ghost, on the other hand, is said to have ceased appearing when a woman’s body was discovered near the castle.

Photo by Peter Mooney on Flickr

Many tourists and personnel to date claim to have felt a terrifying presence within the castle walls. After a soldier hanged himself with the bell rope, the bell in the Bell Tower has been closed for centuries. However, the castle bell is still heard ringing on its own.

9.Myrtles Plantation, USA

Myrtles Plantation, one of the most haunted places in the world, also has a horrific backstory. The proprietor of the establishment is thought to have abused one of his young girl slaves. Then his family was poisoned by the slave girl Chloe. He killed her and placed her body nearby in a bad circumstance to exact vengeance. Chloe’s spirit has been haunting the house ever since. She is thought to be a nuisance to the houseguests. It’s been dubbed the world’s most haunted house.

Photo by Corey Balazowich on Flickr

10.Ancient Ram Inn, England

The diabolical rituals and malicious creatures at this 12th-century inn in Gloucestershire have made it yet another haunted place. On his first night in the house, the owner said he was dragged from his bed by an unseen spirit.

Photo by daryl_mitchell on Flickr

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11.St. Augustine Lighthouse, USA

The lighthouse in Florida, which was built in the nineteenth century, is still working. However, it has been labeled one of the most haunted places in the world as a result of numerous paranormal encounters. Visitors have reported seeing several ghostly figures. A lighthouse keeper’s ghost has been seen hovering over the grounds after he died while painting the tower.

Photo by H. Michael Miley on Flickr

Visitors have reported to hear children playing in and around the lighthouse after the tragic loss of three young girls who died when the wagon they were playing in collapsed and plummeted into the ocean. The spirits of a historical lighthouse keeper enjoying a cigar, a woman in a blue velvet gown begging for rescue, and two ghostly children roaming through the lighthouse are among them.

12. Paris Catacombs, France

These spider-webbing tunnels under the French capital may haunt you just by peeking at them. Even though the catacombs were not designed to hold human remains, many were interred in artistic configurations in the underground tunnels owing to overcrowding in the 18th-century cemeteries. Individuals have disappeared entirely within these underground tunnels, in addition to accounts of people encountering paranormal activity in these catacombs.

Photo by funkyflamenca on Flickr

13.Chateau de Brissac-Quince, France

The seven-storey Château de Brissac, one of France’s finest castles, is arguably best known as the residence of The Green Lady, or the spirit of Charlotte of France. The website of the chateau recalls the story of Charlotte, the illegitimate child of King Charles VII who was assassinated by her husband when he caught her having a fling. The Green Lady, so named because of the color of her clothing when she was assassinated, may be seen wandering the chapel’s tower room and lamenting in the early hours of the morning.

Photo by Patrick on Flickr

14. The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Forbidden City, China’s old royal palace that is now a museum, is a must-see on every trip to Beijing. However, you may not be aware that the renowned tourist spot has a growing supernatural following. The complex had its fair share of killings over its 600-year reign as a palace, whether from envious multiple wives poisoning one another or assassinations carried out at the emperor’s command. Since the palace became open to the public in the 1940s, there have been several stories of unusual occurrences. The most prevalent story features a woman clothed in white walking about the grounds wailing as most good ghost stories portray.

15.Eden Brown Estate, Nevis

Nevis, which is sometimes overshadowed by neighboring St. Kitts, has just as much to offer visitors—indeed, it has perhaps more for the dreadfully interested. The Eden Brown Estate, a former estate that is now in ruins, is a good example. Originally, the land belonged to a wealthy businessman who planned to give it to his daughter as a wedding present. However, on the day of the wedding, a mysterious duel between the groom and the best man slaughtered both men, leaving the daughter widowed alone for the rest of her life. Many tourists claim to have seen the solitary woman’s spirit wandering about the estate today.

 

16. Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA

Sarah Winchester constructed a Victorian labyrinth Winchester House shortly after the death of her husband, weapon tycoon William Wirt Winchester, to ward off the vengeful spirits of those killed by her husband’s rifles. The four-story Queen Anne–style estate has 160 rooms, 10,000 window panes, and 47 stairways, as well as unusual features like stairs that lead directly into the ceiling and windows that open into secret passageways.

17.RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

The RMS Queen Mary served as a luxury sailing ship from 1936 until 1967, save from a brief spell as a warship during WWII. It was the scene of at least one murder, as well as a sailor being trampled to death by a doorway in the engine room and children sinking in the pool, during that period. The city of Long Beach bought the ship in 1967 and converted it into a hotel, which it still does today—though the rumored spirits of the passengers are allowed to remain for free.

You might consider visiting the engine room of the haunted ship for an additional dosage of spine-tingling sensations. Many consider it to be a hotspot of paranormal activity.

18.Island of Dolls, Mexico

The man-made island of Dolls is one of the most haunted places in the world. According to the urban legend, a young girl drown in a Mexican canal and died here. Julian Barrera was disturbed by the girl’s spirit when he first landed on the island. He strung many dolls over the island to appease her ghost. After a while, Julian informed his nephew that the girl had requested that he join her in the afterlife as a playmate. His carcass was finally found alongside the girl’s in the canal. Many visitors to the island have claimed that the dolls’ eyes follow them around. They have also claimed to hear whispered voices and laughter.

 

19.Tower of London, England

This austere castle, built by William the Conqueror in 1066, has fulfilled a variety of purposes. However, it is most known for its brutal past and local legend as a jail and execution site, as it was here that Henry VIII notoriously ordered the murder of both of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. It’s also where two young princes were detained when their father, King Edward IV, died; they vanished in 1483, and their bodies weren’t discovered until 1647. Ghost stories about the Tower’s victims abound, as do ghost tours of Historic Royal Palaces.

20. Aokigahara Forest, Japan

This seemingly tranquil woodland at Mount Fuji’s foot has a spooky past and is considered a haunted forest.

According to the BBC, Aokigahara, sometimes known as Suicide Forest, has been the location of 500 documented suicides since the 1950s. Some attribute this pattern to Japanese mythology’s link of the forest with demons. Others point to enormous subsurface iron deposits that obstruct compasses and make it easy to become disoriented. Many hikers would use tape or string to mark their trail to make it simpler to find their way back out.

21.Carl Beck House, Ontario, Canada

This haunted house in Penetanguishene, built by timber tycoon Carl Beck in the late 1800s, is said to be one of Ontario’s most haunted. Beck and his family lived in the house together, according to most famous stories, and after his wife died, the eldest daughter, Mary, was tasked with parenting the younger children. Carl mysteriously left Mary $1 in his bequest when he died years later. An enraged female spirit, possibly Mary, is claimed to emerge in the upper windows today.

22.Aradale Lunatic Asylum, Australia

In Victoria, the Aradale Lunatic Asylum is the world’s biggest abandoned insane asylum. The 60-floor building, which was opened in 1867, housed some of the British Empire’s worst lunatics. The ghost of Nurse Kerry has made it a popular inclusion from Australia on the list of the most haunted places in the world. The female’s ward is claimed to be haunted by a ghost. Another renowned legend is that of Old Margaret, a patient who was made to evacuate the facility when it was closed down in the 1990s.

23.Tao Dan Park, Vietnam

Tao Dan Park, being one of the most haunted places in the world, is destined to have a disturbing past – and this park is no exception.

Photo by Anthony Tong Lee on Flickr

The spooky narrative that lies underneath Tao Dan Park’s lovely facade is the stuff of urban mythology. Tao Dan Park is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young man who looks to be seeking something as if lost. But this isn’t just any eerie apparition; the ghost is considered to be that of a young guy who died in the park while alone with his lover. While the park administrators deny that such an occurrence occurred, there is a record of another young guy dying in Tao Dan Park in the late 1980s, which is a divergence from the romantic story. This sad young man is said to have died while attempting to sell his motorcycle.

You can also check out the best-haunted books to read if you are a fan of haunted books.

Hope you had fun and not sleepless nights reading this.

Last Updated on September 13, 2023 by Steffy Michael