Do you love travelling to historic sites all over the world but want to experience the places full of dark tourism, dark history and spooky travels?
Want to explore the real places where macabre ghost stories, folklore and real-life horrible histories come to life?
Travel to the place where plagues ran rampant, where witches were burned at the stake or to the most haunted graveyard in the world.
Fuel your paranormal and supernatural curiosities whole learning about the scary history that have left places with an atmosphere lingering with horror.
Check out all of the places that call out to you and add them to your next spooky travel and dark history itinerary!
What is Dark Tourism?
The term “Dark Tourism” was created in Scotland in the 1990s by Glasgow Caledonian professor John Lennon. Dark Tourism is the concept of travelling to places historically associated with death and tragedy.
Dark tourists, such as myself, are drawn to such places for historical and educational value – rather than from a place for the exploitation of death and suffering.
If you are looking for more spooky travels – be sure to check out the Spooky Travel Destination Guides!
Scotland
Halloween in Edinburgh: 28 Spooky Things to Do in 2024
Want to spend Halloween in Edinburgh? Edinburgh is the most haunted place in Scotland, so it is the perfect place to spend the spooky season. A ghost story is tied…
Witches in Scotland
As the panic of witchcraft swept over Northern Europe, witches in Scotland were not something to be feared. Scotland had its fair share of healers and herbalists. However, these people…
The 12 Best Ghost Tours in Edinburgh (Updated 2025)
Is it a trip to Edinburgh if you don’t do something spooky? I recommend taking one of the best ghost tours in Edinburgh to complete your spooky Scottish itinerary. The…
The 10 Best Cemetery Tours in Edinburgh
Do you love graveyards? Why not take one of the best cemetery tours in Edinburgh to fuel your love of exploring Gothic tombstones that line several of Edinburgh’s most history…
Edinburgh Castle Ghosts – Is Edinburgh Castle Haunted?
Have you ever wondered if Edinburgh Castle is haunted? With over 900 years of history, surely there have been at least one or two ghosts spotted on the grounds, right? Or…
The Dark History of Half Hangit Maggie
On September 2nd, 1724, a young woman named Margaret Dickson faced a crowd of onlookers booing her, excited to see her fall to her death, hanged on a gibbet in…
The 16 Best Edinburgh Vaults Tour in 2025
Are you looking for the best Edinburgh vaults tour and unsure which one is for you? Do you want to make your Edinburgh underground tour extra spooky with tales of…
13 Books Set in Scotland That Everyone Should Read
Get ready to be whisked away to the beautiful Scottish landscape and historical cities with these 13 books set in Scotland. From stories dating back to the Jacobite Rebellion. From…
Mary King’s Close – Edinburgh’s Plague Infested Underground Street
Deep beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile sits a dark secret. Once rife with the plague, a narrow alleyway is buried underground in Edinburgh’s City Chambers. Mary King’s Close was located in…
28 Unusual Things to do in Edinburgh
If you are looking for unusual things to do in Edinburgh, you have come to the right place. This is a list of actual off the beaten path things to…
Historic Edinburgh Cemeteries to Explore
I’m an avid fan of old cemeteries, and Scotland has them in abundance. Edinburgh, Scotland’s compact and hilly capital, is home to magnificent historical cemeteries you shouldn’t miss during your…
Best Haunted Pubs in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is known for being a city full of spooky things to do. With so many attractions filled with dark and haunted history, there is no shortage of pubs with…
Haunted Places in Glasgow
Scotland is known for being spooky, haunted and full of a dark history. Glasgow is no exception, although not as haunted as Edinburgh, there are plenty of haunted places in…
Burke and Hare Edinburgh Tour: The Best Self-Guided Tour of the Burke and Hare Murders
Follow the trail of Edinburgh’s most notorious serial killing duo and explore the real sites of their murders on a Burke and Hare Edinburgh tour. The infamous duo used to…
Flodden Wall – The Medieval Defence Walls that Surrounded Old Town Edinburgh
Have you ever sauntered around Edinburgh and wondered how old some of the buildings and structures were? What about the seemingly unimportant walls that line Greyfriars Kirkyard? If you’ve explored…
Ghosts of St Andrews: The Haunted History of St. Andrews Cathedral & St. Andrews Castle
Although best known for its golf courses and university, St. Andrews has a much darker side with a macabre history. St. Andrews Cathedral in Fife was once the site of…
Dark History at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh Scotland
Dark history is everywhere at Holyrood Park. If you’ve ever walked around Edinburgh, you’ll know that no matter where you go, you’re going to be walking through history. The Dark…
Dark Travel and Spooky Places to Visit in Scotland
Scotland is a land of dark history, with some spooky and dark stories from times past. It’s a place where mystical landscapes and abandoned castles have been left to ruin…
Dark History at the Tolbooth Tavern in Edinburgh
If you want to embrace dark history and immerse yourself in a spooky atmosphere, the Tolbooth Tavern in Edinburgh is a must-visit. Here you can grab some unique Scottish pub…
Things to do in Edinburgh: Surgeons Hall Museum
Spend a day reliving medical and surgical history at the Surgeons Hall Museum in Edinburgh. The medical museum is one of the most unusual things to do in Edinburgh. It…
Haunted Castles to Stay Overnight in Scotland
Have you ever wanted to visit a haunted castle and possibly meet the castle ghosts of Scotland? Or better yet, have you ever wanted to stay in a haunted castle…
Haunted Hotels in Scotland
Scotland is one of the most haunted countries on the planet, home to eerie underground vaults, an unnerving possessed cemetery, spine-chilling cursed castles and bloody tormented battlefields that changed Scotland’s…
Spooky Things to do in Edinburgh Scotland
Looking for haunted and spooky things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland? The capital of Scotland and Europe’s most haunted city, Edinburgh bears a grim and horrible past just waiting to…
Spending the Night Inside the Edinburgh Vaults
Edinburgh is a city oozing with creepy historic events, many of which have paranormal backstories. Once upon a time, Scotland’s capital decided to throw an amazing festival called “Mary King’s…
Glasgow Necropolis – Exploring the City of the Dead
As darkness falls and the sparkling lights of the city appear in the distance, I am in the Glasgow Necropolis, exploring the city of the dead. I’m encapsulated by a…
United States
The 13 Best Ghost Tours in San Antonio
San Antonio is one of the most haunted places in the United States. If you want to experience a terrifyingly supernatural history, spend the evening taking a ghost tour. With…
The 11 Best Ghost Tours in Key West
Are you heading to Florida and want to take one of the best ghost tours in Key West? Known to be one of the most haunted cities in America, Key…
Nicolas Cage and His Dark Connections with New Orleans
Nicolas Cage and I have a few things in common. We both love haunted houses, New Orleans, and The Big Easy, a place unlike any other. Nicolas Cage loves haunted…
21 Things to Do for Halloween in Boston (2024)
Are you spending Halloween in Boston and looking for the best Halloween events, parties and activities? You can take a ghost tour, attend a haunted Halloween party on a yacht,…
The 9 Best Ghost Tours in St. Augustine, FL
If you are looking to take one of the best ghost tours in St. Augustine and you aren’t sure which one to take, I can help you choose the best…
The 9 Best Vampire Tours in New Orleans
New Orleans is known for its spooky atmosphere and tales of ghosts, pirates, and vampires. It is said to have been the home of North America’s first vampires and is…
The 10 Best Ghost Tours in Salem MA (Updated for 2025)
Salem Massachusetts is well known for the infamous 17th-century Salem Witch Trials, but the city is more than just witches. Salem is overflowing with a dark, creepy and macabre history…
The 13 Best Ghost Tours in New Orleans in 2025
New Orleans radiates a supernatural atmosphere and has some of the best haunted locations in the United States. Whether you are into ghosts or just want to learn some of…
The 8 Best Ghost Tours in Chicago
Chicago’s history is filled with mobsters, speakeasies, fires and the infamous horror house owned by H.H. Holmes. But, with so much darkness comes the tales of the supernatural entities that…
10 Cemetery Tours in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is home to some of the most beautiful historic cemeteries in the US. And, if you love to wander through cemeteries, then Savannah is the perfect place to be…
The 8 Best Pub Crawls in Charleston
If you are heading to Charleston and love a good pub crawl, the Holy City has several great bar crawls for everyone. Do you want to enjoy Charleston’s haunted history…
The 7 Best Ghost Tours in Williamsburg
Take one of the best ghost tours in Williamsburg and explore the historic streets where some of the most important history in America took place. Williamsburg is a hot spot…
The 12 Best Ghost Tours in Savannah Georgia
If you’re heading to America’s most haunted city and want to experience the ghosts that haunt the historic city, I recommend going on one of the best ghost tours in…
The 9 Best Voodoo Tours in New Orleans
If you are visiting New Orleans and want to learn the history and lore behind New Orleans Voodoo, you must take a New Orleans Voodoo Tour. If you want to…
The 9 Best Cemetery Tours in New Orleans
A visit to New Orleans isn’t complete without a cemetery tour. New Orleans cemeteries are full of history, and the above-ground tombs, monuments and mausoleums are stunning and should not…
The 14 Best Ghost Tours in Charleston
What is a trip to Charleston without taking a ghost tour? Charleston is known for being one of the most haunted cities in America. It is hard to find an…
8 Haunted Hotels in Savannah for Ghost Lovers
Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the US, and it has no shortage of haunted cemeteries, buildings, and hotels that you can stay the night at. Who…
5 Savannah Civil War Tours For History Lovers
Calling all history lovers! Head to Savannah to step back in time to the Civil War. Savannah is one of the only towns that survived the Civil War and is…
The 10 Best Savannah Pub Crawls
If you like to sip delicious cocktails and locally brewed beer with a side of spooky history, you must spend an evening taking a Savannah haunted pub crawl. Grab a…
The 9 Most Haunted Hotels in Salem Massachusetts
Are you considering staying the night at one of the most haunted hotels in Salem Mass? The Witch City is known for its dark history and haunted locations. From the…
The 11 Best Pub Crawls in New Orleans
Spend the night on a haunted pub crawl in New Orleans on your next visit to the Big Easy. Walk around the streets of the French Quarter with the dead…
11 Galveston Ghost Tours That Will Chill You to the Bone
Galveston Ghost Tours takes you to the most haunted historical sites around Galveston, Texas. The city is among one of the most haunted cities in the United States. With many…
The 10 Best Ghost Tours in Gettysburg (Updated for 2025)
If you want to spend the evening with the ghosts of Gettysburg, check out the list of the 10 best ghost tours in Gettysburg. Whether you are looking for a Gettysburg ghost hunt or spending…
The 10 Best Crime Tours in Chicago
Chicago is one of the best cities in the US for people who love dark history. But, at the same time, Chicago is known for its music scene, stunning art…
The 12 Best Salem Witch Trials Tours
Salem, Massachusetts, is well known for the witchcraft hysteria in 1692. While many of the buildings standing during the witch trials are long gone, the dark history still lingers through…
The 7 Best Ghost Tours in Jerome AZ
Explore the haunted history behind the Most Wicked Town in the US by going on a ghost tour in Jerome, AZ. Jerome is known for being the largest ghost town…
6 Chattanooga Ghost Tours That’ll Terrify You
Spend an evening exploring the most haunted places in Chattanooga by taking one of the best ghost tours in Chattanooga. From haunted pub crawls to going on a ghost hunt…
The 5 Best Asheville Ghost Tours
Do you want to explore all of Asheville’s most haunted locations? Then, why not visit Asheville’s historic sites by going on one of the many spooky Asheville ghost tours? From…
The 8 Best Ghost Tours in Boston in 2025
Why not spend an evening going on one of the best ghost tours in Boston? The city is full of so much history, from the arrival of Puritan colonists to…
The 11 Most Haunted Hotels in New Orleans
New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in America. Ghost hunters, dark history fans and people who love great jazz flock to the Big Easy every year. Is…
Haunted Places in Salem Massachusetts
Salem has a fascinating history that stretches back hundreds of years and involves one of the most horrific witch trials the United States has ever witnessed. It is also home…
Charter Street Historic District: The Grimshawe House
The Charter Street Historic District has a sinister history tied to the dark romantic writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the district, on the corner of the Old Burying Point Cemetery, sits…
Edgar Allan Poe & The Central Burying Grounds
Boston is home to boundless intriguing history, from being the birthplace of the macabre mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe to being a city where so many political events took place…
The History of the Salem Witch Trials
Salem in Massachusetts is famous for the dark history which fell upon the city over 300 years ago when Puritans ruled the land with their strict authoritative rules. The dark…
A Trip to The House of the Seven Gables in Salem Massachusetts
Have you ever read a book and wanted to transport yourself directly into its world? I did just that when I visited the colonial House of the Seven Gables in…
Visiting The Witch House in Salem Massachusetts
The witch city of Salem, Massachusetts, holds a piece of history plucked straight out of the 17th century. Visiting The Witch House in Salem, Massachusetts, is like stepping back into…
The Old Burying Point & Salem Witch Trials Memorial
The Old Burying Point Cemetery, also referred to as the Charter Street Cemetery, is located right next to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. Teeming with a history that overflows between…
The Top Haunted Places in New Orleans
If you are looking for the top haunted places in New Orleans to fuel your spooky heart, I got you. Everything from the very haunted LaLaurie Mansion to the place…
The Dark Side of New Orleans — Spooky Sites to See
New Orleans is a place where legends, folklore and scary stories flourish. Here the locals fully embrace the spooky scene, taking their superstitions and dark folklore seriously. In fact, there’s…
England
The 11 Best Ghost Tours in York, England
If you love ghosts and dark history, York is one of the best cities to visit. The medieval city has over 2000 years of history, and going on one of…
The 11 Best Ghost Tours in London
Are you looking for the best ghost tours in London? With so much history in the United Kingdom, London is the perfect place for people looking for ghosts and dark…
The 8 Best Jack the Ripper Tours in London
Unravel the mystery of one of the UK’s most notorious serial killers by taking one of the best Jack the Ripper Tours in London. Walk the same streets that Jack…
Dark History Sites and Haunted Places in York England
The medieval English city of York has a dark history, from suffering through the Black Death to being bombed in WWII to the heads of enemies being displayed on spikes…
Places to Visit with a Dark History in England
England is drenched in a dark and macabre past. With a history dating back to gruesome events such as the Black Death, cruel Witch Trials to grisly serial killer murders…
Witch Trials in England: Witch Sites to Visit in England
The 17th-century witch trials in England that swept across the country resulted in a wealth of historical witchcraft sites which you can still visit today. What sparked the horrific witch…
Ireland
The 7 Best Dublin Ghost Tours
Dublin is one of the most haunted cities in the world, with loads of dark history, including body snatching, run-ins with the old Hellfire Club and the history of witches…
Norway
Fantoft Stave Church: Norwegian Black Metal and Stave Church Burnings in Norway
Fantoft Stave Church was originally built in 1150 in the village of Fortun in western Norway. It was celebrating its 842nd year when it met its doom and was devastated…
Visit the Leprosy Museum in Bergen Norway
In the late 19th century, Bergen in Norway had the highest concentration of lepers in all of Europe. To deal with the problem, the city constructed three separate houses for…
Canada
24 Things to Do for Halloween in Edmonton (2024)
Make Halloween in Edmonton extra spooky in 2024 by spending the spooky season going on ghost tours, exploring Halloween Alley or attending some of the creepiest haunted houses in Edmonton…
Saskatchewan Ghost Towns – Insinger
Saskatchewan, one of the prairie provinces in Canada, is full of tiny towns and long-forgotten history. Saskatchewan ghost towns are scattered throughout the province just waiting to be discovered, crumbling…
The Museum of Fear and Wonder
Deep in the rural valleys of Southern Alberta sits a little blue farm building full of unusual, strange objects. The Museum of Fear and Wonder is a unique rural museum…
The Ghost Towns of Alberta – Rowley
A ghost town filled with secrets, creepy mannequins, cats and buildings straight out of the wild west…the tiny hamlet of Rowley, Alberta has it all! More than your average ghost…
Disaster and Dark Tourism in Alberta – Frank Slide
When I think of dark tourism, Canada is the last place that comes to mind. But when I really take a look around, I find there are way more sites…
Dark at Fort Edmonton Park
Darkness comes to Fort Edmonton Park, and I am ready to discover if I can finally be scared! Usually, I’m one of those people who are impossible to scare. But…
Edmonton Ghost Tour with Fireside Ghost Experience
Every city, town and village on Earth seems to have its own ghost stories, with the spookiest tales usually set in locations with a tonne of history and culture. Anytime…
Oddities of Alberta – 7 Unique Places to Visit
Alberta is a Canadian western prairie province that offers a range of stunning scenery, landscapes, and sights for the tourist to explore. From spending a day taking in the majestic…
Romania
Haunted Spots and Spooky Places in Romania
Romania is full of haunted spots and spooky historical places notorious for its creepy vibes and eerie atmospheres. For these reasons, Romania is a haven for lovers of everything supernatural,…
Searching for Dracula – Bran Castle in Transylvania
“This seems close enough,” I said to Chris, as we got off the bus onto a rural road in Romania. We were searching for Dracula at Bran Castle in Transylvania…
Czech Republic
Ghost Stories and Legends from Prague
There are many haunted places in Prague known to house more than a few ghosts. But that doesn’t mean those places have the best ghost stories! So I’ve pulled together…
11 Terrifyingly Haunted Places in Prague
Prague is full of ghosts and legends. There are said to be over 100 ghosts and otherworldly creatures that call Prague home. These spirits are intertwined in the city’s history…
Virtual Dark Travels
Dark History Sites You Can Visit Virtually
Dark history sites you can visit virtually? Yes, please! With more people staying home, tourist sites around the world have been creating virtual tours that you can visit while sitting…