These Are the World’s Spookiest Halloween Destinations, According to a New Study

From haunted castles to eerie prisons, these chilling spots earned top ratings from travelers.

Halloween might just be the most travel-worthy holiday of all. According to a new analysis by SpinBlitz.com, ghost tours, eerie overnights, and haunted attractions are booming. And some destinations now earn up to 20% of their local tourism revenue from spooky experiences.

To find the most popular spots this October, SpinBlitz used TripAdvisor data to rank destinations that combine high traveler satisfaction (4.3+ average ratings and 1,000+ reviews) with authentic haunted reputations rooted in local folklore, documented ghost sightings, and historical legends.

Here’s how the world’s top haunted travel spots ranked—counting down from #10 to #1.

#10. Aokigahara Forest, Japan (TripAdvisor Score: 4.3/5)

Also known as the “Sea of Trees,” this dense forest at the base of Mount Fuji is infamous for its unnerving stillness. Locals believe it’s haunted by yūrei—restless spirits that never left. Visitors often describe feeling disoriented and unsettled as sound seems to vanish within the woods. The forest’s eerie reputation has only grown thanks to books and films inspired by its legends.

---

#9. Banff Springs Hotel, Canada (TripAdvisor Score: 4.8/5)

The Fairmont Banff Springs looks like a fairy-tale castle tucked into the Rockies…until you hear about its ghosts. Guests report seeing a spectral bride who fell to her death on her wedding day and a bellman who helps visitors before vanishing into thin air. Even Google Street View lists it among Canada’s most haunted hotels, and the mysterious, permanently sealed Room 873 only adds to its allure.

---

#8. Charleville Castle, Ireland (TripAdvisor Score: 4.4/5)

Deep in County Offaly’s forests, Charleville Castle is Gothic to the core. Paranormal investigators claim the spirit of a young girl named Harriet still roams the halls where she died in the 1800s. Ghost tours are limited, but that intimacy makes the experience even more intense. During stormy October nights, the flicker of candlelight in those drafty halls is as close to classic Irish horror as it gets.

---

#7. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland (TripAdvisor Score: 4.4/5)

One of Scotland’s most visited landmarks also happens to be one of its most haunted. During the 2001 Edinburgh Ghost Project, over half of participants reported eerie sensations, like phantom touches or sudden temperature drops. Visitors still talk about the sound of a lost piper boy beneath the fortress and apparitions from the Napoleonic wars. When fog rolls across the ramparts, you can see why this place tops every ghost tour list.

---

#6. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, USA (TripAdvisor Score: 4.6/5)

Once the world’s most ambitious prison, Eastern State now leans into its dark past with Halloween Nights, a massive haunted attraction that draws more than 300,000 visitors a year. Paranormal groups have documented over 60 separate incidents here, from moving shadows to unexplained cold spots in solitary confinement. It’s equal parts historic landmark and horror movie set.

---

#5. Tower of London, England (TripAdvisor Score: 4.6/5)

Home to centuries of betrayal and bloodshed, the Tower of London has seen everything from royal executions to ghost sightings. Anne Boleyn’s spirit is said to still walk the chapel where she was beheaded, and the “White Lady” reportedly waves from one of the tower’s windows. With over 3 million annual visitors, it’s one of Europe’s most haunted—and most historically loaded—sites.

---

#4. Hill of Crosses, Lithuania (TripAdvisor Score: 4.7/5)

This pilgrimage site isn’t haunted in the traditional sense…it’s just haunting, period. More than 200,000 crosses cover the small hill near Šiauliai, placed by visitors since the 1800s as symbols of faith and resistance. Wind whistling through the crosses can sound like whispered voices, and glowing lights have been spotted at night. The atmosphere here is both peaceful and otherworldly.

---

#3. Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts, USA (TripAdvisor Score: 4.8/5)

Few places in America hold such dark fascination. The Fall River home where Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her parents in 1892 now operates as a bed-and-breakfast. Guests brave enough to sleep in the “murder room” report everything from phantom footsteps to disembodied voices. October bookings sell out months in advance—it’s one of the few hotels where fear is part of the draw.

---

#2. Corvin Castle, Romania (TripAdvisor Score: 4.9/5)

Rising over Transylvania, Corvin Castle (a.k.a. Hunyadi Castle) looks like something out of Dracula—and with good reason. Legends tie it to Vlad the Impaler, and visitors swear they’ve heard whispers in the dungeons. The mix of Gothic architecture, chilling folklore, and fog-draped hills makes it one of Europe’s most atmospheric haunted sites.

---

#1. Salem, Massachusetts, USA (TripAdvisor Score: 4.9/5)

Nothing beats Salem in October. The town that once burned with witch-trial hysteria now welcomes over a million visitors every Halloween season. Lantern-lit streets, psychic fairs, and costumed parades fill this coastal New England city, while its historic sites—like the Witch House and the Trials Memorial—keep its haunted past close at hand. It’s the ultimate mix of folklore, tourism, and living history.

If you want to keep the chills going closer to home, check out the most haunted cities in America, ranked by actual ghost sightings or explore the most haunted destinations in each of the 50 states to see which eerie places are lurking in your own backyard.

The 10 Most Haunted Cities in America, Ranked by Actual Ghost Sightings

A new study scores U.S. cities by paranormal activity – do you dare to visit?

Read more: The 10 Most Haunted Cities in America, Ranked by Actual Ghost Sightings

A New Study Reveals the 10 Biggest UFO Hotspots in the U.S.

The top 10 spots across the US where mysterious lights and unexplained flying objects continue to capture imaginations.

Read more: A New Study Reveals the 10 Biggest UFO Hotspots in the U.S.

14 of the Most Haunted Places on Earth

In the far corners of the world, there exist places that seem to defy the boundaries of reality, where darkness and mystery converge to create an eerie, spine-tingling atmosphere. These are the 13 scariest places on Earth, each with its own haunting tale to tell. 

Read more: 14 of the Most Haunted Places on Earth

Ghostly Destinations: The Top Haunted Spots in All 50 U.S. States

From historic hotels and battlefields haunted by the spirits of the past to eerie asylums and abandoned prisons, the allegedly haunted places on this list have one thing in common: a long history of unexplained occurrences and chilling legends. 

Read more: Ghostly Destinations: The Top Haunted Spots in All 50 U.S. States