Curious about the world’s most famous haunted places? From ancient castles to modern-day hotels, old creaky bridges to bloody battlefields, the world is full of mysterious locations. These spooky places have fascinated and terrified people for generations.
In this article, we’ll take a look at 50 of the most haunted places worldwide, sharing the chilling stories and eerie legends that have made these locations infamous.
So grab a blanket, turn on a nightlight, and prepare to delve into the ghostly histories of these mysterious and haunted sites.
Leap Castle – Offaly, Ireland
The castle is known to be haunted due to the imprisonment and execution of many individuals within its walls. Among the frightening entities said to inhabit the castle is a creature referred to as “It”, characterized by its small size resembling a sheep and its decaying facial features. Legend has it that the appearance of “It” is often signaled by the scent of sulfur and rotting flesh.
Ben Lomond Hotel – Utah, USA
There are tales of strange occurrences at the hotel and these could possibly be attributed to the fact that several bizarre and gruesome deaths, including many suicides have happened at the Ben Lomond.
Gettysburg Battlefield – Pennsylvania, USA
Gettysburg was the site where Confederate and Union armies clashed on July 1, 1863. The battle was a three-day bloodbath that would change American history. Many, many ghost stories have been documented here and would be one of the most haunted places in the US.
Borgvattnet Haunted Vicarage – Stugun, Sweden
From its construction in 1876, the modest dwelling for religious individuals began experiencing its initial documented apparitions in 1927. The peculiar occurrences, such as the resident vicar’s laundry being mysteriously removed from the clothesline, were reported during that time.
Ancient Ram Inn – Wotton-under-Edge, England
Located in the village of Wotten-under-Edge, The Ancient Ram Inn looks perfectly cozy and quaint. But the structure, which was built in 1145, sits on an alleged pagan ritual ground. Researchers and visitors alike believe this inauspicious origin is a primary contributor to the inn’s paranormal activity.
The LaLaurie Mansion – Louisiana, USA
People just passing The LaLaurie Mansion building on tour report fainting or becoming nauseous, and of course, disembodied screams or wailing are still occasionally heard. Some tourists are able to photograph orbs around the roof area. The LaLaurie Mansion would be Louisiana’s most famous haunted house.
The Shanghai Tunnels – Oregon, USA
Many individuals who walk the tunnels in Portland have stated that they have heard moans, talking, screaming, and even the sound of crying. While it is believed that many of these sounds may be a result of the energy expelled in the area, and may be residual based hauntings, there are many who firmly believe that these are the sounds of truly intelligent hauntings.
Squirrel Cage Jail – Iowa, USA
The feelings of being watched or followed have been most frequently noted on the 3rd and 4th floors though the voice of a little girl has been picked up in various places throughout the building, as has the presence of two ghost cats.
The Goldfield Hotel – Nevada, USA
In what once was the main dining room in The Goldfield Hotel, called ‘The Gold Room’, lurks a spirit that locals call ‘The Stabber’. He hides around that particular area with what people say is a kitchen knife. His blade has not harmed people, but they do say they get a hell of a fright. He usually lunges at people then seconds later will disappear.
Mary King’s Close – Edinburgh, Scotland
Now one of the most famous and most haunted attractions in Edinburgh, the close has become well known worldwide for its wide variety of ghostly phenomena. Many visitors have reported seeing apparitions of those that once lived and died there.
Poinsett Bridge – South Carolina, USA
Several legends surround Poinsett Bridge. One attributes the haunting to a lynched slave, while another claims the bridge sits atop an ancient Indian burial ground. A third legend claims a mason died during the span’s construction and is now entombed inside.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Kentucky, USA
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium has a story that two nurses killed themselves in Room 502, one by hanging and the other jumped to her death. They are believed to haunt the fifth floor and one has shown up in photographs. This is renowned as one of the most haunted places in the world.
The Mermaid Inn – Rye, England
here are so many ghost stories documented at The Mermaid Inn that it will be hard to mention them all. It is definitely a renowned paranormal location. Also it has a creepy medieval look that will add to the spookiness.
Sorrel-Weed House – Georgia, USA
Disney’s Babble listed the Sorrel–Weed house as the fifth most haunted place in the United States in a 2013 article. Condé Nast wrote that Savannah is one of the eight best cities to visit at Halloween, citing the Sorrel-Weed House’s reputation for paranormal activity as “a great way to spend Halloween”.
Waitomo Caves Hotel – Waitomo, New Zealand
Children of parents visiting the Waitomo Caves Hotel claim they feel they’re getting picked on by a young boy that they can’t see. This happens in the same location where there was a death of a child.
Greyfriars Kirkyard – Edinburgh, Scotland
Greyfriars Kirkyard, located in Old Town, is quite possibly the most haunted spot in all of Edinburgh, and that really is saying something. With skulls on most of the gravestones, this haunted site looks like something off a horror movie!
17 Hundred 90 Inn – Georgia, USA
There are at least three ghosts which are believed to inhabit the 17 Hundred 90 Inn. Anna is the most well-known. Guests staying in room 204 frequently report strange feelings.
Ledge Lighthouse – Connecticut, USA
Many going-ons have been reported in the lighthouse. Some as negligible as ghostly footsteps and doors opening and closing to a deck swabbing itself and even a Coast Guard Officer who heard his name being called from an upstairs room when every other man was asleep.
The Grenadier – London, England
This quirky little tavern, nestled down a cobbled street in Belgravia, London, has its fair share of history and ghost stories, giving it the name of one of the UK’s most haunted pubs!
Hoia Baciu Forest – Transylvania, Romania
With its bent-over ghostly looking trees, and thick undergrowth, it certainly looks like a frightening place. And there’s a lot of strange activity going on there. Little wonder it’s repeatedly been called the most haunted forest in the world.
Old Candler Hospital – Georgia, USA
Old Candler Hospital was the first hospital in Savannah and it was built in 1804. The land on which it sits contains the mighty Candler Oak which is more commonly known as ‘The Hanging Tree’. A few ghost sightings have been seen around this tree and inside the hospital itself.
Overtoun Bridge – Dumbarton, Scotland
Most popular tellings of the Overtoun Bridge legend mention ghosts that are said to reside at Overtoun House, postulating that perhaps they spook dogs into jumping off the bridge.
Witch’s Castle – Oregon, USA
Some say that the spirits haunting the Witch’s Castle are those of the Balch and Stump families, still fighting their old feud. This haunted place you have to see! It has such a spooky old appearance.
Hannah House – Indiana, USA
For many years, investigators and past owners claimed that one of the upstairs rooms of the house would sometimes smell like gangrene and decay and this odor was attributed to the death of the slaves in the house.
Seven Sisters Road – Nebraska, USA
Seven Sisters Road is an inherently creepy trail. Tall, looping hills, shaved down in later years, create mystery with each coming valley. Many stories have been documented along and close to this road.
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa – Arkansas, USA
Built in 1886, the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs has become famous for its ghosts. Not only the many documented cases, but the place looks amazingly creepy as well. This location would be considered one of the more famous haunted hotels and most haunted locations in Arkansas.
Raynham Hall – Norfolk, England
One of the most documented ghost photos called the ‘Brown Lady’ was taken at Raynham Hall. There has been some controversy around it but other cases of ghosts have been reported here. It’s a beautiful building in the English countryside and definitely worth a visit.
Port Arther – Tasmania, Australia
In 1833 it became a prison settlement for male convicts and of course in 1996 it was the site of Australia’s worst mass shooting when 35 people were shot dead by a malicious gunman.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – Alberta, Canada
The hotel is full of documented ghost sightings and weird feelings. The hotel looks very familiar to ‘The Shining’ hotel. There is a secret room in the hotel where a lot of apparitions are often seen roaming.
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery – Illinois, USA
The most documented paranormal sighting at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is the blue light phenomena that appears in the form of orbs. The orbs are said to roam the entire graveyard area. You can find them in the cemetery, over a nearby pond and along the pathway from 143rd Street.
Hellfire Caves – High Wycombe, England
The Hellfire Caves were made for Sir Francis Dashwood’s notorious Hellfire Club. A ghost named Suki is said to roam the caves and is also sometimes seen at the George and Dragon and many paranormal experts have claimed to have been able to make contact with her.
Laperal House – Baguio City, Philippines
There are alleged to be ghosts of a little girl killed in an accident running after her nanny and ghost of the nanny who was killed in one of the bedrooms of the house.
The Vulcan Hotel – Otago, New Zealand
There have been many reports of lights going on and off, doors creaking, drops in temperature, phantom footsteps, ghostly apparitions, and mysterious shadows seen at the foot of a certain bed.
Devils Tramping Ground – North Carolina, USA
The Devil’s Tramping Ground is a circular area in the wood where nothing grows. Apparently the Devil spends his nights pacing around and around in a circle and turning his bitter mind towards ways to bring human souls to damnation.
Pluckley Village – Kent, England
Pluckley Village has been known as England’s most haunted village for some time. The village, just outside of Ashford, boasts a phantom headmaster, a dying highwayman, a “flickering light” and a Victorian lady.
Copper Queen Hotel, Arizona, USA
The Copper Queen Hotel is described as being “One of the Last Remaining Historical Gems of the Southwest.” The old hotel is quite famous as many cases of hauntings have featured on paranormal television shows such as Ghost Adventures.
Fremantle Prison – Perth, Australia
The Fremantle Prison in Perth has quite a few ghost sightings. Many people have reported seeing a man in what appears to be overalls standing in the guard tower above the gate overlooking the prison grounds. This historic prison would be in the top most haunted places in Australia.
Devil’s Promenade – Missouri, USA
The Spooklight is a light that appears in a small area known locally as the “Devil’s Promenade”. One cause of the light is said that it’s the ghosts of two young Native American lovers looking for each other.
Crenshaw House “Hickory Hill’ – Illonois, USA
The horrifying history of the Crenshaw House aka The Old Slave House, certainly lends itself to a negative energy that backs up the claim that this is one of the most haunted locations in Illinois.
Whittington Castle – Oswestry, Wales
The very ancient Whittington Castle sits in the North West of Shropshire. A lot of visitors have been frightened half to death by the apparition of a man in a hood standing under the gateway.
Drish House – Alabama, USA
On 17th Street in Tuscaloosa, Alabama sits the Drish House which is considered one of the most haunted in Alabama. It was built by slaves and now holds dark presences. The Drish House is a classic looking mansion that is visually haunting.
Christ Church Cemetery on St. Simons Island – Georgia, USA
Nestled on an island shaded by the ancient, moss-covered oaks, you will find the Christ Church Cemetery. One story is of a certain woman’s grave that has a candle lit by her phantom husband on some nights.
Doryodo Ruins, Tokyo, Japan
Located in Otukayama Park in Hachioji, Tokyo, this was the site of a temple that was once very popular but was dismantled in 1983, twenty years after an elderly woman was murdered there.
Union Cemetery – Connecticut, USA
At the junction of routes 59 and 136 in Easton, next to Easton Baptist Church, the nearly 400-year-old Union Cemetery is allegedly one of the most haunted spots in Connecticut.
The Ragged Cot – Gloucestershire, England
For centuries, the Ragged Cot has nestled comfortably in the quaint town of Stroud. In its earlier days, 2 men witnessed a motionless lady apparition sitting on an oak chest holding a baby. More recently guests at the Ragged Cot have reported sightings of two ghostly apparitions and strange noises.
Iolani Palace – Honolulu, USA
Not what you think for Honolulu, but ‘Iolani Palace has been documented for scary sounds to unexplained apparitions. It reigns high with paranormal activity. It is a very grand looking building.
The Red Lion Inn – Massachusetts, USA
The Red Lion is a historic landmark in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Many ghostly sightings have been reported over the years. Reviews on Tripadvisor mention sheets being pulled, a man in a top hat and a girl carrying flowers.
Elvey Farm – Kent, England
Elvey Farm is found in the haunted village of Pluckley Village seen at number 35 of our list. The farm consists of a medieval oast house, stable, granary and barn. This location has many cases of the paranormal and gives you more reason to visit the ghostly village.
Culloden Moor – Inverness, Scotland
Culloden Moor was the site of the last ever battle on British soil. Ghosts of soldiers fallen are said to rise again, and the cries of the wounded and clanking of steel weapons are heard.
The Myrtles Plantation – Louisiana, USA
One of the most haunted places in the United States is famously recognized as the Myrtles Plantation. Multiple paranormal investigators have been to this famous haunted place. It holds the story to the infamous Chloe ghost who was a slave.Several visitors have claimed witnessing an apparition of a lady while standing on the balcony. Many individuals who visit the Myrtles Plantation frequently express experiencing feelings of discomfort or being observed, especially in the vicinity associated with Chloe’s narrative.
Being a paranormal enthusiast, you’ve most likely heard of some of the famous haunted places around the world. Hopefully, one day you get to explore and witness their hauntings!
