It doesn’t matter if you are sure there is something beyond this world or not; haunted places are an interesting way to connect with the spirit of a place. Many people go on ɡҺσst tours because they are interested in the strange and unexplainable. These tours often give more information than the historical facts found on plaques and in brochures. There are many places in castles, hotels, and even an island full of dolls where you can interact with the ɡҺσst world.

These are the eight scariest places in the world, with stories so interesting that you might want to travel in a more spooky way. Maybe not. It’s also fine to do that.

1. Catacombs in Paris

You can have a darker time in the City of Light by going underground and exploring the hundreds of miles of tunnels. In the 18th century, the catacombs were used to bury more than 6 million Parisians who had to be buried in an easy-to-reach place because of a public health problem. The mass grave of human ɾеmаι𝚗s arranged in different ways is scary enough, but there’s also a sign at the door that says “Arrête, c’est ici l’empire de la mort!” These are the lands of ԀеаtҺ! Some say that people who explore the vaults after midnight start to hear whispers that lead them deeper into the maze-like tunnels.

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2. Castle of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified sites in Europe. It is built on Castle Rock, a piece of volcanic rock that looks out over Scotland’s main city. King David I began building it in the 1100s, and over the years, many famous people, including Queen Margaret and Mary Queen of Scots, have lived there. Researchers think that there have been 26 sieges in the castle’s past, which shows that it has been in a constant state of war. Because of this, many stories about its violent past exist, and the dungeon is said to be haunted by people who have been tortured.

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A piper boy was sent through some of the castle’s basement tunnels and was never seen again. He is one of the most well-known ghosts in the castle. People who visit the caves sometimes say they hear bagpipes. Another one is a headless drummer who was seen playing the drums in the 1600s before Oliver Cromwell struck the castle. Now, hearing him play the drums is a sign of Ԁа𝚗ɡеɾ, so people who come to the area should be careful.

3. The Stanley Hotel

Since The Shining was filmed here, it’s easy to think that Stanley Hotel had a connection with the supernatural. In fact, Stephen King’s scary experience in room 217 while staying at this hotel was what made him write the best-selling book. This spooky hotel is only a 10-minute drive from Rocky Mountain National Park. It opened in 1909 and was a favorite place for important people like President Theodore Roosevelt and the Emperor and Empress of Japan to stay. But by the 1970s, the hotel was in bad shape after years of not being taken care of. Today, people say that the hotel is haunted by the ghosts of the original owner, his wife, and a mystеɾy child. The famous room number 217 is thought to be the most eerie in the hotel. It is said that a maid named Mrs. Wilson lives there in spirit. You should stay, but do so at your own risk: Jim Carrey tried to stay in room 217 while making the comedy Dumb and Dumber in the 1990s, but he got scаɾеԀ and had to leave in the middle of the night.

4. What Muriel’s

From American Horror Story to Disney’s Princess and the Frog, movies and TV shows have shown how New Orleans is connected to the supernatural. That’s because this Louisiana city’s past is full of stories about witchcraft, voodoo, and even vampires. There are a lot of haunted places in the city, but Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, a ɡҺσst who stayed at Muriel’s diner near Jackson Square, is the most famous one. The man from New Orleans is said to have killed himself in 1814 where Muriel’s Séance Lounge is now. The ɡҺσst hasn’t always been a calm presence—an unknown person has thrown a glass from across the room more than once—but the restaurant says that the ghosts that live in Muriel’s are totally safe. But just to be safe, the diner sets aside a table with wine and bread for Jourdan.

5. The Dolls’ Island

Mexico’s Island of Dolls, also known as La Isla de las Muñecas, is in the Xochimilco waters south of Mexico City. It is famous for the hundreds of dolls that are set up all over the island. Years ago, when the island was owned by Don Julián Santana Barrera, the sad story began when he found the body of a young girl floating in a stream. A doll floating in the river was also found. In honor of her, Barrera hung it from a tree.

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The event turned into a passion for Barrera, who spent years gathering broken dolls until he had the Guinness World Record for the biggest collection of haunted dolls ever. Even stranger, the collector died in 2001 close to where the girl had died all those years before. Some people think her spirit was involved. Some people today say the dolls move on their own and even call people to the rivers on the island.

From the Celada Pier in Xochimilco, you can take a boat to get to the island. Tell the person running the boat that you want to go to Isla de las Muñecas.

6. The Castle of Zvíkov

Another scary warning that visitors might want to pay attention to is the story that anyone who spends the night in the castle will within a year. This could be because of a ɡҺσst or other supernatural being who doesn’t want his home to be disturbed. A rental car and a 90-minute drive south of Prague is the best way to get to Zvíkov Castle. There aren’t many groups that go to the castle, so most likely, you’ll have to plan your trip there.

7. Fort Bhangarh

Most people say that this fort from the 1600s in the Alwar district of Rajasthan is one of the most evil places in India. The fort is now in ruins and has a bad image because of two different stories: In the first, King Madho Singh is in charge of building it. Stories say that Singh got approval to build the fort from a local ascetic named Bala Nath, but Nath told Singh that the shadow of the fort could never cover his home. When Singh’s successor chose to make the fort taller, its shadow fell on the hermit’s house and destroyed the complex and the towns nearby.

In the other story, a wιtcҺ fell in love with a princess and used black magic to tɾιcƙ her. To get her to love him, he put a love spell on perfume that she would wear. But she knew what he was up to and threw the perfume bottle at a rock, which Һιt him and crushed him. The wιtcҺ cursed the princess, her family, and the city before she died under the weight of the rock.8. The cemetery in La Recoleta

As well as its beauty, La Recoleta Cemetery is known for the people who live there. A lot of the marble tombs on this 14-acre site are owned by important people in Argentina, like former presidents, Nobel Prize winners, and military leaders. But among the religious statues covered in spider webs are other people who used to live in the cemetery and have a less-than-pleasant past. A 19-year-old girl named Rufina Cambaceres was buried in this graveyard. Her story is the most well-known ɡҺσst story in the area. One day, a groundskeeper noticed that her coffin wasn’t where it should be. When he looked inside, he saw several frightening scratch marks on the inside of her tomb. It turns out that she was buried alive, and now she lives on as a ɡҺσst at the graveyard.