7 Most Haunted Places in The World in 2024
Who doesn’t love a good horror story? Regardless of who you are and regardless of what you believe in (ghosts or not) a good spooky story is precisely what you need on a chilly evening of October, around Halloween.
Fortunately, the world can never run out of fantastic, spooky stories. Ghosts, monsters, aliens – you name it and there will definitely be at least a hundred stories available for you at the ready.
What are some of the most haunted places in the world and what stories do they hide?
We have gathered them right below – so read on and find out more.
#1. The Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, USA
Probably one of the most severe prisons in America, the Philadelphia Eastern State Penitentiary was built in 1829 and closed in 1970. Solitary confinement was extreme here up until 1913 when the prison became overcrowded, with prisoners living, exercising, and eating alone.
When the solitary system was abandoned, the prison took punishment to a whole new level by enforcing torture on its prisoners. These days, it is said that you can hear creepy laughter and pacing footsteps when you visit the site of what once was the Philadelphia Eastern State Penitentiary.
The Penitentiary is now open for visits (for its museum and for its ghost tours alike), every day from 10 am to 5 PM.
Tickets cost between $10 and $14, and you would need about one or two hours to complete a tour.
You can get here by a variety of buses and trains from Philadelphia, depending on where exactly you are staying there. As for airports, the closest one is the Philadelphia Airport, and if you want to get to the penitentiary as soon as you land, there are means of transportation for this as well.
#2. The Haunted Town of Salem, Massachusetts, USA
With the popularity of horror movies centered around the witchcraft of Salem, it only makes sense that a town with the same name would get a spooky reputation. History has it that no less than 19 people were killed for witchcraft here – and legend has it that the Joshua Ward House is one of the world’s scariest haunted houses.
Tours are held here during the months of July, August, and October, and tickets cost $15. A tour includes the Joshua Ward House, the haunted cemetery, the Old Salem prison, and the Salem Wax Museum.
If you are staying in Boston, you can easily get to Salem by train or car (it takes less than 30 minutes to do so and there are plenty of commuting means of transportation available). The closest airport is Logan International Airport in Boston.
#3. Raynham Hall, Norfolk, UK
Perhaps spookier than the entire town of Salem, Raynham Hall in Norfolk is the house where one of the most famous ghost pictures in the world was taken. The white figure is said to belong to the Brown Lady, who, in her turn, is said to have been the wife of the prime minister of the UK Rober Walpole.
Accused of adultery, the woman became a prisoner in her own home and it is now believed that she is roaming the halls of her house. The earliest rumors about the hauntedness of the Raynham Hall appeared as early as the 1830s.
You can get to Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, by bus 1 or 22, or you can drive there by car (it is quite close to the city). Tours of the house are available at selected dates, twice a year (during the Open Days), and they cost approximately 30 GBP. The nearest airport is Norwich, 30 miles away from Norfolk.
#4. The Tower of London, London, UK
Built nearly one thousand years ago, the Tower of London has served multiple purposes over the course of time: from torture to prison and from royal residence to the armory. Given the importance it has in the history of the UK, you would expect this place to have seen its fair share of blood.
One of the most famous ghosts said to roam the halls of the tower is that of Anne Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VII, who was beheaded right here, in this tower.
There are several buses that can take you to the tower: 15, 42, 78,100, 343, and you can also take the subway (from the District and Circle lines). The closest airport to the tower is the London City airport (but keep in mind there are other airports in and around London as well).
You can visit it every day from Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm (with the last admission at 5 pm), and on Sundays and Mondays from 10 am to 6 pm (with the last admission at 6 pm). Tickets cost around 25 GBP for visitors and the tour will take approximately one hour.
#5. The Catacombs of Paris, France
Although there are no haunting stories about the Catacombs of Paris, the place is so eerily creepy that we wouldn’t be surprised for anyone to see paranormal activity here.
After flooding the building next door with corpses following heavy rain, the Les Innocents cemetery, Paris decided to move some of the corpses under the streets of Paris. Thus, the Catacombs were born.
These days, you can visit about a mile of the Catacombs and see the way in which the bones have been almost artistically displayed. A horror story waiting to happen, we say!
You can get to the Catacombs of Paris very easily by taking the subway and getting off of it at Denfert-Rochereau. The closest airport is the Paris Orly Airport. Tours are available every day except for Monday, from 10 am to 8:30 pm. Tickets cost 29 Euros and they include an audio guide as well. The tour will take about one hour.
#6. The Stanley Hotel, Colorado, USA
The Stanley Hotel is, perhaps, one of the most famous hotels in the world, not so much for the luxury it offers, but for the fact that it inspired The Shining. One of the scariest places on Earth, this hotel was creepy long before King even set foot in it and it is said that multiple types of paranormal activities have been observed here: the owner of the hotel playing the piano, footsteps, laughter, and so on.
The easiest way to get to the Stanley Hotel is by car, but the Estes Park Shuttle operates bus drives as well. The closest airport to this hotel is Denver International.
You can visit the hotel and you can take a tour, but don’t expect to go into the actual rooms, as guests are actually staying there. Tickets for a tour will cost $10 and the tour will take up to one hour.
#7. Hoia-Baciu Forest, Cluj, Romania
This forest has grown to be quite famous since a UFO was seen here – but even if you leave that aside, the place has an eerie vibe to it and people say some have even disappeared in this forest!
To visit the most haunted forest in the world, you have to take the bus from Cluj. If you are brave, you can take a night tour starting at 6 pm and ending at 10 pm – it will give you the experience of a lifetime for sure!
Of course, these are just some of the most haunted places in the world – many, many others are out there, some already famous, some waiting to be discovered. Each of them is beautiful, eery, and interesting in its own way!
