Visit If You Dare
Whether it’s a sprawling castle, a quaint home, or the shadowy catacombs of Paris, some places seem frozen in their haunted past. These eerie locations are tailor-made for paranormal enthusiasts—where whispers linger in the walls, shadows move without cause, and every creak could be something…not quite human.
Ready to explore the 30 most haunted places on Earth? Enter at your own risk.
Corvin Castle
The infamous Vlad III, or Vlad the Impaler, once lived in Corvin Castle—a Gothic-style estate with a dark past. After all, Vlad's horrifying acts helped inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula. It has since become a magnet for those who believe in the supernatural and want to peek behind the curtain of the Dracula myth.
Location: Romania
The Stanley Hotel
Although the Stanley Hotel is the inspiration behind the horror novel The Shining by Stephen King, its ghostly truth is quite surprising. Employees confess that they only have "happy ghosts," such as the one who in Room 217—a maid known to pack up the clothes of unsuspecting guests.
Location: Estes Park, Colorado
Carol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons
One If By Land, Two If By Sea
Located in the West Village, this dazzling restaurant is perfect for a romantic night out...even if it's known to be haunted by more than 20 ghosts. It was once Aaron Burr's carriage house and his daughter Theodosia is said to be one of the resident spirits.
Location: New York City
Paris Catacombs
Dating back to the late 18th century, the Paris Catacombs sprawl beneath the city’s busy streets like a hidden underworld. This haunting labyrinth stretches over 500 miles and holds the bones of more than six million souls, stacked neatly in macabre patterns—a silent reminder that beneath the romance of Paris lies something far darker.
Location: France
MykReeve, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Larnach Castle
This Gothic Revival estate boasts ghosts with illustrious backstories. Though she passed from typhoid at the age of 26, Kate Larnach's apparition is said to twirl around the 3,000-square-foot ballroom. Her father William James Mudie Larnach took his own life in 1898, and his ghost has also been sighted.
Even more jarring are the bizarre smells: The odor of port and smoke sometimes permeates the rooms without a known source.
Location: Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand
Pseudopanax, Wikimedia Commons
Poveglia Island
Venice may be one of the most romantic destinations, but Poveglia Island boasts a crumbling insane asylum from a more brutal time. During the bubonic plague, it was initially a quarantine zone. But that wasn't all. Reportedly, Poveglia was the site for some ruthless medical experiments. It wasn't until a doctor threw himself off the building that the institution finally closed.
Location: Venice, Italy
Marco Usan, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Driskill Hotel
In 1886, cattle baron Jesse Driskill opened his Romanesque hotel to the public—but these days, its known for its paranormal activity and tragic history. In a bizarre coincidence, two women on their honeymoons who were staying in the same room took their own lives... but these sad incidents occured 20 years apart.
Location: Austin, Texas
Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kehoe House
Finished in 1882, this Queen Anne-style mansion was once home to William and Anne Kehoe and their 10 children. Tragically, not all of them made it out alive. Now operating as a charming bed and breakfast, the Kehoe House still carries echoes of its past—guests have reported the eerie sound of unseen children playing, as if the family never truly left.
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Carol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a 12th-century fortress—and there's one sad tale forever linked to its legacy. According to this story, a young piper went into the castle's tunnels to explore them and disappeared forever. Some visitors claim that they can hear eerie music playing.
Location: Scotland
Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Château de Brissac
The Château de Brissac is known for the The Green Lady—the ghost of Charlotte of France, King Charles VII's illegitimate daughter. As the story goes, Charlotte's husband took her life after he discovered her infidelity. It is said that she haunts the tower to this day.
Location: Brissac-Quincé, France
W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall is a lovely English country that dates all the way back to 1637. It is known for the ghost of the Brown Lady, who is supposedly Lady Dorothy Walpole. In 1936, the Brown Lady had her claim to fame in Country Life magazine when it published an alleged photo of her ghost.
Location: Norfolk, England
John Fielding, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Winchester Mystery House
After her husband’s death, Sarah Winchester began constructing a sprawling Queen Anne-style mansion filled with strange and labyrinthine features—staircases that lead to nowhere, doors that open into walls, and windows overlooking hidden rooms. Legend has it she designed the home this way to confuse vengeful spirits, believed to be victims of the Winchester rifle empire. The result? A beautiful, haunted maze with secrets around every corner.
Location: San Jose, California
Ancient Ram Inn
The Ancient Ram Inn was practically doomed to be haunted as it sits upon a 12th-century pagan burial site. There are as many as 20 different ghosts, including a priestess, an incubus, and many children. Reportedly, some guests have been so frightened—they've tried to escape by jumping out of the inn's windows.
Location: Wotton-under-Edge, England
Brian Robert Marshall, Wikimedia Commons
Amityville Horror House
In 1974, Amityville House witnessed a horrifying incident where Ronald Defeo Jr took the lives of his six family members. The very next year, the Lutz family moved in and claimed to experience some undeniable paranormal happenings: slamming doors, ghostly voices, and a secret Red Room. After 26 days of fear, the Lutzes moved out.
Location: New York
BrownieCharles99, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bodie State Historic Park
Bodie State Historic Park used to be a flourishing mining center, but it is now an eerie abandoned town. Visitors not only claim to have seen the ghosts of miners, but have also heard sounds emanating from the empty mining shafts.
Location: California
Akershus Fortress
Dating back to the 1290s, Akershus Fortress has stood through centuries of war and history—including the Seven Years’ War. But some say the soldiers who once defended its walls never truly left. Locals and visitors alike have reported ghostly figures roaming the halls, as if the fortress still stands guard in more ways than one.
Location: Norway
Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Castle Of Good Hope
Though this castle has a heartwarming name, it supposedly houses the ghost of the brutal ruler, Governor van Noodt. As the story goes, a man who had been sentenced to hang placed a curse on the governor. Therefore, when the governor passed, his soul remained trapped within the castle.
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leap Castle
Leap Castle dates back to the late 13th century. Quite disturbingly, there was a secret dungeon that nobody found until the 1920s. It contained the remains of 150 people. As well, the castle ghost that is best known is The Red Lady, who many have spotted on the premises.
Location: Ireland
Mike Searle, Wikimedia Commons
Isla De La Muñecas
Isla de las Muñecas—or Island Of The Dolls—all began when Don Julian Santana Barrera found the body of a drowned girl. While exploring the island, he also found a doll in the water, which he placed in a tree as a tribute the girl.
As the years passed, the island became absolutely covered with different dolls. Some say they're posessed and even move on their own.
Location: Mexico
Amrith Raj, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lizzie Borden House
In 1892, Lizzie Borden infamously took an axe to her parents in this very house—now a bed and breakfast and museum. The grim tale lives on within its walls, where guests have reported unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and eerie apparitions. For those brave enough to spend the night, the Borden house offers more than just a history lesson—it offers a brush with the paranormal.
Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Merchant's House Museum
Merchant's House Museum may be small—but it boasts a rich history. Home to the Tredwell family for almost 100 years, it's said that the ghost of the final Tredwell, Gertrude, never left. At the age of 93, she passed in one of the bedrooms. Of course, that hasn't stopped her ghost for getting into trouble.
Location: New York
Ajay Suresh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Palacio de Linares
This lavish Palacio de Linares hides some curious architectural elements like vanishing staircases and trapped doors. It was once the residence of Don José Murga and his wife Raimunda Osorio, and it is said that their daughter still haunts the rooms. After the visitors filter out of the palace, eerie singing can often be heard.
Location: Madrid, Spain
Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Red Onion Saloon
Originally opened in 1898, The Red Onion Saloon operated as both a saloon and house of ill repute, but today it's a restaurant that also gives historical tours. According to many of the employees, there is a ghost named Lydia who still haunts the building.
Location: Skagway, Alaska
Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ruthin Castle
Ruthin Castle may look like a fairytale fortress, but its beauty hides a chilling tale. The ghost of the Grey Lady, believed to be the wife of Reginald de Grey, is said to wander its halls. Legend claims she murdered a peasant girl she suspected of being her husband’s mistress—an act that led to her own execution. Now, her restless spirit lingers, forever tied to the castle’s dark past.
Location: Wales
Neil Parley, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tower Of London
The Tower of London is one of Europe's most infamous destinations. Constructed in 1070 by William the Conquerer, the large fortress played host to countless royal demises—and to this day, some of their ghosts remain. Even Anne Boleyn is said to haunt the halls.
Location: England
Duncan, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Al Madam
Al Madam is a ghost town located 40 miles from the lavish city of Dubai. After being built in the 1970s, it was completely deserted within ten years. Rumors blame the town's failing on djinn, which the Koran describes as spirits that can take on the form of animals or humans.
Location: United Arab Emirates
Alexandermcnabb, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Crescent Hotel
Though constructed in 1886, it wasn't until the 1930s that the Crescent Hotel's story took a spooky turn. Norman Baker, who claimed to be a "doctor," began offering people water-based cures for cancer, which were obviously a lie. The Crescent became a "hospital" and the morgue was believed to be a gateway to the spirit world.
Today, visitors can choose to stay in the room best known for its paranormal activity—room 218.
Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Alan Islas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Built in 1888, this historic hotel has become known not just for its elegance, but for its ghost stories—especially that of the tragic Bride. Dressed in her wedding gown, she accidentally set herself ablaze while descending the staircase, her dress catching on a candle’s flame. Now known as the Ghost Bride, she’s often seen drifting through the ballroom, as if still waiting for her first dance that never came.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Casa Loma
Built in 1914, Casa Loma is a Gothic Revival castle with a chilling reputation. For years, there have been whispers about paranormal activity on the estate. With its secret passages and ghost stories, it's no wonder that it proudly proclaims itself as a haunted house for Halloween.
Location: Toronto
Pittock Mansion
Not only is this chateau haunted, but has also been the filming located for two horror films: The Haunting of Sarah Hardy and Unhinged.
Constructed in 1909, Pittock Mansion is also known for its ghosts, banging windows, and the bizarre phenomenon of paintings moving from room to room.
Location: Portland, Oregon
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