Top 6 spooky travel destinations in the world

Don't believe in ghosts? You might change your mind after visiting any of these top six spooky travel destinations.

Skip the games at your local pumpkin patch and go for the thrills and chills of any of these spine-tingling cities. Even if you don't glimpse a ghost, you'll come home with a fascinating history lesson and more than a few scary stories.

Transylvania, Romania

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Transylvania is famous in folklore as a place where vampires, werewolves, and the souls of the dead haunt malevolent forests. This city's fearsome reputation lives up to the hype.

Take a tour of Bran Castle to see Bram Stoker's inspiration for Dracula. While the castle may not be as frightening without Vlad the Impaler on site in the flesh, the brutal medieval history of the area is enough to give you the chills.

Then take a stroll through Hoia Forest, a popular spot for ghost-hunters thanks to the apparitions, disappearances, and other strange events through the centuries.

And if you're feeling courageous, consider a midnight stroll to the "Devil's Heart," a mysterious clearing at the centre of the forest. Who knows what could be waiting for you there?

London, U.K.

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Any city as steeped in history as London will be home to ghosts and ghouls galore. Especially when history has been less than kind: this city has survived crazed kings, the Black Plague and the Great Fire, to name just a few historical horrors.

You can explore London's most notorious prison and execution site in days of yore, the Tower of London. Young princes Edward V and Richard of York, Arabella Stuart, and the famously decapitated Anne Boleyn are just a few of the apparitions you may encounter.

Then take a Jack the Ripper tour and roam the streets the killer once stalked before visiting other haunted attractions like the London Dungeon and Hampton Court Palace. For the bravest among us seeking a genuinely spooky Halloween, the U.K. capital does not disappoint.

Paris, France

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It may be the city of love, but just below its romantic streets lies an underground city of the dead. Opened in the 18th century, the Paris Catacombs is one of the largest graveyards on record, a tunnel network of more than 3000 km that houses the skeletal remains of six million people in a maze of dark passageways.

But make sure not to take a wrong turn. The Catacombs hold a few extra skeletons, such as Philibert Aspairt. His body was found in 1804 almost a decade after he disappeared in the Catacombs.

Finally, a tour of the Montmartre Cemetery and the Vampire Museum will round out your French fright fest.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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It may be a lively metropolis by day, but when the sun sets, it gets spooky. After all, the city's most famous attraction is a cemetery. The Recoleta Cemetery is the burial site of Eva (Evita) Peron and the eternal home to no less than 26 past Argentine presidents. As a result, the area is home to so many ghost stories.

One must-see stop is the tomb of Rufina Cambaceres. You'll discover the shocking story of how she was accidentally buried alive after falling into a coma.

Then walk to the downtown Obelisk, said to be haunted by the spirit of a worker who died while constructing it.

Otranto, Italy

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Italy has been inspiring gothic literature for hundreds of years, with numerous horror writers setting some of their most famous works here. Head south toward Italy's "boot" heel" to see why. The country's antique ports and ruined castles are eerie in all of the right ways.

Within the city of Otranto, you won't want to miss its famous Cathedral. It houses the ghastly spectacle of approximately 800 human skulls victims of a 15th-century massacre by invading Ottoman forces.

Then visit the city's baroque castle, whose gloomy architecture launched the entire gothic fiction genre as the setting of Horace Walpole's 18th-century novel The Castle of Otranto.

Massachusetts, The United States

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Like moths to a flame, paranormal enthusiasts flock to the state of Massachusetts every year to see the coastal city of Salem, near Boston. Famed for its witch trials of 1692, during which several locals were executed for practicing witchcraft, a visit to the Witch House is a must for fright-seekers. It's the former home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the witch trials.

Then there's the home of the infamous Lizzie Borden, who hacked her parents to death with an axe in Fall River, MA.

Or get ready for some chills at the Bridgewater Triangle. The area is famous for paranormal phenomena, from poltergeists to UFOs.

Visit these spine-tingling spooky travel destinations

Get set for a heart-racing Halloween holiday of your choice when you plan early and book with CAA Travel!

You can speak to a CAA Travel Consultant to get the inside scoop on the best spooky travel destinations to fit your travel needs and budget. Call CAA Travel at 1-800-705-1803 or head to your nearest CAA Store.