What would happen if everyone moved out of your neighborhood tomorrow?
At ghost towns around the world, this is exactly what happened. Over time, civilization left and these once-prospering cities started crumbling and becoming one with nature.
Though ghost towns can be eerie, there’s a unique sense of peace and beauty that can be found in them also. This causes some of the world’s most fascinating abandoned destinations to become major tourist destinations, despite their lack of population.
These are the ghost towns around the world you should know about:
La Isla de las Muñecas, Mexico
La Isla de las Muñecas, Spanish for The Island of the Dead Dolls, is as creepy as it sounds. This terrifying island in Mexico City is named for the many dolls hanging from its trees.
The reclusive former owner reportedly placed the dolls to appease the spirit of a young girl found dead in the island’s canals. Decades later, La Isla de las Muñecas continues to attract tourists who believe the dolls are haunted.
Al Madam, United Arab Emirates
Travelers eager to escape the overrated Dubai tourist attractions can visit Al Madam, a vacant village less than 50 miles outside the city. You’ll encounter a row of empty homes and a mosque partially buried under sand. Shifting dunes have begun to swallow the town over time, creating an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
Wharram Percy, England
Walking through the ruins of Wharram Percy will send chills down your spine. It’s been uninhabited since the early 1500s, leaving only crumbling church ruins and overgrown plots where homes once stood. What little remains of Wharram Percy is a fascinating example of England’s medieval history.
Bodie, California
The once-bustling gold mine town of Bodie now has a reputation as one of the most famous abandoned U.S. places. Miners discovered gold in the area in the late 1850s, and at its peak, upwards of 10,000 people lived there.
By the 1910s, its population began to decline, with the last mine closing in 1942. Twenty years later, Bodie became a historic park, and visitors can now wander through the over 100 structures still standing throughout town.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, India
Historic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, informally known as Ross Island, is a haunting tourist attraction off the coast of Port Blair. The island was first settled in 1789 and underwent periods of abandonment in the following decades.
By the 1850s, British forces converted it into a penal colony for hundreds of inmates. As part of their punishment, convicts were forced to clear the land, build structures for the colonial authorities, and were even used as test subjects in controversial medical trials.
Poveglia, Italy
Despite their proximity, most visitors to Venice are unaware of the deserted Poveglia Island. The settlement has a storied past but is most famous for being a plague quarantine area for nearly 100 years, beginning in 1776.
Poveglia has been uninhabited since 1968, and remains closed to visitors. Many believe the island is haunted by the spirits of those who died there over the centuries.
Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat easily ranks among the most iconic ghost towns worldwide. In 1986, following the Chernobyl disaster, all of its residents were forced to evacuate.
Nature has overtaken the town’s apartment blocks, schools, factories, and the Pripyat amusement park. Today, it serves as an unsettling remnant of the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Sewell Mining Town, Chile
Sewell isn’t just an abandoned town—it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mining operation was established in 1905 amidst the Andes Mountains and thrived until the 1970s.
Following its decline, the mining company that owned Sewell planned to demolish the town. However, supporters successfully argued for its preservation—visitors can now learn about its historical significance on guided tours.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Crumbling walls, rusted cars, and overgrown lots are all that remain of Oradour-sur-Glane. This French village was the site of a horrific massacre during World War II when German forces killed hundreds. Visiting the site is a fascinating yet sad reminder of this dark chapter in France’s history.
Arltunga, Australia
Deep in the Australian Outback lies the eerie Arltunga Historical Reserve. The former town was a popular gold-mining site from the 1880s to the 1930s.
Thanks to the harsh desert climate, it remains incredibly well-preserved. Many of Arltunga’s stone buildings still stand, testifying to a bygone era.
Villa Epecuén, Argentina
Villa Epecuén is an unsettling ghost town in Argentina’s Buenos Aires Province. At its peak, the destination welcomed tens of thousands of annual visitors.
In 1985, a nearby dam broke and partially flooded Villa Epecuén, making it uninhabitable. Some of the water has receded in recent years, revealing more of the town, but most of its structures still lie submerged in salt.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Traveling to Kolmanskop feels like wandering onto the set of a post-apocalyptic film. It was once a thriving mining settlement that operated from 1908 to 1956.
The ghost town now sits abandoned in the Namib Desert, its structures slowly filling with sand over the decades. Many tourists flock there to photograph the eerie decaying ruins.
Döllersheim, Austria
No one has lived in the rural Austrian village of Döllersheim since 1938. Adolf Hitler ordered its evacuation to create a space for Nazi forces to train. Today, the Austrian Armed Forces operate the town, and certain areas, including the local church and graveyard, are open to visitors.
Hashima Island, Japan
Off the coast of Nagasaki lies Hashima Island, a haunting town abandoned in the 1970s. It was initially constructed as a coal mining base and once housed thousands.
Hashima Island’s residents left after the mine was completely depleted and closed. The ruins became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, and tourists can take sightseeing boat tours to the island.
Agdam, Azerbaijan
Before the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Azerbaijani town of Agdam had over 28,000 residents. At that time, it boasted wine and silk factories, an airport, and two railway stations.
Once war broke out, Agdam’s residents began to flee, and Armenian forces captured the town in 1993. It now lies in ruins, though Azerbaijan’s president announced plans to rebuild the city in 2021.
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Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
