Some cities have charm, great history, and attractions. Others have a bunch of haunted houses, cemeteries, and legends of ghosts, vampires, and gruesome murders. Do you want to know if you live in one of the most haunted cities in the world or if you should rebook your holiday vacation? Prepare yourself with a crucifix or pentagram and explore the ten most haunted cities in the world.

1.Edinburgh, Scotland

The capital of Scotland has a very long and gruesome history. Look no further than the South Bridge Vaults. Built in the 18th century, the vaults were meant to house taverns and cobblers, but after a flood killed many poor souls in 1975, they were abandoned. The vaults remained forgotten until homelessness became a crime punishable by death. The poor went into the vaults, and illegal business soon spread in as well, including several brothels. The infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare reportedly hunted their victims in the vaults and sold their corpses to medical schools. Paranormal activity has become a nearly day-to-day occurrence in Edinburgh Castle. The staff has become accustomed to hearing music, footsteps, and voices. Another ghostly place is Greyfriars Kirkyard. Many famous people have been laid to rest here, and part of the cemetery is supposedly haunted by a poltergeist. Visitors strolling around the cemetery have left with bruises, scratches, and cuts.

2.Athens, Ohio

The Athens Lunatic Asylum was built in 1874 and was also known as the Ridges. Patients were treated with ice water baths, electric shocks, and lobotomies. In addition to the mentally ill, the facility housed the elderly and rebellious teenagers. The asylum also features two haunted cemeteries. One of the cemeteries’ headstones form a circle which was allegedly used by witches to perform their rites. One of the ghosts said to haunt the Ridges is Margaret Schilling, a patient who mysteriously disappeared in 1978. Her body was found a month later, and the outline of where she lay was stained into the ground. After it was removed, Margaret’s shape returned over and over again.If you think a haunted asylum and two haunted cemeteries are enough to make Athens, Ohio, a haunted city, you are mistaken. The town’s cemeteries form a pentagram, the university is said to be built on top of a Native American burial ground, and ghost towns like Mt. Nebo are everywhere.

3.Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is another old city in which mysteries and spooky places abound. Not only is Connolly Station allegedly haunted by a poltergeist, but Dublin has the famous Hellfire Club as well. Originally designed as a hunting lodge for the rich, rumors of black masses and animal sacrifices soon spread. The skeleton of a dwarf was also discovered in a shallow grave just outside the club. Kavanagh’s Pub (aka Gravedigger’s), just next to Glasnevin Cemetery, is visited by the ghost of an old gentleman in tweed, who takes his drinks at the bar and then vanishes. He is said to be a former gravedigger. In the crypt of St. Michan’s Church, bodies have been preserved for over 800 years. Coffins are stacked all over the place, and the limbs of the dead stand in weird angles. Visitors often report whispers, voices, and cold hands grabbing them.

4.Prague, Czech Republic

The city of Prague is often considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. Apart from beautiful architecture and a rich history, Prague also has its own collection of legends and ghosts. One of Prague’s most famous ghosts is the Mad Barber, a lost soul condemned to walk the streets at night. He lost his wife and went mad with grief. He slashed at passersby with his razor and was beaten to death by soldiers.The Begging Skeleton, one of Prague’s friendliest ghosts, tries to beg money from drunks. He was said to have been a beautiful and tall, but very poor, young man. A medical professor asked him if he would sell his skeleton. The young man agreed but died shortly after in a bar fight. His skeleton still roams the streets of Prague, trying to collect enough money to finally buy himself free.

5.Estes Park, Colorado

Estes Park, Colorado, seems like nothing special at first sight, but if you ever plan to visit, don’t stay in one of the city’s countless haunted hotels. Apart from the Baldpate Inn, which is said to house the ghosts of its founders, Estes Park’s most famous haunted hotel is the Stanley Hotel. A beautiful hotel with a view of the Rocky Mountains, it helped to inspire Stephen King’s novel, The Shining. When King visited the hotel, he reported seeing ghostly children and a party in the ballroom featuring “otherworldly guests.” The Stanley was founded in 1909 and was Colorado’s first hotel with electricity. During a thunderstorm in 1911, the lights went out, and a chambermaid was sent to light the gaslights. A gas leak caused a massive explosion when she stepped into room 217. The woman survived and continued to work at the Stanley until her death. She is now said to haunt the hotel room. She reportedly folds visitors’ clothes and stacks them away.