Blog

Reading time: 10 minutes

It's October, aka Spooky Season!

Do you prefer your spooky season to be as real as it gets? The most haunted places in the world are waiting for you. From a Victorian-era prison in Belfast, to the corpse-lined catacombs that lie beneath Paris, we've rounded up some of the most haunted places in the world.

Step into any of these haunted locations—if you dare—and try not to jump when you hear something go bump in the night.

Of course, if you do get scared, remember, you're connected with H2O International Roaming! Your phone works in 36 countries around the world including Dominican Republic, Spain, Poland, Italy, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Japan. No need to swap out your SIM or download an app. Simply arrive at your destination and talk, text and use your data just like you do at home!

With H2O Wireless International Roaming, there’s no overage charges or surprise fees. Just the freedom to frighten yourself in 36 countries across the globe – including these!

Ireland

If you're looking to find some paranormal activity, you can start by heading to Malahide Castle, one of Ireland's oldest castles and among the best medieval castles in Europe. It is said to be haunted by at least five ghosts, including a court jester and a mysterious lady in white.

Not quite terrified yet? Crumlin Road Gaol, a Victorian-era prison in Belfast, is said to be one of the most haunted sites in Northern Ireland. Often referred to as Europe's Alcatraz, the jail contained some 25,000 inmates (men, women, and children) during its 150 years of operation, publicly hung many prisoners, and buried their bodies within the prison walls.

And let's not skip Leap Castle. The gruesome tale of Leap Castle traces its origins to its construction in the late 13th century.

Inhabited by various warring Irish clans over the years, this castle has seen more gruesome deaths than a Game of Thrones wedding. As legend has it, during a struggle for power within the O'Carroll clan (which had a fondness for poisoning dinner guests), one member plunged a sword into his brother—a priest—as he was holding mass in the castle's chapel. The room is now called “The Bloody Chapel,” and the priest is said to haunt the church at night.

One particularly disturbing feature of the castle is its hidden oubliette, where the remains of nearly 150 individuals were found in the 1920s.

Among the spectral apparitions, the Red Lady, clutching a dagger, is the most frequently witnessed ghost haunting the castle grounds and one of the scariest ghostly sightings is of a creature called ‘It', which is accompanied with the smell of a decaying corpse.

Quite the tourist attraction!

Canada

A renowned fixture among Canada's historic railway hotels, the Fairmont Banff Springs has been linked with the supernatural since its establishment in 1888.

One haunting story revolves around a tragic bride-to-be who met her end while descending the candlelit stairs in her complete wedding ensemble.

This spectral figure, now known as the Ghost Bride of the Fairmont Banff Springs, is said to linger in the hotel's ballroom, forever awaiting her inaugural dance.

Will you lead this famous ghost onto the floor?

France

Paris. The intricate network of catacombs stretching 500 miles beneath the streets of Paris has fascinated paranormal investigators since its construction in 1786.

With around six million corpses buried inside, there are plenty of urban legends and ghost stories lurking in the skeletal maze.

Interest in these catacombs was revived when a camcorder was discovered in one of the narrow passageways. The chilling footage on the tape shows an unidentified explorer becoming increasingly disoriented, eventually encountering an enigmatic entity.

The recording concludes with strange noises and the man's terrified screams as he flees, abandoning his camera and sole source of light, disappearing forever into the darkness.

Loire Valley. The tallest building in the Loire Valley, Château de Brissac is perhaps best known as the site of the grisly murder of Charlotte of France.

Legend has it that Charlotte, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII, was killed by her husband after he discovered her adulterous behavior. The Green Lady, named for the color of the dress in which she met her end, is said to haunt the castle's tower.

Spain

Once the residence of the Marquis and Marchioness of Linares, the magnificent Palacio de Linares, in Madrid was originally commissioned by Don José Murga and his wife, Raimunda Osorio.

Despite its lavish façade, the palace conceals hidden doors, vanishing staircases, and is reportedly haunted by the couple's daughter.

According to legend, the ethereal, strange sounds of a young girl singing occasionally fills the palace halls, even when there are no visitors present.

Italy

The beautiful isle of Poveglia is haunted by its eerie past – it was once a quarantine zone for plague sufferers in the late 1700s.

Later, in the 1920s, it became an asylum for the mentally unwell.

Allegedly, the island is haunted by a ghost fleet of the patients from the psychiatric hospital. Legend says a sadistic doctor, plagued by visions of the patients he had tortured, threw himself off the bell tower.

Local legend has it that shadowy figures and the ghosts of the former patients have made this spot their eternal stomping ground.

St. Kitts and Nevis

During a trip to St. Kitts, take a short ferry ride over to its sister island, Nevis, and visit a haunted former sugar plantation that now lies in ruins.

The Eden Brown Estate was once owned by a wealthy businessman who planned to gift the plantation to his daughter, Julia Higgins, and her fiancé after they married.

However, tragedy ensued on the day of the wedding, when a mysterious duel took place between the groom and his best man, and both were killed.

After the death of both men, the mansion was left to ruin and subjected to the ravages of time. It is said that Julia lost her mind after the incident and lived out the rest of her years in solitude. 

Upon visiting the ruins, ghost hunters have claimed to hear Julia’s wails of sorrow echoing through the walls.  On nights of a full moon, she has been sighted on the steps of the house wearing a tattered wedding gown.

Wales

Behind the stunning red sandstone exterior of the medieval Ruthin Castle lies a chilling history that continues to haunt the estate to this day.

The most prominent spirit that lingers within the premises is the Lady Jane Grey.

Henry VII's great-granddaughter and so-called “Nine Days' Queen” of England, Lady Jane was executed for high treason in London in 1554, but her spirit is said to have made its way back to Ruthin Castle to wander the banquet hall and castle battlements.

Jamaica

The eighteenth-century Georgian-style Rose Hall Plantation in Montego Bay is home to the country's most famous ghost: The White Witch.

According to the urban legend, after Annie Palmer's parents died of yellow fever, she was raised by a Haitian nanny who schooled her in the arts of voodoo. Annie utilized her witchcraft talents to murder three husbands.

Annie Palmer is supposedly buried in a tomb on the grounds. Local lore says that her tomb was meant to be sealed with a Voodoo ritual that would have kept her spirit imprisoned forever. However, the ritual was never completed. Annie Palmer’s ghost roams free at Rose Hall.

People claim to have witnessed Palmer’s ghost riding her horse around the plantation. She is also sometimes seen on the balcony.

No matter where you're traveling, you're sure to find some sort of haunted landmark as well as a ghost tour to go along with it. But even if you're not a fan of paranormal activities, some of the spookiest locations are still worth your time, whether for their beautiful architecture, jaw-dropping locations, or fascinating histories.

Where else can you roam with H2O's International Roaming?

With H2O's International Roaming, you can take off to all 36 countries listed here!

But what if I want to scare myself in the United States?

H2O has you covered there, too! And if you're looking for a haunted house, haunted places packed with evil spirits, or great spots for ghost sightings, read on for our recommendations!

Arkansas

The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, has gained a reputation as the "Most Haunted Hotel in America." Numerous guests have reported ghost sightings and paranormal occurrences over the years.

When Marty and Elise Roenigk purchased the hotel in 1997, they were well aware of its haunted reputation. In an effort to explore the supernatural phenomena, the Roenigks enlisted the help of two certified mediums to conduct a reading of the building.

The mediums discovered that the hotel exhibited signs of being a portal to "the other side," a dimension inhabited by the spirits of the deceased. This portal, they suggested, could be accessed by those who resonate on the same frequency as the ghosts.

California

San Diego: For decades, residents and visitors of The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego have reported hearing strange sounds, such as heavy footsteps and a baby's cry, while others swear they've seen a young woman walking around the second floor of the house. It's no surprise that The Whaley House has twice been deemed the most haunted house in the United States.

Long Beach: RMS Queen Mary. Aside from a brief stint as a warship in World War II, the RMS Queen Mary served as a luxury ocean liner from 1936 to 1967. During that time, it was the site of at least one murder—a sailor being crushed to death by a door in the engine room—and children drowning in the pool.

San Francisco: Alcatraz. Some claim the prison is haunted by the spirits of former inmates, including Al Capone, who's banjo music has been heard coming from the shower where he used to play.

Today, visitors can experience the eeriness of Alcatraz by taking a tour of its facilities and stepping into one of the prison's solitary confinement cells, which inexplicably remain freezing cold, even during the warm summer months.

Colorado

Estes Park. The Stanley Hotel's stately Georgian architecture and world-renowned whiskey bar have lured travelers to Colorado's Estes Park since opening in 1909. But the Stanley Hotel reached new levels of fame after inspiring Stephen King to create the fictional Overlook Hotel in The Shining, and it was later used as the filming location for it. Since then, flickering lights, objects moving by themselves, and shadowy figures have all been reported.

Florida

St. Augustine. The St. Augustine Lighthouse is visited by more than 216,000 people annually, but it's just as well-known for its otherworldly guests. Several tragic events that occurred at the now-historic site have contributed to the alleged paranormal activity. The ghost of a lighthouse keeper who plummeted to his death while painting the original tower and the ghosts of several children who drowned while it was under construction appear occasionally to guests today.

Illinois

Chicago. The Oriental Theater (formerly the Iroquois Theater) in the Loop area of downtown Chicago, is where almost 600 people perished after a fire famously broke out in 1903. Even though the theater was completely rebuilt and rebranded, spirits of the dead remain. Apparitions have been seen and strange voices heard in “Death Alley,” the street behind the theater where bodies were stacked after the disaster.

Maine

Bar Habor. Pirate shipwrecks, Indian burial sites, and unsolved murders all play a part in the spooky past of Bar Habor, Maine. Take a red cloak tour and walk around the town's Old Burial Ground, go inside the haunted Art Deco Criterion Theatre, and try not to cover your ears as you hear scary Wabanaki indigenous tales that will keep you up all night.

Massachusetts

Fall River. "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41." The haunting nursery rhyme originated with the 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden allegedly by their 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie. Scare yourself silly with a visit to the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River.

Michigan

Kalamazoo. These are the ghosts of Henderson Castle: There are the spirits of Frank and Mary Henderson, the castle’s original owners. There’s the spirit of Clare Burleigh, a Spanish-American War veteran who served with the Henderson’s son. There’s the spirit of at least one unidentified child, a little girl. There’s even the spirit of a dog. No wonder it's famous for its arsenal of ghost stories. That's a lot of ghosts!

New Orleans

French Quarter. One of the best things to do in New Orleans' French Quarter is to take a walking tour and visit famous haunted houses. Stop by the Lafitte Guest House, which is haunted by the spirit of a young girl who died of yellow fever; and the Old Absinthe House, where the ghost of Andrew Jackson is said to visit from time to time. If you're feeling extra brave, stop by the LaLaurie mansion, a grand house with a grisly past!

Texas

Austin. The Driskill in Austin, Texas is highly popular. Many big-name celebrities have stayed at this downtown hotel since it opened in 1886. So, apparently, have more than a few phantoms. One of the most notorious tales involves two women, each jilted at the altar, who took their own lives in room 525 – several decades apart.

Founder Jesse Driskill's ghost is sometimes spotted roaming the grounds, smoking his cigar. Some guests claim to have also seen the ghost of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who went on a first date with his future wife here in 1934.

Make the switch to H2O and travel internationally with ease!

With H2O International Roaming, you don't need to do anything other than pack your phone and go. It works in 36 countries around the world -- you simply arrive at your destination, start exploring, and enjoy your phone just like you do at home!