The Most Haunted Places In The World

1. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Image source Getty ImagesWith sections of Edinburgh castle dating back more than 900 years, the historic fortress’s dungeons have caused some visitors to report sightings of colonial prisoners from both the American Revolutionary War and French prisoners from the 7 Years War.  There's even been a report of the ghost of a dog wandering through the castle’s dog cemetery.

2. Tower Of London - England

Image source Getty ImagesBuilt by William the Conqueror in 1066, this fortress was best known as a prison and execution site, where two of Henry VIII's wives were sent for the inevitable!  It’s also where two young princes were imprisoned after the death of their father, King Edward IV.  Ghost tours have spooked visitors with sightings of the ghosts of the princes and others who met their untimely death.

3. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

Image source Getty ImagesThe castle-like Eastern State Penitentiary took solitary confinement to a whole new level when it was built in 1829.  Prisoners lived, exercised and ate alone and if another inmate passed their cell, they would have their heads covered with a hood.  If they tried to speak, their tongue would be tied - it was no holiday camp - and the trauma caused prisoners who died there to come back to haunt the place.  Reported paranormal happenings have included disembodied laughter, pacing footsteps and shadowy figures.

4. Al Madam, United Arab Emirates

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Located 40 miles from Dubai, this village had a reputation for residents not living a long life.  So disgruntled were they that they came back to haunt people and allegedly caused two sand dunes to fall though broken windows, like waves, as well as scaring worshippers at the mosque.

5. Isla de las Munecas, Mexico

Image source Getty ImagesThe neighbourhood of Xochimilco has gained internet fame for its 'Island of the Dolls.' Hidden among the many canals, the site is well known for the hundreds of dolls, whole and in parts, hanging from trees and scattered over the grass. It's reported to be not just dolls that have been scattered about but headless spirits have accompanied them as has screaming and crying sounds.

6. Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia

Image source Getty ImagesThere's nothing much scarier than a haunted graveyard except one that's 50 feet underwater!  Micronesia’s Chuuk Lagoon was a fortified base for the Japanese Navy during WWII and it was attacked by American forces.  Warships, planes, tanks, and railroad cars sank to the bottom of the lagoon and stayed there, apart from when a few of the dead occupants decided to come ashore and spook the life out of people in the area.

7. St. George’s Church, Czech Republic

Image source Getty ImagesOriginally built in 1352, St. George’s Church was nearly destroyed by fires many times over the centuries and its roof partially collapsed during a funeral service in the late 1960s. After that event, the congregation were convinced the church was haunted and refused to enter.  A group of regulars at the church swore blind they saw a small child, dressed in rags and the ghost walked straight through the wall.

8. Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah

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The entire city in Savannah has been known to be one giant ghost story, with mystery shrouding everything from parks to breweries.  The Bonaventure Cemetery is overflowing with Victorian monuments, one of them a 6 year old girl, Gracie.  Many visitors place toys at her grave and some have reported seeing her ghost near the site together with hearing inexplicable sounds, like barking dogs and crying babies.

9. Leap Castle, Ireland

Image source Getty ImagesBuilt in the l1th century, this Irish castle has seen many gruesome deaths.  Legend has it that during a struggle for power within the O’Carroll clan, one member plunged a sword into his brother, a priest, as he was holding mass in the chapel at the castle.  It is this priest that is thought to make a regular appearance in what is now known as the 'Bloody Chapel.''

10. Whaley House, San Diego

Image source Getty ImagesThomas Whaley built this family estate in 1857 on the site of the first public gallows.  Already, this is sounding spine tingling!  When he moved into the property he reported hearing heavy footsteps almost every evening at midnight and the lights would flicker.  Obviously a property that brought bad luck, Whaley lost 4 of his close family due to murder or suicide and they have been said to re-appear over the years.

11. La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires

Image source Getty ImagesThis cemetery is quite moving, with its many features of statues, fairy tale grottos and unusual, intricate tombstones.   It also hold the remain of Eva Peron, Argentina's most iconic female. David Alleno, a former caretaker and grave digger who worked at the cemetery for over 30 years, killed himself in the grounds and many people have reported hearing Alleno’s keys jangling as his ghost walks across the pathways, as dawn rises.

12. Crumlin Road Gaol, Northern Ireland

Image source Getty ImagesCrumlin Road Gaol is a Victorian prison in Belfast is said to be one of the most haunted sites in the whole of Northern Ireland. Often referred to as Europe’s Alcatraz, the jail contained 25,000 inmates, including children, over 25 years.   Even though it shut its doors in 1996, there have been numerous sightings and sounds of the ghosts of deceased inmates, many who were hanged and buried within the prison walls.

13. Haw Par Villa, Singapore

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The colourful attraction of Haw Par Villa includes an entrance of Chinese arches which lead through to more than 1000 statues, each one more weird than the last!  One of the 'attractions' is 'Ten Courts Of Hell' which portrays severe methods of punishment, to teach kids about morality.  Uninvited guests have included deceased children, some headless, who have never rested when reaching the 'other side'. 

14. Bhangarh Fort, India

Image source Getty ImagesLocated 100 miles southwest of Delhi,  the oasis remains almost completely uninhabited due to an alleged curse cast by an unhappy sorcerer.  His advances were rejected by the princess and he was executed.  Known for having a red hot climate, icy chills have been felt by those who felt the sorcerer was going on a haunting spree.

15. Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana

Image source Getty ImagesMyrtles Plantation is considered to be one of the most haunted sites in America.  The house is rumoured to have been built on top of an Indian burial ground and the corpses can't have been over the moon abut it as they make their feelings known when they appear as shadows in one of the basement rooms.  There has apparently been sounds of banging and clattering but nothing to see!

16. Catacombs of Paris, France

Image source Getty ImagesAfter prolonged heavy rain flooded and unearthed the overcrowded Les Innocents cemetery in the spring of 1780, rotting corpses tumbled on to the property next door.  This terrifying event started a 12 year project to move bodies from Paris’s cemeteries down into the city’s former limestone quarries and packing the underground tunnels with some 6 MILLION bodies.  No surprise then that hauntings, sightings, sounds and objects moving about on their own, have scared people witless! 

17. Borgvattnet Haunted Vicarage, Sweden

Image source Getty ImagesOriginally built in 1876, weird happenings have been reported in this parsonage since the '60s. The grey wooden structure is now a bed and breakfast in a rural area in northern Sweden and guests at Borgvattnet have claimed to hear footsteps, music and the sound of 3 crying ladies coming from the inn.

18. Ancient Ram Inn, England

Image source Getty ImagesAncient Ram Inn in Wotton-under-Edge, built in 1145, has played many roles over the years including a priest’s residence, housing for masons and slaves and a public house.  It also happens to be one extremely haunted place with supposed sightings of ghostly children and a high priestess.  Guests have reportedly leapt out of windows in a frenzy, desperate to escape. 

19. Parador de Jaén, Spain

Image source Getty ImagesThis 18th century Arab fortress is now a hotel and a guest in room 22 was said to have been rudely awakened one night by the sounds of a woman crying and somebody knocking on the door. A team of paranormal investigators was called in and they concluded that the room was haunted by the spirit of a young woman who had died of heartbreak in the fortress hundreds of years ago. 

20. Dock Street Theatre, Charleston

Image source Getty ImagesCharleston's Dock Street Theatre was renovated in 2010 but the site bears a tumultuous history.  Besides a fire burning the original theatre down in 1740, there followed an earthquake the following century.  To make matters more uneasy, a woman named Nettie Dickerson was supposedly struck by lightning when she was standing on the balcony in and her ghost is said to glide along the theatre's second floor.

21. Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia

Image source Getty ImagesPretty much the entire city of Canberra appears to be a paranormal hot spot, specifically the buildings in the Parliamentary Triangle. Hotel Kurrajong is a top hotel with serious A-list ghosts roaming through its halls.  It is thought the ghost of former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who died on 13th June 1951, after suffering a massive heart attack in room 214, is one of them.  Security guards and cleaning staff have reported hearing their names whispered at night.

22. Carl Beck House, Canada

Image source Getty ImagesBuilt by lumber magnate Carl Beck in the l800s, this house has the title of being one of the most haunted properties in Ontario. According to legend, Beck and his family lived in the house together and after his wife passed away, the eldest daughter, Mary, was put in charge of raising her younger siblings. Years later, when Carl died, he left Mary one dollar in his will.  Today, an angry Mary, is said to appear in the upstairs windows, with a scowl on her face.

23. Burg Eltz, Germany

Image source Getty ImagesThe most chilling tale from this property is that of a young countess named Agnes who called off her engagement to a nobleman after she met him. The scorned fellow laid siege to the castle and Agnes perished. Her mournful spirit can still be sensed today, mainly in her former bedroom with her pierced armour and battle axe on full display.

24. Eden Brown Estate, Nevis

Image source Getty ImagesThis estate was originally owned by a wealthy businessman who intended to give the property to his daughter when she got married.  However, a mysterious duel between the groom and the best man left both men dead on the actual day of the wedding.  The daughter remained unmarried and alone for the rest of her days. Today, many visitors say they have caught sight of the reclusive woman’s spirit, roaming through the grounds.

25. Lord Milner Hotel, South Africa

Image source Getty ImagesThe Lord Milner hotel has had its for share of ghostly sightings.  Given the village’s intense history regarding the South African war, it comes as no surprise to find it has paranormal activity going on.  They appear to be guests that never checked out including 'Lucy', who apparently always appeared in a negligee.

26. Lawang Sewu, Indonesia

Image source Getty ImagesConstructed in the early 20th century, this estate served as the head office for the Dutch East Indian Railway Company before the Japanese took it over and turned it into a detention camp during World War II.  Many aggressive interrogations, tortures and violent executions occurred within the building and it is 3 of these pour souls that come out to haunt and have done so for many years.

27. Port Arthur, Tasmania

Image source Getty ImagesPort Arthur began as a penal colony in 1833 and it housed British convicts until it was abandoned in 1877. During those decades, the island focused on correcting the inmates’ morals using solitary confinement and mandatory church services as their methods.  There were many unexplained deaths and maybe that is why ghosts come back to haunt, wanting answers.

28. Ponte Sisto, Rome

Image source Getty ImagesIn a city as ancient as Rome, nearly every brick in each building has a story that goes with it.  In some cases, those stories are downright creepy. One such tale surrounds the Ponte Sisto which is a romantic bridge spanning the Tiber near Rome’s city centre.  Local legend has it that if you visit the bridge at sunrise, you’ll be shocked to see a charging carriage helmed by the ghost of Olimpia Maidalchini.

29. Xunantunich, Belize

Image source Getty ImagesXunantunich is an ancient Mayan ruin that has been abandoned for the past millennium. An earthquake caused the original civilization to crumble but the whole complex was re-discovered by explorers in the 1890s.  Since then, Xunantunich has served as a very important archaeological site where the spirit of the 'Stone Lady' often appears, always acting distressed.  This could be because she was made a human sacrifice at one of the rituals. 

30. Castle of Good Hope, South Africa

Image source Getty ImagesThis site served as a military fortress and prison during the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902.  These days you can tour the fort’s many rooms and buildings, including the torture chamber.  The Governor of the site condemned many men to their deaths and he, himself, died there as a result of a heart attack.  It is his ghost that is purported to walk the length of the upstairs rooms.  His loud, thumping steps have been heard by many.