Guide

6 of the Most Haunted Locations in the World That You Can Visit

There is something so inviting about the idea of wandering through a mysterious, haunted place — a site that was once cursed or forgotten, where only myths and stories survived. It could perhaps be due to the curiosity about the paranormal that we, the living, have always had. This desire to seek answers for the unexplainable has driven many to visit these haunted spots for themselves and to potentially catch a ghost sighting. One thing is for sure: whether you’re in it for the spooks, or just to take some photos of the hauntingly beautiful environment, you will definitely be getting a good, scary story to take back home.

Wonder where to take your next hair-raising adventure next? Check out this list of haunted places we have compiled for those that dare: (sightings not guaranteed)

 

 

Catacombs of Paris

via Tobias F. Wolf on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Fancy a nightly stroll around Paris? Only this time, you’re underneath the busy city, away from the glinting lights. The Catacombs of Paris were constructed due to the city’s pressing problem of crowded cemeteries back in 1786. Slowly, they moved the bones from over six million people underground, elaborately stacked on top of one another, forming a grand tunnel network that is sure to send a chill down your spine as you walk in its path. Today, it’s a famous attraction people flock to. Join a tour to hear more about its history!

 

 

RMS Queen Mary

via Ian Abbott on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In its prime, the Queen Mary Ship cruised through the North Atlantic Ocean carrying the elite. But when World War II hit, the grand ship served to ferry troops before permanently docking at Long Beach, California. Over the course of its stint as a warship, multiple deaths have happened onboard, including one sailor that was crushed by a watertight door at the boiler room. What probably will surprise people is that it has since then been converted into a hotel, but some specifically just come for the ghost sightings.

 

 

Ancient Ram Inn

via Richard Ellis on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The Ancient Ram Inn holds a lot of history in its walls. Erected in 1145, the English inn located in Wotton-under-Edge has gone from housing masons and slaves to being a ritual sacrifice and demonic worship hotspot. Remains of children and broken daggers, believed to have been used in the sacrificial offers, have been found by its previous owner John Humphries. The house is teeming with spirits that still lurk its grounds, including a witch that has been burned at the stake that has taken refuge in one of the rooms.

 

 

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

via Can Pac Swire on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

For thriller movie fans, a stay at The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Canada is the closest thing you will get to an eerie The Shining experience. This famed hotel built in 1888 is a dead ringer to Stanley Kubrick’s hit film, with ghosts loitering its hallways, the ballroom and even the guest rooms. It was believed that a family was murdered in Room 873, which has now been sealed off from the guests due to numerous complaints of supernatural activity. Stories of a bride that has fallen down from the staircase and is now haunting the hotel has been going around as well.

 

 

Aokigahara Forest

via Patrik Ragnarsson on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The Aokigahara Forest, also nicknamed the Suicide Forest, is believed to be one of the haunted sites in the planet. Located in Japan, the dense forest has been the location for a staggering number of suicide cases since the 1950s. Locals believe that people are drawn to the forest due to its association with Japanese mythology ghosts, but others seem to just blame it on its popularity – which is why the police have stopped declaring actual figures. People who have gone through the woods are said to be trapped forever, have seen apparitions, or heard screams reverberate through the trees.

 

 

Château de Brissac

via Jeremy Polanski on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

This beautiful, ornate structure in Brissac-Quincé, France may look like any other castle on the outside, but it actually is home to the very active “Green Lady”, also known as Charlotte of France. The lady, who is King Charles VII’s illegitimate daughter, was killed by her own husband after learning that she is having an affair with another man. Charlotte’s ghost is seen to be wandering around the chapel tower room in the early hours of the morning, wearing the green dress she was murdered in.

 

 

If you’re looking for a good scare, then set out on a chilling journey retracing famed killer Jack the Ripper’s steps in this quick London tour! Hear the gruesome details of his attacks and visit other haunted sites. Who knows, your first sighting might happen here.

 

 

Words by Arian Blasquez
Featured image from Travis Grossen on Unsplash

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