For some travellers, holidays are all about sun-soaked beaches and beautiful architecture. Still, for others, it’s about stepping into the darker chapters of human history, visiting places that tell uncomfortable stories. Dark tourism—the practice of visiting destinations associated with tragedy, death, or the macabre—isn’t for everyone, but for those with curious minds, it opens a window into parts of the world rarely seen by mainstream tourists.
While many people have heard of Auschwitz or Chernobyl, dozens of lesser-known dark tourism destinations are just as haunting, powerful, and fascinating. These are the places that don’t make it onto the typical bucket list—but should. And if you’re the kind of traveller who likes your adventures to stray from the ordinary, Untravelled Paths offers a gateway to exactly this kind of experience.
Forgotten Battlefields with Untold Stories
The Siege Tunnels of Sarajevo, Bosnia
During the brutal siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, locals dug a secret tunnel under the airport runway to smuggle food, weapons, and aid into the besieged city. Known simply as the Sarajevo Tunnel, this narrow passage became a lifeline for thousands of residents during the war. Walking through the remaining stretch of the tunnel today is a claustrophobic but powerful experience, with walls that echo the resilience of those who risked their lives to survive. Despite the trauma associated with the site, it’s a place of hope as much as tragedy—a testament to the human spirit.
The Remote Fields of Verdun, France
France is often romanticised for its cafés and vineyards, but hidden in its countryside are places like Verdun, where one of World War I’s most brutal battles unfolded. Today, the fields are overgrown and eerily silent, hiding rusted helmets and bones beneath the surface. Unlike the well-visited battlefields of Normandy, Verdun feels isolated, almost forgotten by time. Standing there in the stillness, with the gentle hum of wind in the grass, you can almost sense the echoes of the past reverberating underfoot.
Abandoned Places Frozen in Time
Craco, Italy’s Ghost Town
Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Italy, Craco stands as a crumbling monument to abandonment. Once a thriving medieval village, landslides and earthquakes eventually forced its residents to flee, leaving behind a maze of empty streets and roofless homes. Nature has reclaimed much of Craco, with grass pushing up between ancient cobblestones, yet the church towers still stand defiantly against the Italian sky. It’s a photographer’s dream—and a dark tourist’s paradise—where beauty and decay dance together in haunting harmony. Despite its cinematic backdrop (it’s featured in several films), few travellers venture here, and its isolated beauty makes it feel like you’ve stumbled upon a secret—one that hasn’t quite made its way into the guidebooks yet.
Varosha, Cyprus: The Resort Left to Decay
In the 1970s, Varosha was one of Cyprus’ most glamorous holiday destinations, complete with luxury hotels and golden beaches. Then, almost overnight, it was abandoned during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and the resort was fenced off—left untouched for decades. Peering through rusted fences, you’ll see empty streets overtaken by wild plants, hotels with furniture still in place, frozen in time as though their guests might return at any moment. In recent years, parts of Varosha have been reopened to visitors, but it remains a chilling monument to conflict and displacement. It’s these kinds of places that perfectly capture what dark tourism is all about—not just observing decay, but standing in the spaces where history abruptly paused, forcing you to reflect on the fragility of human progress.
Macabre Museums and Memorials
Museum of Death, Los Angeles
It doesn’t get much darker than a museum entirely dedicated to death. The Museum of Death in Los Angeles offers a graphic and sometimes controversial collection of exhibits—from antique mortuary equipment and preserved letters from serial killers to detailed information about famous crimes throughout history. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and visitors should be prepared for content that is both disturbing and fascinating. What makes this museum stand out is its unapologetic commitment to exploring humanity’s relationship with mortality, crime, and the macabre. For those curious about how societies have handled death across different eras, this space is confronting, intense, and unforgettable.
KGB Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
While many museums focus on ancient or distant tragedies, the KGB Museum in Vilnius (also known as the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights) tells a story that hits much closer to modern memory. Located in the former headquarters of the Soviet secret police, the building still houses original prison cells, execution chambers, and interrogation rooms. Walking its cold corridors, you gain a visceral understanding of Lithuania’s struggle during the Soviet occupation. Stories of political prisoners and freedom fighters come alive in chilling, personal detail.
Natural Sites with Dark Legends
Hoia Baciu Forest, Romania
Ask any paranormal enthusiast about Europe’s most haunted locations, and Hoia Baciu Forest in Romania will quickly come up. Just outside Cluj-Napoca, this dense woodland has gained a global reputation for UFO sightings, ghost stories, and bizarre electromagnetic phenomena. Locals whisper of people entering and never returning, strange lights flickering through the trees, and an unnerving silence that seems unnatural. Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, there’s something undeniably eerie about wandering into its heart—especially around the strange circular clearing where nothing seems to grow.
The Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan
In the barren Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan, one of the strangest sights on Earth burns: a fiery crater nicknamed “The Gates of Hell.” This natural gas field collapsed into a cavern during a Soviet drilling expedition in 1971. To prevent the spread of methane, engineers set it alight, expecting it to burn out quickly. It’s been burning ever since. Standing at the edge of the crater at night feels like staring into another world—molten, glowing orange against the black desert sky. It’s beautiful in a dangerous, slightly apocalyptic way, and getting there is no small feat, adding to its allure for those who truly want to venture off the beaten path.
Dark tourism invites us to look beyond the surface of the places we visit, offering a deeper understanding of history, conflict, and human resilience. These destinations may be unsettling, but they also reveal the stories that shaped the world we live in today. Whether exploring abandoned towns, standing on forgotten battlefields, or venturing into eerie natural landscapes, these experiences challenge us to reflect on the past and see beauty in the forgotten and the flawed. For those willing to step off the typical tourist trail, they offer journeys that are as meaningful as they are memorable.