15 of the world’s spookiest travel destinations

The City of Light has some dark history. Visit the elaborately decorated Garnier Opera House, the real-life setting for “The Phantom of the Opera”. Although the Opera’s museum and library curator, Pierre Vidal, told The Telegraph, “nobody has seen a ghost in the opera house,” you can play a Phantom-themed “immersive adventure” escape game there. If you’re looking for actual ghosts, keep an eye out for the Red Man in the Tuileries gardens. But for the spookiest Parisian experience, check out the Paris catacombs, hundreds of kilometres of underground passageways lined with the bones of six million souls.

The recent Helen Mirren thriller, Winchester, told the story behind this real-life house – whether the supernatural part is true or not is up to you to decide. Tragedy befell rifle heiress Sarah Winchester when her infant daughter and husband died, which she believed to be retribution by all those who had perished by Winchester guns. Sarah began building the maze-like house in the 19th century – and never stopped until her death, creating staircases and doors that don’t lead anywhere, windows that look onto other rooms, and massive amounts of bedrooms so she could change up where she slept. Why do all this? Supposedly, she wanted to confuse the spirits that haunted her. Visit the house today for spooky candlelight tours.

Not into being spooked? Consider visiting these 14 enchanting places that look straight out of a fairy-tale.

Edinburgh’s Old Town looks like something out of the Middle Ages – and spirits from that time still linger among the cobblestone lanes. Take a ghost tour along the Royal Mile, which heads up to the imposing Edinburgh Castle, home to phantoms including the headless drummer. One of the most haunted spots in the city is Mary King’s Close, a narrow street that was hit hard by the deadly Black Plague. It was walled off and is now underground, but you can visit it with the Real Mary King’s Close experience. Oh, and try not to disturb the poltergeist that haunts Greyfriars Kirkyard.

See where the royalty of Egypt’s New Kingdom is buried – if you dare risk incurring the mummies’ curse of misfortune following those who enter. The legend seemed to come to life when King Tutankhamun’s tomb was opened in 1922 and several members of the expedition, including its financier Lord Carnarvon, died soon after. You can visit Tut’s tomb, along with others, but beware: Some are crowded, dark, and claustrophobic, so not for the faint of heart.

Learn about 13 secret chambers hidden inside famous landmarks. 

With a history of Civil War battles, yellow fever epidemics and even murder, ghosts abound every place you go in this Spanish moss-covered city. Spend an overnight in one of Savannah’s many haunted hotels, including The Hamilton-Turner Inn, which figured in the true crime book and movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”; The Marshall House, which served as a hospital during the Civil War and yellow fever outbreaks; and Kehoe House, where two of the original owners’ children allegedly died. You can also spot spirits when out for dinner or drinks at 17Hundred90 Inn and Restaurant, The Pirates’ House, and Moon River Brewing Company.

A short day trip from Prague, one of the most haunted cities in the world, visitors will find this church decorated with…human bones. Yup, an ossuary is actually a depository for skeletal remains, and this place, also known as the “Bone Church,” doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. The current arrangement of bones was created in 1870, and includes bells, chalices, candelabras, crosses, a coat of arms and a massive chandelier, all made up of 60,000 human skeletons.

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Source: RD.com