With ghoul season upon us, there’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned ghost story. You’ve probably heard a few of the big ones: Anne Boleyn wandering the Tower of London with her head tucked under her arm, the ghostly guests of the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, or the many spirits said to haunt New Orleans.
But what if you want something a little stranger, and considerably less obvious?
Around the world there are places where ghosts, monsters and other things that go bump in the night are still part of the landscape and the local culture. We’ve picked five that are particularly atmospheric and that make a great trip… even if you don’t believe a word of them.
1. Bangkok, Thailand: Mae Nak
Bangkok might not be the first place you’d think of for a spooky trip, but Thailand’s most famous ghost has been haunting one corner of the city for generations.
The story goes that Nak was pregnant when her husband, Mak, was sent away to war. She died in childbirth, and so did the baby. But when Mak finally came home, his wife and newborn were waiting for him. The villagers tried to tell him they were both dead. He wouldn’t listen. Then one day, while she was cooking, Nak dropped a lime through the floorboards. Mak watched her reach for it. She didn’t go downstairs. Her arm simply kept stretching, down through the floor, until it reached the ground below. He ran. Nak, furious, turned on everyone she blamed for taking her husband away, and the village lived in fear until a Buddhist monk finally subdued her spirit.
More than 150 years on, people still visit her shrine at Wat Mahabut in Phra Khanong to leave offerings and ask for her help. Young men hoping to avoid military conscription are among the regulars. She has also inspired countless films, TV series and plays.
The shrine is easy to combine with the rest of Bangkok: its markets, temples and food.
2. Louisiana, USA: The Rougarou
Head deep into the bayous of southern Louisiana and you’ll hear about the Rougarou, a creature from Cajun folklore said to roam the swamps after dark.
Descriptions vary, but it’s usually imagined as part man, part wolf. For generations the story has been used to keep children from wandering off at night and, in some versions, to frighten Catholics into behaving themselves during Lent.
This is a landscape of bayous, cypress trees and Spanish moss, in communities where Cajun traditions are still very much alive. And rather than leaving its monster in the past, Louisiana throws it a party every year. This year’s Rougarou Fest takes place in Houma from 23 to 25 October 2026, with Cajun food, live music, a costume contest, a Folklife Village and the Krewe Ga Rou parade on Saturday night. Proceeds go to the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, which works to protect the state’s disappearing coast.
For a longer trip, spend a few days in bayou country with a swamp tour or two, then carry on to New Orleans, about an hour’s drive away.
3. Mexico City, Mexico: La Llorona
Few Latin American ghost stories have travelled as far as La Llorona, the Weeping Woman.
There are many versions, but most tell of a woman who drowned her children and, once she realised what she had done, was condemned to wander the earth looking for them. Her cries are heard at night, usually near rivers and canals. And if her wailing sounds far away, so the saying goes, she’s right beside you.
The canals of Xochimilco, in the south of Mexico City, have been the setting for a night-time production of the legend since 1993. Audiences board traditional trajineras at Embarcadero Cuemanco and drift through the canals after dark while the story unfolds on the water, with live music, dance and more than 50 performers. In 2026 the season started early, in May, for the World Cup, and it runs until 22 November, with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Late October and early November are an especially good time to visit Mexico City, with Día de Muertos celebrations across the city alongside the markets, museums and food.
4. Monts d’Arrée, Brittany: The Ankou
For something altogether bleaker, head to the Monts d’Arrée in western Brittany.
This wild landscape of windswept heath, rocky peaks and peat bog has produced centuries of folklore about death and the supernatural, and its most unsettling character is the Ankou.
Usually shown as a skeletal figure in black carrying a scythe, the Ankou isn’t Death himself but his servant. One tradition says the last person to die in each parish during the year becomes its Ankou, with the job of collecting the souls of the newly dead. Hear the creak of his cart in the dark, and death isn’t far behind.
Local folklore also has night washerwomen and korrigans, and the boggy Yeun Elez is home to the Youdig, traditionally one of the gateways to hell, where the restless dead were thrown to be dragged under. Today it’s a brilliant part of Brittany for hiking and road trips, with tiny villages, the strange boulder-strewn forest of Huelgoat and the Breton coast within easy reach.
5. Zarožje, Serbia: Sava Savanović
Long before Dracula checked into his Transylvanian castle, Serbia had vampires of its own.
The most famous is Sava Savanović, said to have lived in an old watermill on the Rogačica river, just outside this small village in the hills of western Serbia. According to the legend, he drank the blood of anyone who came to grind their grain there.
Milovan Glišić made him famous in his 19th-century tale After Ninety Years, which later inspired Leptirica, Serbia’s first horror film. Locals have never quite let him go. Some still shout loudly as they pass the mill at dusk, just to keep the fear at bay.
When the old mill collapsed in 2012, the local council issued a public warning that Sava might be on the loose and advised residents to use garlic and keep a cross in every room. Garlic sales boomed. The mill has since been restored, and it sits in the forested hills between Povlen mountain and Bajina Bašta.
The surrounding region is full of wooded mountains, river valleys, traditional villages and hiking country, with Tara National Park and the Drina canyon close by.
Fancy something a little different?
You don’t need to believe in ghosts, vampires or swamp monsters to build a trip around a good story. Get in touch and we’ll help you plan yours.