The World’s 4 Eeriest Ghost Towns


Pripyat, Ukraine. Photo credit: Rebecca Bathory

Pripyat, Ukraine. Photo credit: Rebecca Bathory



Now within a "Zone of Alienation", or exclusion zone, Pripyat is a vast and poignant time capsule of the 1980s - an era of Cold War tensions and Soviet domination in eastern Europe. Tour operators take visitors amid the dusty buildings whose floors are still strewn with books, newspapers and posters from the era, while a skeletal Ferris wheel looms over the dead streets of a once-thriving city.

While some still have qualms about the radiation in the area, many visitors can't resist the dark lure of the place - both because of its macabre grandeur, and because of its special place in Cold War lore.

Villa Epecuén in Argentina. Photo credit: Romain Veillon

Villa Epecuén in Argentina. Photo credit: Romain Veillon


Once upon a time, there was an idyllic vacation destination in Argentina which drew some of the nation's wealthiest citizens. This was Villa Epecuen, which was perched on the edge of a salty lake whose waters were said to have therapeutic properties. The rich and famous flocked to the resort to bask in the water and let the kids run free. Then, in November 1985, something catastrophic happened.



Centralia in Pennsylvania, USA

Centralia in Pennsylvania, USA


Somewhere in the US state of Pennsylvania, there's a place where toxic smoke curls out from sewer grates, and where the cracked roads are hot to the touch. This is Centralia, a virtual ghost town that's been dubbed the "real Silent Hill" because of its resemblance to the eerie, mist-shrouded town of the eponymous video game franchise.

The strange calamity of Centralia dates back to 1962, when locals intentionally set fire to a landfill to clear it out. The fire spread to the subterranean labyrinth of tunnels that lie beneath this old mining community, where the rich seams of coal have provided enough fuel to keep the flames burning ever since. In fact, it's thought the underground inferno will carry on for at least 250 years.


As one former resident put it: "Everyone wanted to trick or treat near me. They didn't care that they got less candy. They wanted to be scared. A few years some of that steam would rise, or it would be foggy. With all the abandoned houses, it was better than a haunted house to them. Me, it was another day."

Craco in southern Italy

Craco in southern Italy



But get closer, and its desolate nature is revealed. Thanks to the forces of nature - think landslides and earthquakes - the locals migrated throughout the 20th Century, and it was completely deserted by the 1980s. Today, visitors can only access its winding, abandoned streets through official tours, which reveal the ancient piazzas and fading frescoes of a place that was inhabited for many centuries.

That said, the hustle and bustle does return to Craco on occasion, when it plays host to annual religious festivals. Its stark and striking architecture has also made it popular with filmmakers, with Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and the James Bond movie A Quantum of Solace shooting in the ghost town.