With the crisp fall air come the perfect conditions for visiting the scariest, spookiest and best haunted places in the world.
While some haunted houses can seem a little hokey — filled with actors dressed as ghouls, goblins, mad scientists, and Frankenstein’s monsters — there are several spots around the globe with real reputations for being truly haunted.
Some of these places are shrouded in mystery, with legends passed down for centuries. Others are much newer, but are steeped in their tragic pasts. Whether these places are from the 12th or 20th century, each has an interesting history — with plenty of sightings and creepy experiences. Even if you don’t have a ghostly encounter at one of these destinations, at least you’ll still get a fascinating history lesson out of your trip.
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And ghost hunters everywhere are always trying to catch a glimpse of a ghost wandering a haunted hallway, hear mysterious voices in an empty room, or even feel a chill as their investigating a dark corridor. Luckily enough, there are a lot more reportedly haunted places that are open for public tours or even overnight stays than you might think.
No matter where you are in the world, there’s probably a haunted house, hotel, or old historical site that’s waiting for you to visit. Not only are there plenty of places to send a chill up your spine in the U.S. — from the Winchester Mystery House, in California, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — you can also jump across the pond for even more eerie destinations.
Ghosts, strange sounds and lights, and even UFO experiences have been reported at these famous places in the U.K., France, Germany, Romania and as far as Australia, the Phillipines and China. Here are some of the places you can go to give yourself a fright, just in time for Halloween.
This gorgeous country home also has a dark past. The mysterious “Brown Lady,” rumored to be Lady Dorothy Walpole, was reported to be one of the apparitions to be captured on film in the December 1936 edition of Country Life.
Known as the Sea of Trees, the dense forest at the northwest base of Mount Fuji is one of the eeriest places in the world. It’s rumored that large underground iron deposits interfere with compasses, setting walkers forth on the wrong paths. Sadder still, the forest has been the site of more than 500 reported suicides since the 1950s. Locals claim to hear their spirits scream through the night.
The Grimm Brothers set many of their fairy tales in this bewitching landscape along the Rhine River in southwestern Germany, which looks just as you’d imagine—so densely forested with fir and pine trees that sunlight rarely pierces through. It makes an ideal playground for mythological creatures like sorcerers, werewolves, witches, and kindhearted dwarves. For a more adult tale of hauntings, killings, and dark magic in this forest.
A hand reaching out to touch the shoulder of a solitary person. A horse-drawn cart carrying a couple with two sobbing children. These are the reports out of Wychwood Forest, once part of larger royal hunting grounds in Oxfordshire. Most compelling is the case of Amy Robsart, the wife of the Earl of Leicester. She mysteriously died of a broken neck, confronted her husband as a ghost while he was hunting in Wychwood, and predicted he would join her in 10 days—which he did after falling ill. Anyone who meets her, it is said, will befall a similar and swift fate.
The Victoria Boys School, established in the late 19th century in West Bengal, is rumored to be haunted; students report ownerless footsteps echoing in the corridors. But the surrounding Dow Hill forest is an even bigger hotbed of paranormal activity, with woodsmen reporting seeing a headless boy wandering among the trees.
Hoia-Baciu in Transylvania has captivated attention of the wrong sort for more than half a century. Residents of nearby towns claim the forest—which has a circular clearing at the center—is a portal and that those who pass through it may never return. Anyone who does survive reports feeling anxious and nauseous the whole time they’re there. Once said to stand straight and tall, the trees are even twisted into knots now.
The trees of this island near Mexico City are strung with hundreds of dolls—to creepy, horror-movie-style effect. The island’s only inhabitant, Don Julian Santana, discovered the body of a girl in one of its canals more than 50 years ago. He found a doll floating in the same water and, in tribute, hung it on a tree—the first of thousands of dolls he would string up until 2001, when he drowned in the very same canal. Some believe the dolls, many of which are missing limbs, are evil; others believe they safeguard the island. Depart from the Embarcadero Cuemanco ferry terminal for the four-hour round trip to see for yourself.
Part of the “Bridgewater Triangle,” this 200-square-mile swath of land in southeastern Massachusetts is tormented by paranormal activity, with layer upon layer of intrigue. The Native Americans who occupied it in the 1600s sold it reluctantly and left behind several burial grounds; it was believed to be the site of satanic murders in the 1970s and ’80s; and it’s still the backdrop for odd sightings (UFOs, poltergeists, fireballs).
Billed as the smallest town in the state, Randolph Forest, flanked by residences, has an outsize reputation among locals for being haunted. Abandoned cars and ripped-up railroad tracks that once used to usher veterans to a hospital (now grown over with grass) are the backdrop for reported flashes of light, the appearance of orbs, and strange ambient noises. During the daytime, the woods seem harmless, but we dare you to venture there when night falls.
Stretching from east London to Essex, 6,000-acre Epping Forest has been the setting of horrors both real and, well, debatably so. It served as the hideout for outlaw Dick Turpin and cop killer Harry Roberts, and has also been the hiding place for murder victims, among those the children targeted by Ronald Jebson. An episode of the British Living TV show attempted to find the ghost of Turpin, but the team ended up lost themselves—perhaps a prank of the elusive spirit?
Alexander Robinson, born Chee-chee-pin-quay and chief of the Pottawatomies, Ottawa, and Chippewa nations, is buried along with his family in these woods. Orbs of light, thought to be the spirits of the Robinson family, appear at night, while during the day, groups of deer sometimes circle visitors without apparent reason. Near the graves, people tell of smelling lilacs during the winter.
In the early 19th century, the Greenlaw House, within walking distance of Frith Wood, was converted into barracks for French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars. A woman supposedly fell in love with a prisoner, who was then beaten to death by her father and brother. She died shortly thereafter, possibly by her own hand. Her ghost returns to the site of her lover’s murder—some say she sobs, others say she runs frantically through the trees.
This 50-acre forest, near the Chesapeake Bay, is a refuge for the ghosts of 18th-century British soldiers and pirates who once passed through the nearby historic port town of Mathews (pictured)—and who may have left buried chests of treasure in its soft dirt. At the center of the woods, off Haven Beach Road, was a solitary and dilapidated Colonial homestead that burned to the ground. Of all the sightings here, perhaps the most intriguing was reported by a fisherman on Whites Creek in the 19th century: a ship silently plying the creek, continuing on over the beach, and disappearing into the woods.
A short trip from Venice, the beautiful island of Poveglia has scars from being a quarantine zone for people suffering from the plague. In addition, the island was used in the early 20th century as an insane asylum. Ghost hunters claim this spot is a hotbed of paranormal activity.
Two hundred miles from Delhi, this abandoned fortress sticks out in the middle of the desert. Legend has it that a sorcerer cast a curse on the area after being rejected by a local princess.
This 12th-century inn is one of the oldest in the western world. It is believed to have once been a pagan burial ground, and boasts that it is haunted by more than 20 spirits, including ghost children, a pagan high priestess, and an incubus (not the band).
There are many ghost tours around Port Arthur to satisfy worldly ghost hunters. The Tasmanian town was an 18th-century convict settlement, and a hotbed of paranormal activity.
This beautiful ocean liner spent 30 years at sea before permanently docking in Long Beach. During her tenure, she logged more than 50 deaths, which makes her a truly haunted ship.
This 800-year-old castle in the municipality of Wolfsegg, Germany, is apparently haunted by a “White Woman” who scares off any visitors who pass. The woman is rumored to be the ghost of Klara von Helfenstein who was reportedly murdered by her jealous husband.
This allegedly haunted bed and breakfast is the sight of a gruesome and highly publicized murder that occurred in 1892. Although she was acquitted, Lizzie Borden was suspected of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in the unassuming home. Since then, guests have reported all manner of strange sightings in the house.
Completed in 1914, this Gothic Revival style house is filled with corridors and and secret passageways. Tales of ghosts have been whispered about the property for decades and now the house is fully decked out for Halloween for visitors as a haunted mansion to tour
This towering building is famously known as the place where Charlotte of France was murdered. According to the legend, Charlotte, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII, was killed by her husband, after discovering her affair. Visitors claim to have seen a “Green Lady,” because of the color of her dress, roaming the halls.
This famous Rocky Mountain destination is known as one of the inspirations for Stephen King’s “The Shining,” but it also has it’s own spooky past. Allegedly, staff have encountered ghosts during their time there, such as a maid from Room 217 who is known to pack away guests’ clothing when they aren’t looking.
Ever since it was completed in 1888, this hotel has been associated with paranormal activity. One of the most famous legends is of the Ghost Bride, a woman who reportedly awaits people in the hotel ballroom.
This lighthouse became infamous during the Civil War when the light was removed to disrupt Union shipping — also to many tragic results. However, visitors have reported to have seen a friendly ghost of a lighthouse keeper there.
This West Village establishment is a New York City treasure, but some of the guests who frequent there may not be totally of this plane. The restaurant was once the carriage house of Aaron Burr, and it is rumored that his ghost still haunts the place.
Many famous people have called the Tower of London their final resting place. The infamous fortress has been steeped in tragedy for over 900 years and home to many ghostly sightings of English royalty, including Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots.
One of America’s most haunted sites, this plantation is rumored to be built on a Native American burial ground and is home to at least 12 different ghosts. The home has been no stranger to tragedy, as many of the reported apparitions have appeared to be pre-Civil War slaves from the plantation.
Over 24 acres of gardens make Tao Dan Park look like a paradise, but at night, locals have reported that the park takes on a different feel. Rumors say that the ghost of a young man who was killed in an attack still wanders the park, looking for his lost love.
Borgvattnet is a small village in Jämtland County, Northern Sweden, known for having one of the most haunted houses in Sweden, The Old Vicarage. Inhabitants of the home have reported a number of sightings, including a lady in gray and unexplained sounds and moving objects. The house not serves as an inn and restaurant.
After the death of her husband, rifle magnate William Wirt Winchester, Sarah Winchester commissioned this dizzying labyrinth of a house in order to keep safe from vengeful spirits killed by her husband’s guns. The home has four stories, 160 rooms, 10,000 window panes, and 47 stairways — some of which go to nowhere at all.
Many big-name celebrities have stayed at this old hotel since 1886, so there’s bound to be a ghost haunting the hallways. Some of the most famous tales surrounding the property include the stories of two “suicide brides,” honeymooning women who took their own lives in the same room 20 years apart.
This medieval castle that served as a defensive stronghold for the city of Oslo, and is rumored to be the most haunted place in Norway. The most popular sightings include a demon dog named Malcanisen that’s said to guard the gates to the castle and the ghost of a woman with no facial features named Mantelgeisten, often seen within the castle, walking back towards her chamber.
This giant fortress originally served as a replenishment station for ships in the Dutch East India Company. Among the famous ghosts to wander the grounds include a tall man seen walking the ramparts, and a Gray Lady who was seen crying in the halls.
The Paris Catacombs is truly one of the spookiest places in the world, with hundreds of miles of tunnels that served as a burial ground for Parisians in the 1700s. Official tours happen regularly, so it’s an excellent Halloween destination.
This 12th-century fortress has seen a lot of history over the centuries. Many different experiences have been reported over the years, including unexplained music echoing through the halls. Some guests believe the music is from the ghost of a piper who once died in the castle.
Many people would not assume the Forbidden City, located in the center of modern Beijing, would be haunted, but ghost hunters who are interested in local lore know better. One apparition that was first reported in the 1940s is of a woman in white who can be heard sobbing in the halls of the palace
This forest is considered the most haunted in the world. Visitors often report intense feelings of anxiety and the feeling of being watched while traveling through the forest, and some of the most common sightings include ghosts, unexplained apparitions, faces appearing in photographs that were not visible with the naked eye, and even some UFOs.
This beautiful home was completed in 1892 by William and Anne Kehoe. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the family when a few of their 10 children died in the house. Since the home was turned into a bed and breakfast, guests have noted mysterious sounds of children playing.
The battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War, so it’s no wonder why the area seems to be teeming with paranormal energy. Many visitors have reported to have seen apparitions of Civil War soldiers wandering the fields.
If you’re looking for the inspiration for the original vampire myth, look no further than Vlad the Impaler. The bloodthirsty ruler was kept prisoner in Corvin Castle in Transylvania, where many strange sightings have been reported.
