10 Chilling Dark Tourism Locations Across the Globe

While some seek vacations for relaxation, others are drawn to destinations tied to the eerie and the grim.

Referred to as dark tourism, this practice involves visiting sites notorious for their links to death, tragedy, and horrific human events.

“This isn’t a new concept,” J. John Lennon, a tourism professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, stated to The Washington Post in 2019. “Dark tourism traces back to the Battle of Waterloo, where onlookers witnessed the battle from their carriages.” Lennon, alongside Malcolm Foley, introduced the term dark tourism in 1996 and co-authored the book Dark Tourism: The Attraction to Death and Disaster.

In recent years, visits to Civil War battlefields and sites like Auschwitz have increased, possibly as tourists seek a deeper understanding of history's most tragic events. Here are some of the world's most renowned dark tourism destinations.

1. The Ruins of Pompeii // Pompeii, Italy

In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted with the power of 100,000 atomic bombs, spewing toxic gas, ash, and volcanic debris. This catastrophic event obliterated the nearby cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Today, nearly 2000 years later, the ruins of Pompeii, located within Vesuvius National Park, stand as one of Italy's most popular tourist sites, largely due to the volcanic ash that preserved the ancient city in remarkable detail.

Numerous guided tours and excursions are available, taking visitors to historical sites around the ruins that remain frozen in time, including Pompeii Archaeological Park, The Forum, Teatro Grande, and more.

2. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum // Oświęcim, Poland

One of the most haunting destinations in the world is the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, established in 1947 in Oświęcim, Poland. Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp during World War II, saw approximately 1.3 million people sent there before 1945. It was also the site of a mass genocide, where over 1.1 million individuals, including more than 960,000 Jewish people, were killed or perished due to diseases like typhus, tuberculosis, and dysentery. Poor sanitation led to conditions such as scabies, and many prisoners suffered from boils, rashes, and abscesses caused by severe vitamin deficiencies.

Today, Auschwitz serves as a memorial and museum, dedicated to preserving history, educating visitors, and honoring the memory of the atrocities committed against humanity.

3. National September 11 Memorial & Museum // New York City, New York

Since the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which destroyed the World Trade Center, people from across the globe have visited New York City’s Financial District to honor the nearly 3000 lives lost at Ground Zero.

According to a 2022 survey by Passport Photo Online, Ground Zero ranks among the world's most visited dark tourism sites. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, inaugurated in 2014, includes twin reflecting pools with North America's largest man-made waterfalls, marking the former locations of the Twin Towers. Bronze panels surrounding the pools bear the names of every victim. The museum showcases artifacts, personal stories, special exhibitions, and exhibits detailing the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

4. The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek // Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Between 1974 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge regime executed over 1 million political prisoners in Cambodia, approximately a quarter of the country's population, and buried them in mass graves called 'killing fields.' Choeung Ek, the largest of these sites, is situated on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Originally an orchard and Chinese cemetery, it became a site of mass executions under the Khmer Rouge.

In 1980, following the overthrow of the regime, the remains of nearly 9000 individuals were recovered from the mass graves at Choeung Ek, though some graves remained undisturbed. Approximately 8000 skulls from these graves are now displayed behind glass panels in the Choeung Ek memorial stupa, a Buddhist-style monument built in 1988 to honor the victims.

In 2019, over 250,000 visitors, including international tourists and Cambodians, explored the site. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, daily visitor numbers ranged from 300 to 600. Although attendance dropped after 2020 due to closures, 2022 saw more than 45,000 foreign visitors and over 21,000 Cambodians. The Choeung Ek Genocidal Center also plays a central role during Cambodia’s National Day of Remembrance, observed annually on May 20.

5. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum // Hiroshima, Japan

Since its opening in August 1955, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Japan, has been committed to preserving stories, photographs, and artifacts that depict the unimaginable horror and loss of life the city experienced after being targeted by the world’s first atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. (The U.S., as history notes, was responsible for dropping the bomb.)

The museum attracts approximately 1 million visitors annually and is a frequent destination for school field trips in Japan. Inside, visitors encounter testimonies from victims and exhibits that illustrate the horrors of war and the devastating impact of nuclear weapons. As the museum states, “Each artifact represents the grief, anger, or pain of real individuals. Having recovered from the atomic bomb disaster, Hiroshima’s ultimate goal is the abolition of nuclear weapons and the establishment of a truly peaceful global community.”

6. Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre // Murambi, Rwanda

Once a technical college, the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre in southern Rwanda stands as one of the most somber dark tourism sites. Despite its scenic surroundings of rolling hills and picturesque views, it was the location of a horrific 1994 massacre during the Rwandan Civil War, where around 50,000 lives were lost.

About 65,000 refugees from the Tutsi minority community sought refuge at the technical college after being assured by authorities of their safety. Instead, they were trapped without food or water and later slaughtered by a Hutu militia supported by the government. Only 34 individuals are thought to have survived the massacre.

During the 100-day period now referred to as the Rwandan genocide, Hutu militias killed more than 800,000 civilians, predominantly Tutsis. The Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, established in April 1995, is one of six National Genocide Memorial Sites in Rwanda. It houses over 800 mummified bodies and preserved skeletons, serving as a stark reminder of the genocide's brutality and honoring its victims.

7. The Catacombs of Paris // Paris, France

In the 18th century, Paris faced a significant public health crisis: overcrowded cemeteries and improper corpse disposal were spreading disease. To address this, the city transformed its underground Lutetian limestone quarries into vast ossuaries.

Situated approximately 65 feet beneath the streets of the City of Light, Les Catacombes de Paris (also known as the Catacombs of Paris) contain the remains of over 6 million former Parisians. Today, visitors can explore this underground labyrinth on guided tours, learning about its history while observing the countless skulls and bones that adorn its walls.

8. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary // Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California

Surprisingly, one of San Francisco’s top tourist attractions is located in San Francisco Bay on Alcatraz Island. Known as “The Rock,” Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a maximum-security prison that operated until 1963. It housed some of history’s most notorious criminals, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and James “Whitey” Bulger.

Over the years, Alcatraz has become a cultural icon, featured in music and films. It is now recognized as a U.S. National Park, attracting more than 1.5 million visitors each year. Tourists can explore the main cell block, dining hall, lighthouse, and other areas through guided tours.

9. Cape Coast Castle // Cape Coast, Ghana

Originally constructed in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company to trade gold and timber, Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle later played a central role in the Atlantic slave trade. One of its infamous features, the “Door of No Return,” is believed to have been the last passage for enslaved Africans before they were shipped across the Middle Passage, never to return. (However, some recent theories suggest the door may have been used for waste disposal rather than the slave trade.)

In the 1970s, Cape Coast Castle was transformed into a museum and monument. Later, UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site, recognizing its cultural and natural significance as a site of outstanding value to humanity. Over time, it has become a key destination for Black Americans, including former President Barack Obama, seeking to connect with their ancestral heritage.

10. Chernobyl // Pripyat, Ukraine

On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, exploded, rendering the area uninhabitable. While currently unsafe to visit due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster has been a popular dark tourism destination since 2011, when the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone began allowing visitors.

Pripyat has transformed into a ghost town, with forsaken schools, hospitals, and apartment complexes, alongside a derelict amusement park featuring a Ferris wheel and bumper cars. Scientists estimate that the land may require up to 20,000 years to fully heal from the radioactive contamination. In the past, highly regulated short-term guided tours were permitted within the exclusion zone, with stringent safety measures such as protective clothing and Geiger counters to prevent radiation exposure. In 2019, around 200,000 tourists explored the site.