Believe in them or not, there are very few amongst us who do not love a good ghost story from time to time. Now, you could always flick on a horror channel and take a peek at a couple of good movies. There is no fun in that though. Oh no… If you want to truly experience frights then you need to look into what people have encountered in some of the most haunted places around the world. Now obviously there are hundreds, if not thousands, of haunted places around the globe.
Here are some of my favourite most haunted places from around the world that you might like to visit someday.
Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania
As you are going to discover throughout this list; there are a number of places which are almost guaranteed to be rife with paranormal activity. Prisons are one of them. The Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the most haunted in the world. This prison is notable for being one of the first (if not the first) in the world to introduce solitary confinement. This is a perfectly legitimate tactic to ‘punish’ inmates and guarantee the safety of staff. The problem is, confinement on a long-term basis can make you go a little bit crazy. Perhaps this is what contributes to the many sights in the former prison i.e. it is just somebody’s imagination. Maybe it is the ‘crazy’ people back for revenge, who knows?
Evil cackling, shadowy figures, and ghostly faces have been seen all over the prison. As you can probably guess, disembodied footsteps and other sounds of unknown origin are also rife. Scary stuff!
Waverly Hills Sanitorium, Kentucky
The Sanitorium is the second type of building on this list which is almost guaranteed to have carious moans and howls heard throughout the night. It is believed that well over 60,000 people died within this building. It seems only fit that a few of them would stick around, right? Many of these deaths were not actually down to sickness. Oh no. That would not be gruesome enough. Instead they were down to failed experiments and all sorts of mistreatment. This is pretty much asking for the building to be haunted. A number of ghost investigation teams have investigated the building. Some have discovered a presence. All provide compelling evidence. If you can imagine a type of ghost, it can probably be found in this building.
Monte Cristo Homestead, Australia
We are heading to the other side of the world for this haunted location. Let me introduce you to what is regarded as one of the most haunted locations in Australia. The building may be beautiful in appearance but it seems to house a rather deadly secret. It has played host to a number of deaths. Perhaps the most intriguing a stable boy who ended up burning to death, oh, and a young boy who fell down the stairs, in fact, there were around 10 deaths in just 50 years. Crazy, right? It is believed that most of these people still reside in the building…in some form or another.
The Tower of London, England
This is my favorite haunted location on this list. The main reason being that I have had a personal experience here. No, I did not see anything. However as you walk up those tight staircases and through the ancient rooms you can’t help but feel a presence. Whilst this place was never built as a prison it has housed a number of criminals over the years. This includes a number of Nazi war prisoners. This has also been the site of countless numbers of executions. This includes the death of a couple of Henry VIII’s wives! Perhaps the scariest story of this building relates to two young boys, princes in fact, who were murdered and buried under the stairs. It is said that they can still be seen. They walk around the building, hand in hand, looking absolutely terrified.
Borgvattnet, Sweden
Sticking in Europe for this one! Here we are heading to a small place in Sweden known as Jamtland County. This building, known in English as ‘The Haunted Vicarage’ has been in place since 1876. It was not until the late 1920’s that sightings began to happen though. Most of the sightings around this time were poltergeist in nature. You know the stuff, laundry being thrown about and all. It was not until later on that old women started to sit around watching people sleep (dead old women, well, their ghosts), apparitions could be seen in the corridors, and well just about everything else under the sun. The building is now a café. It still has some bedrooms though. If you are daring you can spend the night there. If you manage then you will get a certificate to tell you that you survived….if you do.
Island of the Dolls (Isla de las Munecas), Mexico
Legend has it that a young girl died on this island by drowning. It is said that she has never left. This is regarded as one of the most haunted locales in Mexico. Many of those who inhabited this area have refused to go near the water through fear of what may happen. This happened until a man by the name of Julian arrived on the island in the 1950s. Intending to be a recluse, he knew nothing of the history of the place. Pretty soon though the girl started to approach Julian to tell him how she could never leave. In order to please her, he purchased dolls and hung them up around the island. It is said that Julian could not purchase these dolls quickly enough. The dead girl was not happy and this led to the death of Julian in exactly the same location that she perished. These dolls can still be found hanging up around the island. Their eyes follow you. Both Julian and the dead girl remain on the island….NEVER TO ESCAPE!
Poveglia, the world’s most haunted island
Sadly the Poveglia Island is now closed to visitors but there are some tour companies that still carry out private tours to the Island in the Venice Lagoon. Poveglia Island has a reputation of being the world’s most haunted island. There used to be a mental asylum run by a murderous doctor on the island and in the medieval period people with plague were burned. The mad doctor apparently comminuted suicide by jumping off the tower. It is said that thousands of people have died on the Poveglia Island. Local fishermen fishing around the island say that sometimes bones would get stuck in their nets. You will have to find a travel tour company in Venice if you want to visit the island. So if you’re heading of to Venice, why not take a boat trip to Poveglia Island.
Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan in India
India too has its share of haunted places. One place in particular is supposed one of the most haunted places in the world. The Bhangarh fort near Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan has a reputation of being haunted and tops the list being one of the most haunted. The Bhangarh Fort is built on a deserted town called Bhangarh near the popular tourist place of Jaipur in Rajastan.
There are several stories and myths associated legends of Bhangarh Fort. One such story goes that the son of the owner died violently their spirit lingers on in the physical world. I have written a book called, “Real Ghost And Paranormal Stories From India” where detailed my person ghost and paranormal stories.
Anyway, in addition, to this, it is said that a man who used to do black magic in the area cursed the residents of the fort that they will die unnatural deaths and their spirit will haunt the place. Interestingly, his curse seemed to have stuck and many of the residents and owners of the place have died in unusual circumstances. That is why when you visit the place, you will not find houses around this fort. Most people would just not buy land to build houses in the vicinity of the Bhangarh fort. Funny thing is that there is a government notice board for tourists not to enter the fort after sunset. Would you go to such a place (after sunset)? I know I wouldn’t.
Let me know what you thought about these haunted places of the world and which ones you have visited? Have you got a story to share about a haunted place then feel free to share them in the comments section? In the meantime, don’t forget to read some of the most haunted places in India and types of ghosts Indians believe in. If you love ghost stories, movies or places, I am sure India has plenty of haunted places to cater for your needs.