From Transylvania’s forests to Paris’s underground catacombs, Europe’s haunted landmarks are seeing renewed global interest amid a rise in dark tourism.
BY Navin Upadhyay
January 23, 2026: Travel trends show that dark tourism — travel to locations associated with death, mystique, and historical tragedy — is no longer a niche curiosity but a growing global sector. Europe remains at the heart of this trend, thanks to its centuries-old castles, labyrinthine dungeons and atmospheric ruins.
According to a Grand View Research market analysis, Europe accounted for nearly 38 per cent of the global dark tourism market in 2023, with the sector valued at more than USD 12 billion and projected to reach roughly USD 14.5 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of roughly 2.7 per cent between 2023 and 2030.
Europe accounted for more than a third of the global market, cementing its appeal as a destination for history-based and paranormal travel alike.
Ghost tourism in particular — where travellers seek sites linked to paranormal lore or eerie legends — shows notable growth, with some estimates projecting a ~4.1 per cent annual rise from 2024 to 2030.
In this context, 2026 is shaping up to be a banner year for haunted journeys across Europe. From forests of eerie folklore to ancient fortresses steeped in legend, here are five of the most compelling gothic destinations drawing travellers today.
- Hoia-Baciu Forest — Romania’s “Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania”
Situated on the western edge of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Hoia-Baciu Forest spans roughly 3 km² of dense woodland, and has built a reputation among paranormal enthusiasts as one of the world’s eeriest forests.
Hoia Baciu Forest (Romania) 🌲
Known as the “Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania,” people report strange lights, time lapses, and electronic malfunctions. There’s even a perfectly circular clearing where nothing grows. Would you step inside? 🌕 #HauntedPlaces pic.twitter.com/Z6IWEswTlp— Wired4WondersTales (@wired4wonder) July 15, 2025
What makes Hoia-Baciu notorious are the twisted, spiralling trees and a central circular clearing where vegetation curiously fails to grow — features that have prompted comparisons to a paranormal “dead zone.” People visiting this clearing often describe an “unsettling stillness” and sensory disturbances.
The site first drew international attention in 1968 when a military technician captured a photograph allegedly showing an unidentified object (UFO) hovering above the clearing, a moment that sparked decades of UFO lore and ghost legend.
Over the years, visitors have reported a range of unusual experiences — disembodied voices, strange lights, sudden onset of anxiety or nausea, electronic device malfunctions, and even the feeling of being watched — though none of these are scientifically verified.
Today, guided tours and paranormal-themed events attract thrill-seeking travellers from around the world, while local efforts aim to balance tourism with conservation, as the forest’s unique ecosystem faces pressure from urban expansion.
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- Bran Castle — Transylvania’s Gothic Icon of Myth and Mystery
Often marketed as “Dracula’s Castle,” Bran Castle sits above the village of Bran in Transylvania and is one of Romania’s most visited tourist sites, blending real history with enduring myth.
Built in the late 14th century as a defensive fortress, Bran later became a royal residence and today houses a museum of Romanian art and artifacts. The castle’s jagged silhouette and strategic hilltop perch contributed to its mythic status after Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula made Transylvania synonymous with Gothic horror — even though Bran Castle itself is not mentioned in the original novel and Vlad III (the historical figure often linked to “Dracula”) likely never lived there.
Bran Castle was built by the Saxons in 1377 in Transylvania, Romania – and while it didn’t directly inspire Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic masterpiece, Dracula, its brooding silhouette and remote mountain setting influenced people to call it Dracula’s Castle, blurring the line between… pic.twitter.com/B9DdiFpbTZ
— Fascinating History (@Fascinate_Hist) January 18, 2026
Despite this, the castle’s interior and grounds have become fertile soil for ghost stories. Legends include sightings of a “White Lady” — a noblewoman’s spirit said to drift through corridors — and reports of unexplained chills, flickering lights and mysterious sounds that fuel visitors’ imaginations.
At night, atmospheric tours draw visitors eager to explore dimly lit chambers where historical tragedy and legend blur, making the fortress both a cultural landmark and a haunt for thrill-seeking tourists.
- Charleville Castle — Ireland’s Gothic Haunted Estate
In County Offaly, Charleville Castle is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s most haunted castles, combining stark Gothic architecture with stories that have been passed through generations.
Chillingham castle boasts some of the highest levels of paranormal activity in the country. 🏴
Would you stay here? pic.twitter.com/4uY32ZGChg— 😊 (@PontistGirl) November 24, 2024
Constructed in the early 19th century, the castle has featured on several paranormal investigation shows and is frequently described as one of Europe’s most supernatural sites. Its most famous ghost is that of Harriet, a young girl who reportedly died following a fatal fall inside the castle. Witnesses claim to have heard her laughter echo through empty hallways and seen fleeting figures where no visitors stand.
Today, Charleville embraces its reputation with ghost tours, eerie night walks and seasonal “fright nights”, making it a prime destination for Halloween-focused travel and year-round paranormal exploration.
- Edinburgh Castle — Scotland’s Fortress of Shadows
Rising above the Scottish capital on ancient Castle Rock, Edinburgh Castle condenses nearly a millennium of conflict, royalty, imprisonment and death into a single, sprawling complex — a rich backdrop for ghost narratives.
Edinburgh itself is consistently ranked among Europe’s most haunted cities, a reputation bolstered by tales linked to the castle: from the Lost Piper Boy said to haunt underground passages, to the Grey Lady, whose weeping figure has been spotted in the castle’s grand halls.
Visitors and paranormal tour groups alike report unexplained temperature drops, shadowy figures and eerie sensations around the fortress’s dungeons, battlements and forgotten corridors. Institutional analysis of online travel search patterns has shown that interest in Edinburgh’s haunted attractions surged dramatically in recent years, with global search volume jumping by more than 5,000 per cent at peak periods.
Whether driven by history, folklore, or pure narrative intrigue, Edinburgh Castle today blends heritage tourism with ghostly curiosity, making it one of Europe’s must-visit haunted sites.
- Paris Catacombs — The Empire of the Dead Beneath the City of Light
Paris’s Catacombs offer a different kind of eerie experience: not one of ghosts per se, but of the palpable presence of death itself. Beneath the elegant boulevards of la Ville Lumière stretch kilometres of tunnels and archways where the remains of more than six million individuals are arranged in macabre patterns.
Catacombs of Paris; are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold remains of more than 6 million people :
History of Paris Catacombs starts in late 18th Century CE, when major public health problems tied to city’s cemeteries led to a decision to transfer their contents… pic.twitter.com/ZVMON46Idv
— Archaeo – Histories (@archeohistories) October 9, 2023
Created in the late 18th century to address overcrowded cemeteries and public health concerns, the Catacombs form an ossuary that is both historically pragmatic and profoundly unsettling. Guided tours take visitors through narrow passages lined with skulls and femurs, offering a visceral encounter with mortality that transcends typical tourist experiences.
While the Catacombs’ dead do not “haunt” in the folkloric sense, many visitors report intense emotions, feelings of confinement or existential reflection as they navigate the labyrinth beneath Paris — reactions researchers describe as mortality salience, a heightened awareness of one’s own mortality triggered by confrontation with human remains.
A New Era for Haunted Travel
The rising popularity of haunted destinations in 2026 reflects broader trends in travel: people are seeking experiences that connect them emotionally to the past, intertwining history with folklore, mystery and personal curiosity. Europe’s centuries-old sites offer that combination in spades, making them prime candidates for explorations that are historical and eerie.
For travellers today, haunted tourism isn’t merely about seeking shocks — it’s about engaging with stories etched into landscapes and stones that have stood long before cameras, social media, or even the concept of tourism itself.
