There’s an emerging type of thrillseekers in the tourism market that has grown a steady following over the years. While there’s your usual daredevil who seeks out nature’s thrills through skydiving and going down rapids, there are now those who seek out haunted destinations hoping to have a paranormal experience. This surge in ghost tourism likely comes from the interest generated by shows like Watcher’s Ghost Files (starring former Buzzfeed Unsolved duo Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara), The Haunted, Ghost Adventures,and so on. If you consider yourself brave enough to follow in their footsteps, here are six chilling destinations worldwide you could visit.

Salem, Massachusetts, US

There’s no denying the horrors of misogyny are to blame for what put Salem, Massachusetts on the map. In early colonial US, the infamous Salem witch trials led to the death of 19 by hanging, one by stone press, and four who died under custody. Most were young women who were accused of performing witchcraft. Today, tourists can visit the various landmarks of where these witch hunts were carried out. There are even some who offer ghost hunting tours, where you can use professional ghost hunting equipment to seek out any lost souls wandering about. As a bonus for film enthusiasts, Salem is also where various scenes from Disney’s Hocus Pocus were filmed.

Catacombs of Paris, France

While we know Paris as the City of Light and a place of romance, many might seem blissfully unaware of how it all stands on a massive grave site. Known as the Catacombs of Paris, it serves as home to the remains of over six million Parisians, with the oldest dating as far back as 1,200 years ago. These catacombs stretch as far as 800 hectares (eight sq. kilometers). It now serves as a popular tourist destination for many with a curiosity for the macabre. 

Poveglia, Italy

Just a short distance from the famed canals of Venice, you might spot an island from the distance that gives an ominous vibe. That island is known as Poveglia. It once served as a checkpoint for ships bringing goods to Venice until one day, two ships carrying the plague had the island turned into a permanent confinement area for the ill, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte himself, and remained as such until 1814. By 1922, the island’s buildings had been converted into an asylum that was later repurposed as a nursing home until its closure in 1968. There are various tales of ghosts of the ill Venetians that died in quarantine and those of asylum patients that are said to haunt the area. One famous tale involves a doctor, who allegedly experimented on patients with lobotomies, jumping off a bell tower. Although the bell tower no longer remains, some say you can still hear the bells ringing at certain hours of the night. Poveglia has since been a favorite destination for ghost hunting YouTubers to explore and can also be visited by tourists through booking a Venetian boat tour in the area. 

Okiku Well in Himeji Castle, Japan

Who remembers being terrified of VHS tapes after The Ring became an iconic horror flick? It’s almost impossible to forget the eerie scene of Sadako slowly crawling out of her well before making her way out the television screen. What many might not know is Sadako’s story is heavily inspired by an actual well, the Okiku Well, in Himeji Castle. According to Japanese legend, Okiku was a court lady who was victim to a scheme to assume reign over Himeji Castle’s lord. As the castle lord was ill and dying, one of his chief retainers plotted to eliminate a rival heir by framing Okiku as a thief. Okiku was subjected to torture by being repetitively submerged in the well and struck with a wooden sword after she refused to take part in his scheme. She was eventually pushed down the well and left to die. After her descent, it is said her spirit rose from the depths of the well. Today, tourists can still view the very spot where Okiku met her untimely demise. Some are said to feel uneasy just by glancing down the darkness of the well.      

Lawang Sewu, Indonesia

During colonial times, Lawang Sewu served as the home for the Dutch East Indies Railway Company. Its name is the Javanese term for “thousand doors.” From the outside, it’s a marvelous sight due to all its intricate arcs and windows but the inside is another story. Back in World War II, Lawang Sewu found itself converted into a Japanese prison. Much of its previous Dutch inhabitants were transported to one of the building’s basements and subject to torture and some eventually being executed. Many locals are also said to be hesitant of going inside the building due to an urban legend of it being home to a Kuntinalak, a woman’s spirit who is said to have died during childbirth. 

Intramuros, Manila

We end this list with something close to our hearts, the walled city of Intramuros. Dating over four centuries and a half’s worth of history, it has seen the many trials Manila has faced under the colonial eras of Spain, the US, and Japan. Almost every site here has had reported ghost sightings, varying from white ladies, ghosts of Spanish priests, or victims from WWII. Even from the confines of our office building here in The Manila Bulletin, an uneasy presence when working late at night can be felt likely due to the site having once been the holy grounds of the Recolectos Church that was razed down during World War II.