Halloween is upon us and so we've found some of the world's most haunted places you can actually stay in... if you dare.
Research from youth travel operator Contiki has revealed the scariest places from around the world - including a stay in Dracula's castle.
From ancient burial grounds to abandoned hospitals, paranormal activity is said to be rife in these spots.
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Related: The 13 Must-Watch Netflix Horror Movies This Halloween
1) Stay in the most haunted city in the USA: Savannah's Kehoe House
Instagram/@kehoehouse)
Savannah, Georgia is known for its southern charm, antebellum architecture and its iconic Gothic Cathedral. But it's what lies beneath all of this which gives it its status as the USA's most haunted city.
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Many locals and visitors alike believe Savannah is cursed because old burial grounds were covered up, paved over and built upon - talk about your real life Poltergeist.
The Kehoe House is the best place to enjoy the spirit of Savannah (or should we say 'spirits') - it's a beautiful bed and breakfast in the historic district and, if you're brave enough, it's also got a reputation for ghostly goings on.
The story has it that the Kehoe family had ten children and two of them tragically died in the house. Many believe the twins still haunt the B&B as guests have reported hearing children laughing and feeling children stroke their hair and cheeks whilst sleeping.
2) Aradale Hospital, Australia
aradale.com)
This abandoned lunatic asylum in Victoria is the stuff of nightmares. Over its 130-year history, it's said to have seen over 130,000 deaths, which is why it's believed to be the most-terrifying place in Victoria.
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The foreboding hospital has over 60 buildings and spans 100 acres, and there have been countless reports of paranormal activity in Aradale. Visitors of the building often experience unexpected fainting, nausea, and pains while walking through certain rooms.
3) Snake Island, Brazil
Google Maps)
Completely off-limits, this slithery island is a proper spine-tingler, especially if you're terrified of snakes (ophidiophobia).
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Just 25 miles off the coast of Brazil, Snake Island lives up to its name and is home to hordes of venomous snakes. The 110 acre-island is said to have around 4,000 slithering inhabitants, an estimated one snake for every six square yards. One species, the golden lancehead, is said to have venom 3-5 times stronger than Brazilian mainland snakes.
4) Bran Castle, Romania: Stay in Dracula's pad
You can now stay in the very castle Dracula is said to have lived in. This creepy fortress was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's dark tale and there are several holiday packages which offer a night of fright here.
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Although Dracula is said to be a fictional character, Stoker modelled the predator after a real-life villain, Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. This fearsome character was a blood-thirsty ruler of Wallachia and did actually stay at Bran Castle.
One of the stays on offer is through Contiki, as part of their Castles, Bikes, and Hikes - Detour Mini Adventure in Romania. As part of the stay, a local guide will tell travellers some of the terrifying myths and facts about the castle. You can also expect to come across some creepy crawlies and wild animals such as bears, wolves, lynx, and worst of all, bats.
5) Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada
If you've ever watched The Shining, then this hotel in Canada is about as close as you'll get to staying in the Overlook Hotel (minus Jack Nicholson).
The 131-year-old Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is known for its amazing views of Banff National Park, but also for the guests who have checked in... and never checked out.
The most popular lingering guests are said to be that of a burning bride, the bellman and a bartender. In fact, paranormal activity in Room 873 got so intense (like, bloody-handprints-on-the-mirrors intense) that the hotel decided to brick up the room. It now just looks like the rest of the hallway.
6) Hoia-Baciu Forest, Romania
Instagram/@hoiabaciuforest)
Back to Romania for this next one, where visitors have reported everything from UFO sightings to unexplainable rashes, nausea and scratches - oh my! The Hoia-Baciu Forest in Transylvania is considered world's most haunted forest and is also fittingly known as Romania's Bermuda Triangle.
The forest was thought to harbour something sinister after a shepherd and a flock of 200 sheep disappeared in the area - and there's no guarantee you won't either apparently. One of the spooky attractions is an old abandoned train (pictured above) which lies on the edge of the forest in Romania.
7) Poveglia Island, Italy
Instagram/@aquelarrenocturno/@abandoned_newengland)
Not far from the idyllic waterways of Venice there lies the world's most haunted island, which is so harrowing, it's illegal to visit.
The history of Poveglia Island is the stuff of nightmares and the soil there is said to be made up on 50 per cent human ash. It was a former quarantine station for over 160,000 plague victims, a mental asylum where illegal experiments took place, and the location of a series of bloody battles.
Poveglia Island is now completely abandoned and illegal to visit. Thrill-seeking travellers have reported hearing screams and seeing human bones wash up onshore.
8) Winchester House
Instagram/@winchestermysteryhouse)
The infamous Winchester house located in San Jose, California was built by Sarah Winchester. And this one has one hell of a scary backstory.
Legend has it that Sarah believed her husband and infant daughter died prematurely as payback from the angry spirits who were killed by the Winchester rifle. Sarah spent over 38 years trying to escape and confuse the vengeful ghosts by building staircases to nowhere, sealed-off rooms and secret passageways. The Winchester Mystery House spans over 24,000 square feet with 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and 6 kitchens.
Visitors have seen doorknobs turn by themselves, heard footsteps in Sarah's bedroom, been overcome with icy chills and even temporarily lost their vision.
9) Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
The Castle of Good Hope is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town, so of course there are plenty of spooky stories.
The bell in the Bell Tower has been closed off for centuries after a soldier hung himself with the bell-rope. To this day, the castle bell is still heard ringing on its own.
Many visitors and workers have also reported feeling a chilling presence inside the castle walls.
10) Carrington Psychiatric Hospital (now known as the Unitec Institute of Technology), New Zealand
teara.govt.nz)
Auckland's first asylum was built here in 1853 and is now used by Unitec's departments of architecture, design, and contemporary arts.
Not only were numerous deaths reported while the asylum was open, the hospital was also destroyed in a fire - twice.
The ghosts from the asylum's past now haunt students and staff of Unitec. Reports of paranormal activities include items moving off shelves, flickering lights, voices when no one is around and being pushed on the stairs.
11) Tao Dan Park, Vietnam
vietnamdiscovery.com)
Locals to VIetnam's Tao Dan Park in Ho Chi Minh City believe a young man who was killed in an attack there returns to the park every night searching for his lost love.
By day, visitors can enjoy a picturesque walk in the city's most beautiful green space, but by night it's a different story, as a young man's ghost and apparition is said to be lurking amongst the trees.
12) Manly Quarantine Station, Sydney: Australia's most-haunted place
Instagram/@qstation)
If you thought COVID-19 quarantine hotels were bad, you're going to think of them as the Ritz after reading about this. The Manly Quarantine Station in Sydney harbor was used to hold settlers who came off of ships that were suspected of having diseases like the bubonic plague or smallpox. Hundreds died during the quarantine period and so the station is now referred to as Australia's most haunted site.
Unlike other haunted locations on this list, almost every building and place across the station has had reports of spotted apparitions or ghostly figures.
13) Tower of London, UK
Instagram/@historiccityplaces)
Closer to home,The Tower of London is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. The tower has over 1,000 years of history with ghastly goings-on, including gruesome executions, murders and torture.
Visitors have noted experiencing repulsive smells, ice-cold rooms and sightings of ghosts around the tower.
The most notorious apparition is Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded on Tower Green. She has been spotted a number of times wandering the grounds, holding her severed head.
So there you have it, some of the world's most haunted places to visit at Halloween - or any time of year, if that's your thing.
Featured Image Credit: InstagramTopics: no article matching, halloween, travel